Richard started learning Karate, Jujitsu and Kung Fu at the age of fifteen. He began his
training at Ardleigh Green College in Hornchurch. In 1980 he started training in Wado-Ryu
Karate where he gained his 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dan grades. Richard has now been teaching Karate
and running clubs for over two decades.
The main reason why Richard formed Shuhari-Kai Karate Club is that he wanted a club that was different, a club where business was not the main emphasis, a club where the students are the most important thing. Since its inception, Richard has made it a very popular family club. He has arranged parties for his students and their families, special courses where a specialist guest is invited to teach the students, caravan holidays for the students to train which they thoroughly enjoy and not least the infamous Halloween Parties.
Richard is deeply involved our association where they are now members of the English Karate Governing Body. Everything he has ever learnt he has poured back into his students education. Richard is one hundred percent committed to his students and his patience, dedication and determination encourages them all to want to succeed. Indeed, Richard has trained children up to become World Junior Kata Champions and National Kumite Champions. He is well respected by all his students and their parents and many other people in the Karate world.
With the knowledge of Health & Safety matters through his work which he brings to his clubs coupled with his first aid qualifications, he succeeds in making the training environment a safe place to learn in and makes his students aware of the dangers around them. There are training mats in most clubs, kick shields and bags to enhance the safe environment and this in part is thanks to the Jack Petchey Foundation who has supported the club and aided the purchase of this equipment.
Richard currently runs the Havering Youth Games for Margaret Campbell at Harrow Lodge and has been doing so for over eight years. He has increased the number of entrants by 45% in that time. He is also the coach for the Havering Karate team who compete at the Heathrow London Youth Games which take place at Crystal Palace. He has brought the Havering Karate Squad to victory in 1997. In 1998 the boys team finished first whilst the girls team finished second. Both the boys and Girls team finished first in the 1999 Games. Since then, Havering have finished in the top three out of 32 boroughs.
Although specialising in Traditional Karate tuition, Richard has been awarded the English Judge's Badge and now the English Referee's Badge by the English Karate Governing Body (EKGB) and has refereed Karate competitions all over the country from local club level to the English Nationals and International events. He has also received the EKGB Coaching Certificate and is a member of the National Coaching Foundation. Richard has received the Jack Petchey Leadership Award and was voted Sports Personality of the year in 2001 by the Havering Sports Council.
