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Sensei Richard Stanfield
Bio
Sensei Rich Stanfield has been studying the martial arts since he was 5 years old. His first Karate instructor was Wayne Hodges from NY and he trained in Kyokushinkai Karate. This was Sensei Rich’s first karate experience that would continue for many years to come. Sensei’s Kyokushinkai Karate training would be the style he would dedicate himself to the rest of his life being inspired by Sosai Mas Oyama. Sensei would continue training under Sensei Richard Madsen of Westbrookville, NY in Kyokushinkai under Shihan Kanamura of Brooklyn, NY and would go to NY to train on the weekends with Shihan Kanamura and an instructor in the Dojo, Kaicho Randolph James of Kyokushinkai Jutsukai, then.
Sensei left the NY Dojo in the summer of 1986 to train under Shihan John (Tony) Farrell of Pittsburg, PA receiving his Ikyu and then his Shodan Rank in 1987. While in college in 1986 at New Paltz University in New Paltz, NY, Sensei had the privilege to train under Shihan Frank Clark, Shihan Mike Skinner and the students of that dojo. In 1993, he would receive his Ni-dan Rank from Shihan Farrell.
In April 1986, Sensei lived in Puerto Rico for a month and trained with Shihan Louis Torregrossa and his students. Sensei continues when possible to go to Shihan and Sensei Flynn’s Gasshuku in Waterbury, Vermont for an excellent weekend of training that is hard to find anywhere else. Sensei has trained at the Addesso Dojo in Montreal, Canada and continues to travel there to this day.
The Stanfield Dojo is affiliated with IKO-Sosai under the tutelage of Kancho Suzuki and Kuristina Oyama Daimyo of Honbu, Japan. Under Shihan Joe Addesso of Montreal, Canada, Sensei Rich received his Sandan Rank through IKO-Sosai on November 12, 2011. Under Kaicho Randolph James of Kyokushinkai Jutsukai of Brooklyn, NY, Sensei Rich was promoted to the rank of Sandan on January 19, 2012..
Sensei Rich also trained in Tang Soo Do with the Hong brothers in New Hampton, NY, Tae Kwon Do under George Brown of Middletown, NY, Keith Lipskey of Newburg, NY, and Head Instructor Duk Sung Son of NY City. Sensei Rich also had the privilege to train in Hwarang Do under a disciple of Joo Bang Lee. Sensei also trained for one year at the Tai-Chi farm in Warwick, NY under a Chen Tai-Chi instructor direct from the Chen family lineage in China who was living and teaching in NY City, but donated his time to teach on weekends at the farm for founder Jou, Tsung Hwa. Later, Sensei would learn more of the Tai-Chi training through a good friend KL Chan from Philadelphia, PA. Sensei also went to seminars for Taiji Qigong training under Sifu Turcotte, also seminars and Gasshukus with Renshi George Wilke of Shotokan Karate learning Tanto-Jitsu, Shihan John Farrell of Kyokushinkai for Jo and Tai Sabaki techniques, Sensei John Hamilton of Shorinryu for Bo and Tan-bo, and Sensei Sam Pierson for Tonfa and Sai. Sensei Rich has also trained in Goju-Ryu karate along-side his wife who is a Yondan under Sensei Dennis Tobash of Pottsville, PA.
