9th Dan – Pin # 14945
1950 – 2012

Grandmaster Richard Byrne – 9th Dan – is the President and Founder of THE AMERICAN TANG SOO DO ASSOCIATION and Byrne’s Tang Soo Do Karate Studios. He began his illustrious career in 1969 while stationed in the military in Korea. His training began with the study of Tang Soo Do at Osan Air Force Base. Not only is he a Master of the style Tang Soo Do, but also holds black belts in Shotokan and Tae Kwon Do.

Grandmaster Byrne no longer competes professionally but he was a world shoot fighting champion and competed regularly in Japan. He has gained world-wide recognition as an expert in board breaking. As such, he holds three world records, including 10 boards with a knife hand chop, 8 boards with an instep round kick, and 15 boards with an elbow strike. Master Byrne has shared his expertise with an international audience through his book The Complete Art of Breaking and his video tape The Basics of Breaking, both of which provide a comprehensive learning aid to their users.

As of 2006, Grandmaster Byrne has promoted well over 1000 students to the rank of Cho-Dan (Black Belt). Many of these students have gone on to spread the art of Tang Soo Do through teaching and have also achieved the level of Master.

Grandmaster Byrne has captured public acclaim by extending his career into many varied areas. He has starred in several action movies including When Death Comes Quickly which also features Bill “Superfoot” Wallace and Professor Toru Tanaka and in Distant Justice with George Kennedy and David Carridine. He has also appeared on local and national television including such shows as Spenser For Hire and Against the Law. He has also written for every major martial arts magazine in the country as well as appearing on the cover of the premiere issue of Traditional Tang Soo Do Illustrated.

Grandmaster Byrne’s multi-faceted martial arts background has established him as one of the most respected men in his field today and one of the major leaders of Tang Soo Do in the country. In 2008, Grandmaster Byrne received his 9th Dan from Grandmaster Benedetto Stumpf and the German Tang Soo Do Federation.