Sensei Richardt began training with UQTKD in August 1990. He notes that the club was an avenue to get a sense of “self” whilst attaining fitness and technique. Sensei Richardt attained first dan in July 1994.

When living in Japan, he trained briefly in Aikiki Aikido, which furthered his esteem of fluidity, precision, and “self” over brute strength and power.  Nevertheless, Sensei Richardt also maintained a rigorous weight-training and stretching regime when in Japan, which, he notes, helped his advancement tremendously.

Upon returning to Australia in March 1997, Sensei Richardt immediately returned to UQTKD.  He notes that, “the style is very much suited to me, and the “feel” of the club is very positive.  I started to develop my own style of fighting after coming to realise the advantages and limitations of my body”.  Sensei Richardt  attained his second dan in February 1998.

Recently, Sensei Richardt has trained in a Zendokai Karate club. He says of this training that, “its strengths lay in some of the punches and levels of fitness. The weaknesses are that relatively little focus is given to precision and style.  Stances tend to be impractical (at least for my body), and accuracy doesn’t seem to be accentuated”. [nb these comments reflect only one club of Zendokai Karate, and are not necessarily indicative of the overall style].

Sensei Richardt’s ethos is best summed up in his own words:

My focus when training is technical excellence (which is not to say I attain it!).  This is opposed to, say, trying to break five bricks with my fist...  My focus is therefore very much down-to-earth: What works? What doesn’t? Is it practical? Does it suit my style or body-type?  As such, my goal is to end the fight quickly.  My ultimate goal is to end the fight before it even begins, or with minimal or no violence at all.  Perhaps this is why, in general, tournament fighting does not really appeal to me.

Nevertheless, Sensei Richardt has entered and won the annual UQ Interclub tournament on a number of occasions, “as I believe it is the closest thing to a “real” fight without hurting your opponent, and has nearly always been fought in the right spirit”.