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"I will stop when they put me in a box and carry me down the road" - Richard Russell
Richard is unstoppable.
A latecomer to martial arts, he began his journey aged 50
and now at the age of 71 has just earned his second dan black belt.
He may be fighting off knee surgery, but quitting is no option.
Martial arts are combat practices to be used as a form of self defence,
for entertainment purposes and to preserve cultural heritage.
The coloured belt ranking system was devised by the "founder of modern Judo", Dr. Jigoro Kano.
The white belt signifies the beginning of the journey, and the black belt signifies the most experienced.
After this, the black belts are ranked by ascending numbers.
Richard loves being an instructor at Chongshindo Martial Arts, Great Barr.
He mentions that it is hard to encourage new beginners, as many think it is "crash bang whollop",
and when they learn that a lot of skill and learning is involved, they quit.
He believes that this is a shame, as everyone is missing out on some great fun!
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