Sensei Richard Lenchus is a Grand Master in the art of Shotokan Karate. He has been a world champion competitor, an author and a TV show host and much more.
- 1949 Started in Hawaiian Kenpo Karate
- 1953 Fought for Police Athletic League as a boxer in the Golden Gloves
- 1955 Opened my first Karate School in Brooklyn New York
- 1957 United States Marine Corps Boxer and Bodybuilder Fought in “Smokers” on the Breckenridge, USS Sullivan, the Independence and the Enterprise.
- 1958-1961 Japan . Studied Shokai under Kenjiro Kawanabe Sensei direct descendant of Gichen Funakoshi founder of Shotokai and Shotokan
- 1961 “Legend” name becomes officially recognized in Martial Arts world
- 1962 Demonstrated for United Nations Security Guards
- 1962 Legend enters Mas O’Yamas “Blood and Guts” era at Madison Square Garden, NYC
- 1963 “House of the Legend” Karate students compete in Sunnyside Gardens, Manhattan Center, Beacon Theater, Gladiators Arena, over the next 10 years winning thousands of medals and trophies under Lenchus Sensei then under his Heir Bernard Scarda until 2005
Lenchus-Legend wins First Place in the “World Cup Masters Black Belt Division Australia 1996″ Students Win world wide competitions in Italy, Hungary, Egypt, Israel, England, Sweden, Puerto Rico, and across America under The United States Karate Federation (GM George Anderson) and the International Grandmasters of the Roundtable Federation (GM Onopa) with Lenchus-Legend Forms created by Lenchus and accepted in “Open Competition” Winning First Place over 150 times
Lenchus Studied:
- Baqua with Master Peiqi Xie of Beijing China
- Tai Chi Yang Style with Wm.C C. Chen Disciple of Cheng Man Ch’ing
- Tai Chi Chen Style With Sifu George Xu of Beijing China
- Tai Chi Swords and 24, 48 with Sifu Shah in Chinatown NYC
- Iaido under Grandmaster Rico Guy and Toshi Hamada Sensei
- Kendo under Kenjiro Kawanabe
- Fencing Brooklyn College, and Metropolitan Fencing Club NYC
- Judo under Ed Jackson, Stan Israel, and Yashida Sensei
- Arnis with Professor Visitation, Robert Rivera, Greg Alland.
- Aikido with Isao Nakaoka, and James Berkley
- Bo with Clarence Long
- Capoeira in Brazil (Introductory )
- Karate Shotokai under Kawanabe Sensei
- Street fighting from Coney Island, Brooklyn New York, Japanese Police in Yamato Japan, Naha Okinawa, Kadema, Hong Kong and Kaloon China
Rank Recognition History
- 1955 First Degree Kenpo
- 1961 Second Degree in Japan from Kenjiro Kawanabe. Atsugi Kanagawa Prefecture I also was awarded Fifth and Sixth Degree Black Belt under Kawanabe Sensei
- 1983 Eighth Dan Chun Tung Do
- 1990 Ninth Dan from Grandmaster Onopa in Kwon Bop Do (Honorific)
- 1990 Tenth Dan Hapkido from Grandmaster Kazuki
- 1991 Tenth Dan Kempo Tai Kwon Do
- 1992 Tenth Dan Legend Karate awarded by Grandmaster Ed Gross
- 1995 Tenth Dan recognition Sokeship Council
- 1996 Tenth Dan Kempo Tai Jitsu
- 1996 Tenth Dan Zen Bu Kan Grandmaster Les Harnos Australia and Hungary
2003-2006 Tenth Dan recognition by Maestro Peter Urban, Grandmasters Don Nagel, Grandmaster Gary Alexander, Grandmaster Aaron Banks, Grandmaster Johnny Kuhl, Grandmaster Joe Onopa, Grandmaster Rico Guy, Grandmaster William Louie, Shihan John Mirrione Jr., Grandmaster Louis Neglia, Hanshi Stephen Kaufman, Sifu Alan Goldberg, Grandmaster Tommy May, Master Thomas La Puppet, Master George Coefield, Grandmaster Eugene Humisky, Grandmaster Tokey Hill, Grandmaster George Anderson, and Grandmaster Ozawa, to list a few- 2006 Promoted by Kenjiro Kawanabe to 10th Dan after almost 50 years under his tutelage
Magazines
- Featured in JUDO DIGEST 1960-1961 Cliff Friedland
- Black Belt Magazine 1962-1980
- Fighting Stars 1965
- Official Karate Cover 1983 (Johnny Kuhl)
- Official Karate Centerfold under “Masters Edition” 1983
- World Professional Karate 1986 Grandmaster Aaron Banks and Dan Laurie
- SPY magazine
- New York Times Sept. 1962 page two.
- Vermont Martial Arts Association Cover of Magazine
- BLITZ Magazine from Great Britain 1992
- Karate Profiles, Made in America Magazine 1993
- Karate News from Italy 1997
- BUDO Magazine 2005-6
- Action Martial Arts Cover 2005
- Inside Kung Fu 2006
- TaeKwon do Times 2006
Awards Honors and Accomplishments
- World Professional Martial Arts Hall of Fame 1986
- World Martial Arts Hall of Fame 1994
- World Head of Families, Sokeship Council Hall of Fame 1995
- Pioneer Inductee in Gary Alexander IAMA
- Grandmaster of the Year Award 1996
- Professor Linicks Karate Masters Hall of Fame 1998
- Boys Club of New York Distinguished Martial Arts Award 1999
- World Karate Union Hall of Fame 1999
- Featured with Chuck Norris in Aaron Banks Madison Square Garden
- Director of the North American Black Belt Association
- RSO State of Vermont USA Karate Federation, Member Olympic Committee
- Member of Amateur Athletic Union
- Licensed Boxing Manager, Trainer, and Second, New Jersey.
- Member British All Styles Karate Division of Great Britain Governing Body
- Member Special Olympics, and Physically Challenged Events
- Member International Jujitsuian Federation
- Awarded by the Israeli Government and its agents multitude of times
- Presidential Citation for Judo, Karate, and Martial Arts from Presidents John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton, FIVE Times.
- US Marine Corps Boxing Champion 1958
- Second Place International Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Championships Muscle Beach California, 1957
- Director US Marine Corps Martial Arts
- Director World Karate Union
- Co-Founder International Grandmasters of the Roundtable Federation world wide
- Don Nagel Hall of Fame Humanitarian and Grandmaster Awards
- Robert Trias Hall of Fame Award 2004
- Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame 2004 and 2006
- BUDO Hall of Fame 2005
- Aaron Banks Hall of Fame 2005-6
- Sokeship Council Hall of Fame “Living Legend Award” 2006
- Aaron Banks “Ambassador of Martial Arts” Award 2006
- Recipient of over 563 trophies, medals, plaques, cups, plates, ribbons, certificates, citations and gifts from allover the world
- Martial Arts Cable Television Show for three years, three times a week
- Seminars world wide and affiliations worldwide.
- Honorable Mention “Most Distinguished Architectural Award” 1983
- Authored popular Books on Martial arts (Sold out)
- Contributing writer for magazines and newspapers as well as guest speaker on radio and Television shows
- Bodyguard to famous dignitaries and heads of State.
