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Richard was brought up in the village of Blockley near Moreton-in-Marsh in the English Cotswolds, 25 miles from Cheltenham.

At 8yrs old (1962) Richard was caught fighting outside the local youth centre, the youth leader "Pete Basten" an ex Army Boxing Champion invited the youngsters into the youth club and told the young lads that if they wanted to fight on the youth club grounds then it would be with boxing gloves on and to Queensbury Rules.  

Mr Basten taught Richard right up to the age of 16yrs (1970).   In 1970 Richard moved on and joined the Evesham and Stratford Boxing clubs, he stayed with the Evesham club until 1978 but gave it up for Kickboxing, Richard decided that Kung Fu and Kickboxing was what he had been looking for. Between 1972 and 1976 Richard trained in Aikido & Judo then opened a keep fit & self-defence club in the Moreton-inMarsh Town Hall on April 23rd 1976, this became an instant success with 40+ students. The training was sometimes to music in which the students enjoyed, Martial Artists would come in and frown at the training accusing Richard of taking away the tradition, Richards answer was: This is exercise, fitness and fighting preparation training and people seem to like it.  Remember that this was a few years before Aerobics came to this country. In September of 1978 the club was changed into a Lau-Gar Kung Fu club as Richard had been training twice a week in Banbury, Oxon under Steve Faulkner. Richard and club members started entering Kung Fu tournaments, the first one was in March 1978 in Kings Norton.  Richard was picked by a club senior "Mick Farrell" to compete for Banbury, he took 3rd place and received three broken ribs from Sammy Percival of Kings Norton.

Instead of putting Richard off this inspired him to enter even more events and thrived from them making tournaments his first love.  Richard and members travelled up and down the country entering Kung Fu & Karate tournaments, two of his team mates became household names in Alvin Mighty and Mark Aston, although now retired they both took many world titles between them. Alvin Mighty was one of the best and fastest backfisters in the world and Mark Aston was one of the best kickers in the world. Richard was team mates with these guys from 1978 to 1999 and there are many stories to tell from their many years of competing together.

Richard trained under the guidance of Master Jeremy Yau of the Shaolin Lau Gar Kung Fu system, between 1978 and 1989. In 1983 Richard opened the Cheltenham College of Martial Arts and also turned professional in the teaching of the Martial Arts and has never looked back. 

From 1978 to 1998, Richard was known in the tournament arena as “Deadly Dicker”, and he is still regularly featured in Martial Arts magazines throughout the world today. Martial Arts Illustrated (MAI) voted him “Instructor of the Year” in January 2003. 

In 1998 Richard was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in America after he received the nomination for “Martial Arts World Leadership & Instructor of the Year” from the WHFSC based in Florida, USA. He is now featured in the renowned book “The World Martial Arts Elite” along with famous Martial Artists such as Don “The Dragon” Wilson. Richard now holds a 7th Degree in Hop Kuin Do, 6th Degree in Shaolin Kung Fu, 6th Degree Kickboxing, 4th Dan in Wado Ryu Karate, 2nd Dan in Kenjutsu-Kai (Katana Samurai Sword).

In 1992 Richard married his long time student and best friend Simone - she joined Richard's Evesham club on its opening in 1982 at the age of 11yrs. She now holds a 5th Degree Blackbelt as well as the British, European, and World Full-Contact Kickboxing Titles. Simone recently formed the British Ladies Close Protection Association with women-only classes, and also the Simone Hopkins Academy of Self-Defence for Schools, which is now introducing children’s anti-bullying & self defence into the school curriculum.


...more to follow shortly...

My personal CV     (By Richard "DD" Hopkins)
1962 - Started Boxing under Pete Basten an ex Army Champion at         
the Blockley Youth Centre at the age of 8 years.          (for 6 years)
1968 - Joined Evesham ABA Boxing Club.                  (for 10 years)
1970 - Joined Stratford ABA Boxing Club.                   (for 8 years)
1971 - Joined Evesham Aikido Club.                           (for 2 years)
1972 - Joined Evesham Judo Club.                              (for 2 years)
1973 - Practised Bruce Lee techniques from the films (for many years)
1976 - Opened my own Self-Defence & Keep Fit Club in Moreton.
          taught techniques to music, years before Aerobics' ever started!
1977 - Joined BKFA Lau-Gar Kung Fu Club in Banbury
1978 - Opened a Lau Kung Fu club in Moreton.       ( Still open now)
1979 - Joined Wado Ryu Karate under Clayton Murrain.
1980 - Won my first Major Tera Karate Competition featured in Combat 
 October 1980.
1980 - Fought for British Karate Squad in Dublin. (1st International)
1982 - Opened Evesham & Aylesbury Lau-Gar Kung Fu club.
1982 - August, Promoted my first Major Tournament the Evesham Open 
and it was featured in Fighters magazine in September 1982.
1983 - Opened Cheltenham lau-Gar Kung Fu club.         (Full-Time)
1983 - Left my job at British Leyland to teach full-time for B.K.F.A.
1983 - Became British Full-Contact Champion -75kg  AMAA
1983 - Promoted my own mini series of tournaments.     (my clubs)
1984 - Opened Stratford, Alcester Lau Gar Kung Fu clubs.
1985 - Opened Cirencester, Stroud & Brockworth clubs.
1986 - Bought a Bodybuilding Gym in Cheltenham.
1989 - March was my first USA trip, took 3rd in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.
1989 - Came home from the USA with the "Deadly Dicker" name.
1989 - Left the BKFA-British Kung Fu Association
1989 - Acquired a Free 15 year lease on Sixways Hall, Cheltenham.
1989 - Formed The WUMA, The Sixways Hall became The WUMA HQ.
1989 - I started the WUMA with 24 of my own clubs.
1989 - Altogether 120 clubs and 12 countries started the Federation with me.
1989 - Kevin Brewerton left the BKFA a few weeks later and became my partner.
1989 - Alvin Mighty, Mark Aston, Peter Edwards all joined us and success followed
1990 - Our new Team won the FSK knocking Alfie Lewis's team off the rostrum.
1991 - Won the first ever FSK & MAI Series Masters Division
1994 - Won the Clash of the Titans Team event out of 8 Associations
1996 - Won the Clash of the Square Ring, again against Britain's best!
1998 - Graded in the USA for the Masters Belt and recognition of Hop Kuin Do
1998 - Received Hall of Fame from the WHFSC council of 200 Masters and International Leader of the year
2005 - Awarded 7th Dan from the USA for World promotion of the Martial Arts
2006. HQ at Sixways, Cheltenham closes down.  
2006 - 923 clubs strong in the UK. with 26000 members.  Worldwide 55 member countries
2006 - WUMA is now renowned as the Worlds largest Federation
2006 - WUMA has the worlds largest website at www.wuma.uk.com 
2006 - WUMA holds the most tournaments, we challenge anyone to match what we do
.more to follow shortly...