Brian Stanton was born on April 14, 1978, in the small town of Newton, New Jersey. Since then, Brian has lived in various places of the U.S.: from Florida, to Indiana, to Virginia, and back to Florida again.
Brian Stanton was born on April
14, 1978, in the small town of Newton, New Jersey. Since then, Brian has lived
in various places of the U.S.: from Florida, to Indiana, to Virginia, and back
to Florida again.
As with many practitioners, Brian’s martial arts career started when he was a young boy. At the age of about 7 years old, he stepped into his first TaeKwonDo class, and has not regretted it for a moment since.
His parents started him in TaeKwonDo at a local school in Anderson, Indiana. Because he was so young, he really did not absorb much content from his instructors. He knew what to do when they said, “Cha-ryut,” or “Kyun-ye,” but that was about it. Although he trained there for only a few short months, the experience left him wanting more.
When Brian Stanton and his family moved to Pace, Florida, he trained at a family-run TaeKwonDo school near his home. Although he learned little of Korean martial arts tradition, his technique was developing in its own, awkwardly unique way—as with many young boys.
From Florida, his family moved to Virginia. It is here that he gained his “adolescent” knowledge of TaeKwonDo. He trained at the Koryo Traditional Martial Arts Center, under Master Phuong K. Hoang. He learned a very traditional style of TaeKwonDo. The school adhered strictly to Korean martial traditions. He also trained in the Japanese arts of Kendo (or Korean Kumdo), and Aikido. Although his instruction in these arts was not as extensive, it was refreshing for him to learn a different style with a different historical background.
In the early 1990’s, Brian moved back to Florida with his family. They settled in the Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park. Now being the age of 13 or so, Brian had enough sense to do some informed investigation before choosing a martial arts school. He settled on Mudo College of TaeKwonDo, and trained with Master Ron Berry. This would be one of most influential instructors on Brian’s technical development. From him, he learned much about the WTF style of TaeKwonDo, as well as traditional HapKiDo. Both his sparring skills, as well as his self-defense techniques, sharpened during his valuable tenure at Mudo College. In 1995, he was awarded his 1st Dan in TaeKwonDo, and it is a day that he will not soon forget. A few years later, Master Ron Berry awarded Brian Stanton his black belt in HapKiDo, and it was again another moment of which to be proud.
During his final years of college, Brian took a hiatus from his training at Mudo College of TaeKwonDo in order to focus on his studies. He often trained on his own, or with his two companions that he met at Mudo College, Master Shelby Creech and Mr. John Combs. The three often trained in TaeKwonDo and HapKiDo, and worked on his KumSool techniques as well. Training alongside friends was an invaluable asset to Brian. Each of his friends brought unique talents to the table—all enabling a type of martial arts “cross training.” The development of the MuSool system was accomplished only through, though often sporadic, hours of training and philosophical discussion.
On May 4, 2001, Brian Stanton completed his studies at the University of North Florida, with a Bachelors of Arts in Education degree—focusing on Elementary Education. Later that year, Brian moved to Port Orange where he helped Master Creech in the development of the MuSool Academy of Martial Arts. Since then, Brian has taught elementary education in the Florida Public School System.
Brian is continuing his study of the martial arts, and is currently living in the Jacksonville area with his wife Stephanie and his stepson Ian. He remains an active member of the MuSool Black Belt Board.