David Dangerfield is one of the most popular and richest Martial Arts Instructor who was born on February 18, 1957 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In 1984, David Dangerfield had his first encounter with Aikido. After watching a demonstration, Dangerfield was immediately captivated to the formal, logical nature of the art along with its stunning visual appeal and apparent potential for effectiveness. Dangerfield was already training in different martial arts since 1974 which included Shotokan Karate & Chinese boxing and had also gained experience in the field of security. In 1986, Dangerfield began his learning Aikikai type Aikido. He received instruction from several instructors. The most memorable were his occasional classes with Takeda Sensei. In 1990, he achieved the rank of Shodan (first grade black belt).
In 2003, David Dangerfield founded The Compass Institute Inc the initial certified Disability Service based on the principles of Japanese Budo. The Compass Institute Inc. offers post-school education, vocational and training opportunities to children and teens with physical or intellectual disabilities. The programs for the centers incorporates regular training with Aikido along with Shinto Muso Ryu Jodo. In 2015, The Compass Institute Inc. was a registered charity with more than 40 experts and supporting more than 90 youngsters with physical and intellectual disabilities in six centers ranging that span from Caboolture up to Gladstone. The center that is one of them is a working farm that lets around 40 youngsters to access additional training in horticulture, animal husbandry gardening, nursery work, as well as the maintenance of property.
Also in 2014, The Compass Institute was the winner of the Knowledge Industries & Professional Services Large Business Award at the Sunshine Coast Business Awards. The first part of the process was based on an exhaustive written application where the Institute made it as a finalist in the category – Knowledge Industries and Professional Services. This category was one of the largest with 16 other finalists. Stage two was a 45-minute interview with 3 members of the judging panel. Winning this award signifies the hard work of the Institute as well as being strong recognition of its work within the community.
In 2014 Dangerfield’s first book: Martial Reflections – In Search of Wisdom was published by Icon Publishing. It is a collection of short stories that blend practicality, budo philosophy and poetic imagery. 2014 also saw David awarded the Sunshine Coast Australian Citizen of the Year award for his pioneering work with youth at-risk, alternative education and for his contribution to the disability field.
In 1996, Dangerfield was given his Sandan at this point, and by that time he was teaching full-time for four years. In 1997 Dangerfield was introduced to Nishioka Tsuneo Sensei, a senior master from Shinto Muso-ryu. This encounter had a profound influence for Dangerfield and he noticed that his own personal style and style became more clear. The year 2000 was also the year Dangerfield was recognized as Nishioka Sensei’s disciple and furthered his studies in the Kobudo.
