Grandmaster Richard Byrne, 9th Dan is the president and founder of the American Tang Soo Do Association (ATA) and the United Tang Soo Do Congress. The ATA is one of the oldest Tang Soo Do organizations in the United States. 

His martial arts career began in 1969 while he was stationed at Osan Air Force Base in Korea. His instructor was Grandmaster C. S. Kim. In addition to Tang Soo Do, Grandmaster Byrne also holds Black Belts in Shotokan karate as well as Tae Kwon Do. He is a world shoot fighting champion and competes regularly in Japan.

He is recognized worldwide as an expert in board breaking, currently holding three world records, including 10 boards with a knife hand chop, 8 boards with an instep round kick, and 15 boards with an elbow strike. Grandmaster Byrne has shared his expertise with an international audience through his book The Complete Art of Breaking and his video tape The Basics of Breaking.

His career has also taken him into film, where he has starred in several action movies including When Death Comes Quickly, which also featured Bill "Superfoot" Wallace and Professor Toru Tanaka, and in Distant Justice with George Kennedy and David Carridine. He has appeared on local and national television including such shows as Spenser For Hire and Against the Law.

He has also written for every major martial arts magazine in the country and appeared on the cover of the premiere issue of Traditional Tang Soo Do Illustrated. Master Byrne's multi-faceted martial arts background has established him as one of the most respected men in martial arts today and one of the major leaders of Tang Soo Do in the country.

As of 2006, Grandmaster Byrne has promoted well over 1000 students to the rank of Cho-Dan. Many of these students have gone on to achieve the Master level and spread the art of Tang Soo Do through teaching. He continues to teach at his Byrne's Tang Soo Do Studios in Massachusetts.