SENSEI MATT NORTON, SANDAN
Sensei Matt Norton has been training in the Bujinkan for 10 years and comes from a family lineage of
warriors and protectors from several generations. His two grandfathers were Boston Police Officers and
his father was a U.S. Army Paratrooper and a member of the 11th Special Forces Group (the early
generation of Green Berets). Sensei Norton spent eight years as a United States Marine Officer
specializing in artillery and low altitude air defense, infantry and intelligence, serving often with Marine
Infantry as a fire support coordinator to commanders. His brother too served in the military in the U.S.
Army and spent a great deal of his time studying battle and tactics.
Sensei Norton began a quest for martial arts study and spiritual awakening at nineteen years old and
pursued training in such martial arts as Taekwondo, Jujutsu, Gojin Ryu Karate, Wahlum Kung Fu and
even some informal boxing and kickboxing. Like so many practitioners in the Bujinkan, he sought
something that was oriented toward real situations and was not limited to "just grappling", or "just
punching and kicking", or "just close in fighting", or "just sword techniques".
He sought one school that taught what would save one's life, not win tournaments.
He discovered this in the fall of 1995 and began his training with a licensed shodan in the Bujinkan Dojo.
Due to military obligations - field exercises and deployments - training was constantly interrupted and
over the years fragmented until in the spring of 1999, he found a school to continue his training
consistently. Sensei Norton achieved 1st degree black belt status in December of 2000 at Daikomyosai
in Japan and continues his studies into budo regularly as a student of Shihan Kyle Hayes, (14th Dan) of
the Bujinkan Orange County Dojo in Southern California.
Shihan Hayes has achieved the level of "Master Teacher" and holds frequent seminars throughout the
Bujinkan. When career demands caused Sensei Norton to relocate to Pennsylvania, Shihan Hayes
authorized and encouraged Sensei Norton to start a dojo for instruction in the Lehigh Valley both to begin
his training as an instructor as well as to allow him to continue training regularly.
Training regularly with his own sensei as frequently as time permits and traveling annually to Japan to
train with Soke Hatsumi and the Japanese Shihan, allows Sensei Norton to continue to progress along
his own path as well as pass on the updated changes and teachings of this mysterious art to his students.
Sensei Matt Norton has been training in the Bujinkan for 10 years and comes from a family lineage of
warriors and protectors from several generations. His two grandfathers were Boston Police Officers and
his father was a U.S. Army Paratrooper and a member of the 11th Special Forces Group (the early
generation of Green Berets). Sensei Norton spent eight years as a United States Marine Officer
specializing in artillery and low altitude air defense, infantry and intelligence, serving often with Marine
Infantry as a fire support coordinator to commanders. His brother too served in the military in the U.S.
Army and spent a great deal of his time studying battle and tactics.
Sensei Norton began a quest for martial arts study and spiritual awakening at nineteen years old and
pursued training in such martial arts as Taekwondo, Jujutsu, Gojin Ryu Karate, Wahlum Kung Fu and
even some informal boxing and kickboxing. Like so many practitioners in the Bujinkan, he sought
something that was oriented toward real situations and was not limited to "just grappling", or "just
punching and kicking", or "just close in fighting", or "just sword techniques".
He sought one school that taught what would save one's life, not win tournaments.
He discovered this in the fall of 1995 and began his training with a licensed shodan in the Bujinkan Dojo.
Due to military obligations - field exercises and deployments - training was constantly interrupted and
over the years fragmented until in the spring of 1999, he found a school to continue his training
consistently. Sensei Norton achieved 1st degree black belt status in December of 2000 at Daikomyosai
in Japan and continues his studies into budo regularly as a student of Shihan Kyle Hayes, (14th Dan) of
the Bujinkan Orange County Dojo in Southern California.
Shihan Hayes has achieved the level of "Master Teacher" and holds frequent seminars throughout the
Bujinkan. When career demands caused Sensei Norton to relocate to Pennsylvania, Shihan Hayes
authorized and encouraged Sensei Norton to start a dojo for instruction in the Lehigh Valley both to begin
his training as an instructor as well as to allow him to continue training regularly.
Training regularly with his own sensei as frequently as time permits and traveling annually to Japan to
train with Soke Hatsumi and the Japanese Shihan, allows Sensei Norton to continue to progress along
his own path as well as pass on the updated changes and teachings of this mysterious art to his students.
| INSTRUCTOR |
Lehigh Valley Bujinkan Dojo Instructor Matt Norton (left) pictured here with Shihan
Kyle Hayes (right) of the Bujinkan Orange County Dojo. (Photo taken at the LV
Bujinkan Dojo)
Kyle Hayes (right) of the Bujinkan Orange County Dojo. (Photo taken at the LV
Bujinkan Dojo)