Remember this photo of the Brothers Ligtvoet (Raptor & Smasher) from August of 2019? Well, as we all know, time marches on and while old people grow older the young grow taller.

Take a look at the next pic!

Raptor hasn’t changed much but Smasher certainly has! He’s now taller than his instructor (guess who?) and nearly as tall as his brother. It won’t be long before the younger outstrips his elder brother, possibly. At any rate, they’ll most likely be at least the same size. And guess who won’t be getting picked on (lovingly) much longer? In fact, Smasher has excellent hand work and can hold his own quite well when the brothers do some hand-to-hand sparring. He also has thunderous kicks and one of the best hooking heel kicks around, as in over his head! He is rapidly becoming a worthy adversary for any opponent.

Winston Churchill is one of the greatest leaders in world history. As Prime Minister of Great Britain, it was his will, his strength, his vision that saved his country and assisted greatly in the Allied victory over the Axis powers in World War II.

Churchill was a clear thinker. He understood the serious and irrefutable importance of victory. He was not one of those “everybody gets a trophy” kind of guy. Just the reverse, in fact, as his following quote reveals:

RANK is a symbol of status, station, position or class. Underscore the word symbol. What rank is not is a manifestation of excellence of what is symbolized as a high status. Simply stated, rank does not equate to excellence, nor does rank equate to a high level of ethics, morality, intelligence or common sense.

In this age of COVID, there are some misguided, imperious individuals who erroneously perceive their rank to be an indisputable declaration of unquestionable power and absolute authority. This is visible in more than a handful of mayors, governors, congress men and women, political officials, etc.

Ah! 21! It is, arguably, the first great Milestone in any of our lives. One of the Karate Institute of America’s own is adorable Hannah. She is lovely. She is tough. And now she is 21!

Hannah’s birthday party was a smashing success. But how does one have a smashing success of a birthday party in this age of COVID? Simple. You have a Zoom birthday party, which is exactly what her parents and family organized for her. It was awesome and … creative. Everyone had a great time.

BALANCE—a simple word; a critical concept; a must to master.

One of the most important sayings of the Karate Institute of America is “Balance is Primary.” It seems like such a simple phrase, and it is, but it is also one of the most critical of concepts, not just in martial arts, but in every aspect of life. To be quite frank, if we want to have a good life, a positive life, then Balance is a must to master.

Barnyard critters climbing the Wall? What in the world is this all about? Well, it’s about strength, courage, persistence, determination and a relentless “Never-Give-Up” attitude that pervades the Kiado-Ryu spirit.

The Wall? Ugh? Yes, the Wall—that vertical edifice that currently contains only 2% of the 3,300 students moving through the KIA’s 41 year history who have reached the level of Black Belt. That percentage translates to only 64 students: 56 males and 8 females. It is, truly, an esteemed group of rare individuals.