It’s awesome how KIA Black Belts remember what they learned during their Kiado-Ryu journey. Here’s a prime example. It’s funny, cogent, but a tad painful to watch.
Liz Avram, aka “Quasar,” is the 46th Black Belt of the Karate Institute of America. She received her first dan Ranking on 10 August 1996, not exactly yesterday, but her memory is as sharp as a chef’s cooking knife.
Quasar forwarded the following GIF image of a man attempting to mount a horse from the rear. Note her astute observation …
I see this video and think “distance, guard, posture, movement, change, flack, rhythm, weight, stance, aggression…” and I think I’m talking about the horse!
Aside from the video being painfully humorous, the take-away is that Quasar still remembers the KIA’s Ten Securities after nearly a quarter century! Amazing! What a whiz Quasar is! And the horse, he wasn’t letting this dude invade his space, his distance – the first of the Ten Securities.
As a matter of equine tutelage, if you’re going to approach a horse, it’s best to walk slowly up to him just off to the side of his left or right foreleg; announce yourself so as not to frighten him. Don’t make any sudden movements. Watch his ears. If they go forward, that’s good. It means the horse is curious and approachable. However, if his ears go flat back, watch out! That means he’s not happy and he’s in fight, flight and survival mode. Not a good place to be for a human, no matter how quick or big he/she is. Regardless of how well horses are trained, they’re still wild animals and when threatened they don’t think, they react instantly, as the horse does in the video.
Remember, horses are prey animals and they have extremely fast nervous systems, far more efficient than humans, who are predators to a horse. Just look again how fast the horse in the GIF image moves, coils and kicks the guy attempting to mount him from the rear. That dude’s lucky he didn’t get killed, frankly.
- Distance
- Guard
- Posture
- Movement
- Change
- Flack
- Rhythm
- Stance
- Weight
- Aggression
This is a good time for all KIA students to review and remember the Ten Securities. They work for humans and animals alike.
Thanks, Quasar, both for sharing this video and for the reminder of the KIA’s Ten Securities! Your star shines brightly in the Kiado-Ryu solar system!