Focused. That’s the word others have used to describe Clark “Flash” Hyman. This is a good observation because Flash came to the KIA after dedicating himself to collegiate tennis and the competitive tennis circuit, a passion he re-ignited when he turned fifty, giving his focused energies, once again, to competitive endeavors.
Clark Hyman was a stalwart supporter of the KIA during his journey to Black Belt. Even today he continues to support the Kiado-Ryu and its brotherhood.
One of the great stories from his Kiado-Ryu experience was at the end of his green belt test. At the time, the only black belts hanging from the studio walls were those of Messrs. King, Ho and Gentry. After completing his bag work at the end of his test and bent over at the waist, sucking air with his hands on his knees, he turned his head upward to the wall, looked at the belts and reverently exclaimed: “I have a whole new respect for those belts now!”
No truer statement was ever spoken, as any black belt aspirant can testify. The journey to The Wall is long and tough and arduous and littered with also-rans, but it is also worthy, life-altering, and empowering. This is why so many Kiado-Ryu Black Belts continue to support Black Belt tests and why the Brotherhood remains strong since the KIA’s inception in 1979. Their aim, to honor and support those who have exhibited the wherewithal to endure, to conquer and be counted as one who would not give up!