The WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK on Tuesday, 11 September 2001—commonly known as 9/11—has been described by Dr. Judy Wood as The New Hiroshima. The blame for the attacks fell onto Islamist suicide terrorists and was carried out by al-Qaeda. This may have been so … maybe. However, what is “not so” is that the Towers’ destruction was caused by two airplanes crashing into those massive structures and it was the planes that brought the Towers down.
As we have seen in the previous KIA feature, “Shakespeare and Martial Arts,” an excellent piece of advice was given to Laertes by his father, Polonius. That historic advice from Hamlet is from—Act 1, scene 3: This above all–to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. However, while being one’s own man offers certain advantages to living a good life, there is more.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE is, arguably, the greatest writer in history. He is certainly the greatest playwright the world has ever known. Who is there who has never heard of the Great Bard, read one of his plays, his poems, his sonnets or recited one of his quotations? But what in the world has Shakespeare got to do with Martial Arts, you might ask? After all, he was a writer, not a fighter.
This is HUGE! On Thursday, 14 December 2023, Tristan “Raptor” Ligtvoet became only the 3ʳᵈ individual in Kiado-Ryu history to earn a MASTER BLACK BELT ranking! He is preceded by Kim “Cultivator” Thomas (1ˢᵗ) and Christopher “Growler” Grau (2ⁿᵈ). So … a well deserved CONGRATULATIONS, RAPTOR! The KIA officially began its life on 31 August 1979 and now, 44 years and over 3,300 students later, Raptor has risen to a “Master” ranking.
Thursday, 30 November 2023, was another auspicious day for Shaw “Wind” Shahriari as he easily passed his Green Belt test (with a little stress). Congratulations, young man! A fruitful—and joyous—accomplishment. “Great job, Wind!” Adding to the auspicious occasion was the presence of Kiado-Ryu Green Belt Aidan “Smasher” Ligtvoet—a once precocious young lad who has blossomed into a giant young man, now 17 years of age and a Senior in High School.
KNOCKOUT! It’s the primary goal and success of any fighter—a trophy for the victor’s wall. Knockouts don’t generally occur by luck. They are more often the result of design and opportunity. This KIA feature addresses the “Anatomy of a Knockout” when Allanna Jones was kayoed by Holly Holm. The intent of this assessment is not to disparage Allanna Jones but, rather, to be informative as to how not to get knocked out.