CONGRATULATIONS, SMASHER!

27 May 2021 was another hallmark day for the Ligtvoet family as younger brother Aidan, aka “Smasher,” received his Blue Belt. It was no easy journey for Aidan, and it took time, but true to life principles of dedication and perseverance this terrific, respectful, loving and intelligent young man attained the next higher level of Kiado-Ryu achievement.

Pictured with Smasher are his mother Atousa; father Ed, and his big brother Tristan, who is currently a third dan KIA Black Belt and close to receiving his 4th Dan in December of 2021! The Ligtvoets are a remarkable family. Each of them is a stellar human being and the Karate Institute of America is blessed to have them as part of its KIA family.

Genghis Khan is one of the greatest and most brutal leaders in world history. His conquests rival anyone in the pantheon of empire builders and conquerors. His Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th Centuries was breathtakingly vast.

The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history and the second largest empire by landmass, second only to the British Empire.

Great leaders are never without maxims. Khan’s quote below is apropos regarding fear. There is great wisdom in his words:

Kenneth “Ramjet” Anderson is the 11th Black Belt of the Karate Institute of America. He was awarded his 1st Dan ranking on 9 June 1990. It’s hard to believe that was 31 years ago! Seems like yesterday.

And, yes, Ramjet was that Black Belt who requested, on his Black Belt test, to do a second hour of the “still stance” requirement—a feat that has never been duplicated, and most likely never will be.

From The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master.

Much effort, much prosperity.

Success is dependent on effort.

The mode by which the inevitable comes to pass is effort.

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

For Self-Defense and Survival

Life is full of strife, struggle and conflict. Name one clear-headed adult on the planet who would disagree with this reality. Strife et al. is the basic nature of this world. Of course there are varying kinds and levels of struggle and, to be sure, everyone will experience them at some time or other.

The germane question is, “How do we deal with the strife, struggle and conflict? Everyone has his/her own strategy. In dealing with such situations, the Karate Institute of America offers the C.A.P. plan—an acronym for “Calm-Aware-Prepare.”

The date: 24 March 2021, Wednesday. Nine year old Nolan “Viper” Brubaker achieved his Orange Belt—the first major rank in the Kiado-Ryu martial arts system. So first, here’s a hearty CONGRATULATIONS, VIPER! You’re an awesome young man with a great heart.

But this particular KIA test, his test, experienced something that we’ve never seen in the forty-two year history of the Karate Institute of America. During Nolan’s Orange Belt ceremony, a mysterious light beam was captured in a photo by his mom’s digital camera. Of the original twenty-four images taken during the event, one of the images contained a mysterious light beam which shined directly on Viper’s Orange Belt as it lay on the ground in KIA fashion at the beginning of his commencement ceremony! It is an extraordinary photo. Thousands of pictures have been taken during the KIA’s long existence but none like this. None. Ever. How special is that!