William Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest dramatist of the English language and the most quoted author of all time. His “This Above All” quotation from Hamlet (Act 1, scene 3, lines 78-82) gives great advice regarding one’s character and wholeness, i.e., being true to one’s self, for if we are true to ourselves we can never be false, fake or phony to anyone.

As martial artists, not just people, we must learn to be true to who we are. Martial arts is as much a process of self-discovery as it is a regimen of warriorhood. In fact, knowing who we are will make us a better warrior, for we will know our weakness and our strengths, allowing us to strengthen the former and enhance the latter while remaining balanced in the process.

Chris Grau Achieves Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Black Belt

Chris “Growler” Grau, a 4th Dan Karate Institute of America Black Belt, accomplished another martial arts milestone on Sunday, 4 March 2018, by achieving his Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Black Belt.

Growler, the 36th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu, who achieved his 1st Dan KIA ranking on 26 August 1995 at age 18, continued his martial arts journey via the interest of his elder daughter Kaylee when she started studying at age 4. She’s now 9.

What in the world does Sun Tzu have to do with an ice hockey Gold Medal? Everything.

It was an Olympic Gold Medal ice hockey game for the ages! The USA and archrival Canada squared off and played through a full three periods, an overtime, and then to a shoot out with the winning USA goal scored by Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson who, although she may not know it, demonstrated one of Sun Tzu’s preeminent maxims: All warfare is based on deception.

In any combat situation, the master fighter, the master general, the master tactician, always attempts to manipulate and control his adversary. Its inverse is critical to survival: one must not allow himself to be manipulated by an adversary. This simple truth is echoed in Sun Tzu’s terse but definitive maxim: The wise general cannot be manipulated.

In life we seldom face actual physical combat. However, daily we are assaulted by the very exigencies and challenges of life. They become our adversaries. Disallowing them from manipulating us is critical to living a successful life. As wise generals of our own army of one, ourselves, we must so center ourselves in wisdom and power that we cannot be manipulated by such challenges, whether those challenges arrive in the form of people, events, circumstances or problems. As wise generals we cannot afford to be manipulated by any force—internal or external—if we are to maintain our individual sovereignty as human beings.

Congratulations to Tristan “Raptor” Ligtvoet on the accomplishment of his Karate Institute of America 2nd Dan Black Belt rating.

Raptor, the 64th Black Belt of the KIA, is one of the finest human beings you could ever know. An exceptional young man, he has also become an exceptional martial artist. The KIA is very lucky to have Tristan, his talent, character, and skill in our family. Thanks, too, to his parents, Atousa and Ed, for raising such an exemplary young man!