Steven “Widi” Ho began his karate experience at the Karate Institute of America with Kiado-Ryu Grandmaster, Richard Andrew King, in 1979 at the age of twelve in Mission Viejo, CA, at the original Via Fabricante studio. Gifted and eager to learn, Steven applied his talents and studies diligently and became the first Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu in 1984 when he was seventeen. Ho competed extensively for the KIA in both open hand kata and weapons forms.
He began his KIA journey in 1985 after graduating from the University of California Irvine with a degree in Philosophy, a minor in Classics, and a tennis forehand that would make Roger Federer cower. Well, maybe. Who is he? “He” is Clark Hyman, the sixteenth Black Belt of the Karate Institute of America; call sign, “Flash.” first dan ranking, 1991. Regarding his Karate Institute of America training, Flash says, The intense work ethic and “There can be no excellence without effort” became a part of my core values at the KIA.
Being aware of your surroundings is one of the first lines of self-defense. Yet, many women go through their days not really paying attention to who’s watching them. Remember, this is a predatory world, and although most people are decent there are those who are not, who have nefarious agendas of molestation, kidnapping, rape and more. Being responsible for one’s safety means surveying your environment to assess any potential threats.
3 KIA Dudes and a Chick Under Cover This is a fun photo. Four of the Karate Institute of America’s “Tried & True” don the new Kiado-Ryu baseball caps during class on 21 April 2016. Front row (all by his lonesome): Fifth Dan Master, Kim “Cultivator” Thomas Second row (left to right): Blue belt Zemia “Barracuda” Garrett. First Dan Black Belt James “Psycho” Griffin. Back row (standing tall): First Dan Black Belt Tristan “Raptor” Ligtvoet.
The Karate Institute of America has been extremely blessed throughout its thirty-seven year history with wonderfully generous people who have given their time, energy, skill, and support to ensure its success. Without question, the one individual whose generous endowment blessed the KIA with its own studio in the early 2000s is second dan Black Belt, Jeff “Boa” Norman—the sixty-first Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu. In 2001, the KIA was without an indoor facility.
Wolverines are powerful, solitary, tenacious predators. Highly aggressive and fearless, they’re blessed with such great fighting skills that bears, big cats and wolves avoid confrontations with them. The Karate Institute of America has its own Wolverine, Tejas Maniar, the 57th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu. Wolverine earned his 1st Dan rating on the 23rd of January 1998, eighteen long (or is that short?) years ago. How fast time flies! Tejas’ Black Belt Ceremony