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.

CONGRATULATIONS, RAPTOR! 2nd Dan Kiado-Ryu Black Belt 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.

What’s in a Callsign? As is Karate Institute of America protocol, everyone has a callsign. Once in a while, one may query how an individual got his/her callsign in the first place. Sometimes, this can be a mystery. Not so with Jon “Stretch” Vail. In the following pictorial catalogue, can you guess why Jon got his callsign? If you can’t get this, you fail the test! From the early days of the KIA and its studio at 308 Lambert Street, Lake Forest, CA.

This is too much fun! Jon, “Stretch” Vail studied at the Karate Institute of America way back in his teen years. As destiny commanded, when he graduated from high school he went to college in Arizona, received a degree in geology, married his lovely girlfriend Janice, got a job, settled down and started a family. Jon has been wonderfully connected to the KIA and, lucky for us, keeps us updated with his life.

Just thought I’d share some pics of my daughter Chandra and her kids over Christmas vacation. How sweet it is to have them visit from Boston!

To all of our KIA Family, the King Family wishes you all a healthy, balanced and centered 2018! Those of you who are long-standing Karate Institute of America members might remember Christa and Chandra when they were very little girls. Now they’re all grown up, pictured here with their awesome husbands and beautiful children. What a thrill for the “Old Man” to have the family together! God Bless you all from all of us to you and yours.