Warrior’s Clan Then & Now Cannon & Achilles Who are these cuties? If there is one thing in this world that is certain it is that time marches on and we all get older. The photo with the two cuties above was taken in August of 2009. Pictured are Sofia “Cannon” Dale and brother Jake “Achilles” Dale, the children of Green Belt Annette “Warrior” Dale. In the photo below we see these very focused and talented dynamos doing kicking drills during The Karate Institute of America’s Kids Power Self-Defense Workshop on 7 November 2010, Sunday.

The Karate Institute of America is home to a multitude of talented, extraordinary, one-of-a-kind individuals. It even has its own Norse Deity, Odin, God of wisdom, magic, poetry, healing, battle, war, death and divination. Meet Dr. Tim McCord, Kiado-Ryu Black Belt #25; callsign, Odin. Tim “Odin” McCord, now in his early fifties, began his KIA journey in his late teens. A stalwart fixture, fighter and presence of the studio from mid 1980s to mid 1990s, Odin, a 2nd Dan KIA Black Belt, received his 1st Dan ranking on 25 June 1993 at our Lake Forest studio.

The day—15 November 2018, Thursday. It was a Blue Belt milestone for Hannah Shamassian and the Karate Institute of America as this lovely young lady moved up another rung on the Kiado-Ryu ladder of accomplishment. Hannah is a paradox. She’s very quiet during her lessons, using few words to communicate with Mr. King. But when she does her bag work, look out! Her power is off the charts for her size, as her brother, Josh, understands full well.

He was one of the best and toughest fighters in the history of the Karate Institute of America. “He” is Guy McDonald, callsign “Hollywood.” He and Mr. King met up for lunch in October. It was awesome to reconnect after so many decades, decades that strangely seem like only a few weeks. How amazingly time flies. Yet, how wonderful it was to relive old stories and memories of a magical time gone by.

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from chapter 2, pages 25–28, of the second edition of “The Karate Consciousness: From Worldly Warrior to Mystic Master,” a book by Richard King. Man was not created to dominate his fellow man. He was created to live in the fullness of the Light and to radiate that Light throughout the corridors of the universe. The karate consciousness of today is not centered in the fullness of the Light—divine illumination and understanding as characterized by life, love, peace, perfection, purity, prosperity, health, harmony, strength and wisdom.