General George Patton was one of the most iconic military leaders in history. And what do “White Tie and Tails” have to do with this vaunted martial leader? Patton states: I always believe in being prepared, even when I’m dressed in white tie and tails. In other words, “No matter where I am or how I’m dressed, I’m always prepared to fight.” From a personal standpoint, are we prepared to such a level?
During its highly successful competitive era, Kiado-Ryu Martial Arts and the Karate Institute of America utilized the following mantra for motivation. It certainly worked. The KIA was so successful that a mother, whose children studied in another karate system, stopped Ken “Ramjet” Rogers (now Anderson) as he walked through the tournament crowd. She said, quite frankly, “You’re going to win.” Ramjet asked why. She retorted, “Because people with that patch always win!
One doesn’t normally think of Buddha in a martial arts manner. Yet, his following quote harmonizes perfectly with the heart of martial arts philosophy, which is ultimately not about beating up other people but conquering oneself.
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.
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 1st Dan Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Black Belt. Growler (back row, foreground) preparing for a bo kata 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.