Margaret Thatcher served Great Britain as Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. The first woman to have held the PM position, she was not only a great lady but a great leader—tough, smart, and uncompromising, qualities which garnered her the appellation of “The Iron Lady.” Today’s world could definitely benefit from more of Thatcher’s leadership, strength and courage. The Karate Institute of America applauds her, especially in her belief of self-responsibility and personal ownership—qualities any KIA student understands.

Perseverance and Spirit have done Wonders in all ages. George Washington These words inspire us all to be better, to do better, to never quit and to remember the Spirit within us. Isn’t it interesting how all truly great leaders inspire and encourage those to whom they have been given the mantel of leadership, as opposed to those so-called leaders who try to divide men and weaken their spirits in order to control and subjugate them.

Great Britain’s Sir Winston Churchill is, arguably, one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. The following quote contains eight of the most powerful words when any of us is going through hard times, sort of like climbing up the ladder from white belt to black belt. Basically, the tongue-in-cheek translation of these powerful eight words is, “Don’t stop here!”

The KIA’s own Hannah “Hannibal” has some fun with her dad, driving him backward on multiple occasions with powerful kicks. In this first pic, Hannah drives her Pops back with a front kick. Nice extension, too! Next, she pummels him with a roundhouse kick. Oh, my! Who knew such a diminutive young woman could deliver such power! Notice how she knocked her father off balance? Very cool! And then—here comes the thunder!

General George Patton stated a maxim of war: Fixed fortifications are monuments to man’s stupidity. Patton knew, as all great warriors know, to stand still in a fight and refuse to move is a fool’s strategy. It’s common sense that a moving target is much harder to hit than a stationary one. So why do many fighters refuse to incorporate movement and motion in their fighting strategies and styles? The Karate Institute of America’s fighting strategy is founded on movement.

Nicole “Goldilocks” Hackler has been a staunch KIA family member since the 1980s when her husband, Warren, a United States Marine, was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. Times have changed a bit, but here is a photo of them at a U.S. Marine Corps function looking beautiful and handsome. Such a power couple! Time marches on. The following photo of four lovely and talented KIA women was taken in the 1990s.

Two of the Karate Institute of America’s loveliest students are Zemia “Barracuda” Garrett (photo right) and Hannah “Hannibal” Shamassian (photo left). They are dedicated, driven, talented ladies with great smiles, as we can see from the following photo. Hannah and Zemia However, let it be known, they are developing their martial arts skills to the point where anyone—man or woman—would be woefully unwise, i.e., foolish, to assault them. Those beautiful smiles are real, no doubt, but so, too, are the looks they can manifest to ward off any assailant, smiles which clearly send the message, “Don’t tread on me!

Beware of This Tactic! This story was aired on NBC on 29 April 2007. In Saratoga Springs, New York, a high school Senior female track star named Lindsey Ferguson was going to her car in the school parking lot. Adjacent to her car on the driver side was a van. She saw it and thought it was a parent’s car. As she opened her car door, the van door slid open and a man exited.

Richard Andrew King Grandmaster—Kiado-Ryu Martial Arts As one of the seemingly endless and escalating scenarios of stalking, assault, abduction, rape, and possibly murder, a woman in the San Diego area was walking innocently along a sidewalk when an older model black sedan began following her. The driver asked for her phone number and repeatedly asked her to get into the car. If this were to happen to you, what would you do?

Living in today’s world, more than ever before, demands we be constantly vigilant in relation to self-defense on a daily basis. No excuses. This world is not Pollyannaville. If anything, it is a Pandora’s Box full of misfortune. One of the principle ways to protect ourselves is to be constantly aware of our surroundings. Dr. Ignatius Piazza, Founder and Director of Frontsite.com, shares his organization’s “Color Code of Mental Awareness.” It’s valuable information.