Hannah “Hannibal” Shamassian has been spying a Purple Horizon for some time now. On 21 July 2016, she crossed that horizon through great determination, persistence and an undying will—all met to the thunderous applause and approval of those who witnessed her accomplishment. Way to go, Hannah! Great job! You are truly an inspiration, the epitome of persistence and the manifestation of the great British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s eternal words: Never, never, never, never give up!

As a follow up to last week’s feature of the week, “Wildcat On The Move,” Anna Griffin sent a few stunningly beautiful photos of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They are breath-taking! Enjoy the photos and all KIA features of the week at the Kiado-Ryu website.

As nature has her wildcats, so does the Karate Institute of America, and our Wildcat, like Nature’s, is on the move! Anna “Wildcat” Griffin is the 55th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu. She began her KIA journey at age 11. In 1998 she earned her 1st Dan Black Belt rating. True to her call sign, Wildcat is as tough as they come and a true legend in KIA history. Anna, a former United States Army veteran of eight years, relocated from the central plains of the U.

In so many ways the civilization of the 21st Century lives in the delusion that symbol is more important than substance; that the character of who we are has been turned inside-out and upside-down to where it’s more important to be superficially adorned with the trappings of celebrity, fame, name, power, wealth, status, popularity and gamesmanship than it is to be anchored in principles of character, humility, honesty, honor, dignity, purity and substance.

Always with a smiling, optimistic, positive attitude is Terry “Slider” Bass, the fiftieth Black Belt of the Karate Institute of America, pictured here in his ubiquitous blue gi. Slider achieved his first dan on 13 December 1997. Possessing a strong, noble and generous character, Slider has been a staunch supporter of the KIA and other students, often attending the Black Belt tests of prospective candidates. As a fighter, Terry is very crafty, skilled, determined.

Swords are sharp … and cutting. The word “Shuto” is defined as a hand used like a sword in striking. Jerry “Shuto” Alston, the 28th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu (1994), not only used his hands as cutting implements on his opponents but he also used his mind as a cutting instrument to whittle his adversaries down to size. In fact, one of Shuto’s greatest assets, if not his greatest asset, is his mind.

Copyright, Richard Andrew King DON’T FORGET THE HEROES is a patriotic, passionate and moving tribute to those American men and women who serve and have served the “Flag of the Free.” It also offers a special acknowledgment to all those souls who have suffered, died and cried as a result of the Vietnam War. Download the Full Song for Free HERE. ENDORSEMENTS DON’T FORGET THE HEROES is a wonderful tribute to all of us who served in Vietnam, both the living and the dead, and the families at home who also paid a price for loving a service member.

Every structure needs a foundation, and one of the corner stones of the KIA’s legacy is Eric “E.V.” Vind, the 10th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu. In his mid teens at the time, Eric was one of four brothers who studied at the Karate Institute of America in its infancy. Beginning at our first studio on Via Fabricante in Mission Viejo in 1979, Eric became the first leader to emerge and set the mark for others to follow.

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.