Featured this week are Nicole “Goldilocks” Hackler, her husband Warren, an heroic Marine who served America with honor and distinction for 26 years (now retired), and their loves—Clyde (the red male Shiba Inu) and Kiba (the black and tan female Shiba-Japanese for “Fang!). Goldilocks was one of the movers and shakers of the Karate Institute of America during her time with us. She achieved a 2nd Degree Brown belt rating before her husband was reassigned to another state so, unfortunately, she was not able to reach Black Belt, although she would have done so had she been able to stay in the area, no doubt.

The Karate Institute of America is proud to announce that we have a California State Archery Champion within our martial arts family. She is Rose “Renegade” Hoberg, the 12th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu (1990). Rose is the current California State Indoor Champion in the Masters 50 Recurve division. Husband Kurt “Raphael” Hoberg is the 21st Black Belt of the KIA and an archer as well. It is extremely satisfying to see our KIA family members so dynamically active and successful.

Paul Daniels is the 34th Black Belt of the Karate Institute of America and one of its most talented martial artists in our now 36 year history. Paul’s original call sign was “Electron” because of his blinding speed and quickness. That quickly morphed in his shorter call sign “Tron.” Paul is the owner and trainer of The Body Warehouse. Check it out, as well as his KIA Black Belt profile.

Defending yourself successfully requires more than simply thinking you’re tough. It requires knowledge of what to do, how to do it, when to do it and even when not to act. Neutralizing an adversary with a punch requires more than pumping your fists or flailing your arms. To have a powerful punch mandates knowing the physics of power, how to construct a fist that won’t collapse on impact and much more.

When having to seriously injure an attacker is your only option to survival, all things being equal, the first target is the eyes. Drum this into your psyche: eyes, eyes, eyes! No one who gets hit in the eyes enjoys the experience, quite the contrary. Eye strikes with the fingers, pens, pencils, credit cards or other implements with either points or edges will all be devastating to an attacker.

He’s young, determined and … cute. He’s our new “Sai Guy,” Aidan the “Smasher.” So many of our current 63 Black Belts of the Kiado-Ryu began at a young age and grew to be talented martial artists. Aidan is a fine young man. His brother, Tristan, aka, “Raptor,” will be our 64th Black Belt sometime this year. He, too, started at a young age and has grown into an exemplary individual, thanks to his wonderful parents.

As every Karate Institute of America and King’s Karate student knows, to be successful in a self-defense situation, as well as keeping yourself safe, it is important to have a working knowledge of body targets—those areas of the body which, when impacted, yield devastating results. Knowing where to strike is just as important as knowing how to strike. Our “Body Targets” DVD illustrates the best targets on the human body and how to strike them for maximum effect.

Ah, yes! It is true—the pen is mightier than the sword … when used literarily. Indeed, words, via the pen, have changed the world. Case in point, the Declaration of Independence. But the pen has other practical and beneficial uses, one being an implement of self-defense. Our photo of the week features “The Pen Cushion” to make a graphically visual statement, which is that the pen is an impaling weapon when used appropriately and correctly.

“UNLIKELY WEAPONS” are common everyday implements you can use as self-defense tools to protect yourself and your loved ones. King’s Karate Unlikely Weapons, Volume 1 will teach you the dynamic power of simple pens, pencils, keys, clipboards, books, magazines and more. It is available on Amazon. It can also be ordered from our King’s Karate website in various formats. Check it out. Having this knowledge will give you the power of confidence!

90 YEAR OLD BLACK BELT! Dr. Milton Jacobson, aka “Super Zedha” just turned 90 years old on Christmas Day! Happy Birthday Dr. J.! Milt Jacobson, the 3rd of currently 63 KIA Black Belts, began his Karate Institute of America journey at age 54. He earned his first dan Black Belt ranking at age 60! And he’s still going strong at age 90, thirty years later. Milt is quite an inspiration, and he certainly leads by example.