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. The Karate Institute of America suggests you check it out. It’s
divided into two parts (
here and
here)
and is available through his newsletter. The image below is a brief summation
of his color code.
From The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master.
Within the heart emotions stir.
Failure is not what we prefer;
but yet, the victors all confer - The Road To Success Is Paved With Failure.
We live in a dual dimension. There is positive; there is negative. There is
day; there is night. There is high; there is low; masculine and feminine; hard
and soft; hot and cold; on and off; up and down, war and peace and … success
and failure.
There’s often a lot more to KIA practitioners than martial arts.
Last week we featured Steve “Coyote” Vertun and
his wonderful song Ghost. This week we take you back to the mid 1990s with
troubadours Richard & Richard, a Karate Institute of America singer/songwriter
duo who played locally at various venues including the San Juan Capistrano
Mission and The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano where they occasionally
performed as an opening act for nationally known touring singers and bands.
Steve “Coyote” Vertun, KIA Black Belt #39, has experienced the most horrific
event in a parent’s life—the passing of his son, Alexander. In his son’s
memory, Steve has written, sung, performed and produced a music CD whose
anchor song is GHOST—a must-see beautiful tribute in word, song and
production. It should also be noted that Coyote’s music engineer is the KIA’s
own Jerry “Shuto” Alston, the 28th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu.
Billed with high expectations, the Ronda Rousey–Amanda Nunes fight was UFC’s
207th main event showcase. It was held on 30 December 2016, in Las Vegas.
It was Rousey’s first fight since being knocked out via the striking arsenal
of Holly Holm on 15 November 2015, when Holm’s left roundhouse kick to the
head topped off the final blow to “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey in the second round,
leading to her devastating defeat in the octagon during UFC 193 and further
leading to her loss of the women’s UFC World Bantamweight Championship title.
What better way to start off 2017 than with a Raptor vs. Raptor Dad
tête-à-tête.
Tristan “Raptor” Ligtvoet (KIA Black Belt #64) mixes it up with his dad, Ed
Ligtvoet, in a light sparring duel. Although Mr. Ligtvoet is not an official
KIA student, at least not yet, he does have a military background, having
served in the Royal Netherlands Army as a younger man.
Raptor’s success as a martial artist was certainly aided by his father, who
would always mix in up with his elder son as he was growing up. Ed is one
tough dude, and he made sure his son was equally matched.
