This is the interior of the Old North Church in Boston, Massachusetts. As we know from United States history, it was this structure that is intrinsic to the legend of Paul Revere on April 18, 1775, in which the signal lanterns were displayed, notifying fellow American freedom fighters of the British march to Lexington and Concord.
Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, “If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,— One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm.
Paul Revere played a critical role in America’s Revolutionary War. This statue of him is one of the many treasures along the Freedom Trail in Boston, honoring him and the many patriots whose courage and vision birthed a free nation. You can read a biography about Paul Revere, his house, Midnight Ride, Silver Shop, Foundry, as well as the Freedom Trail in Boston.
America’s history is rich in martial warfare. The American Revolution freed us from England and allowed America to become a nation whose freedom has been revered and prized the world over. Freedom gained at the expense of great courage, vision and, unfortunately, bloodshed. Pictured here in the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, is a statue of General George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, who led the Colonial Army against the British.
Pictured is Grandmaster Richard Andrew King, founder of the Kiado-Ryu system and the Karate Institute of America, known to his students as “Mr. King” or, simply, “sir.” Most weeks, Mr. King is in charge of selecting a photo, but this week he is taking a much-deserved holiday and has left the duty to someone else. Thus he becomes the unwitting subject of this week’s photo highlight. Needless to say, without Mr.
Pictured here is the main gate of the Shaolin Monastery in Henan, China. The Shaolin Temple is the seed of the Karate Institute of America. From this revered iconic structure, the art of kenpō—meaning “fist law or fist rule”—was born. From kenpō, the KIA curriculum was developed and expanded to create its artistic and technical breadth, depth, and diversity.
Matt Emig is not a KIA student, but he is one hot nunchacku expert. Check out his double nunchaku kata at the 2007 Twin Towers Classic. It’s fun to watch. For those of you who are nunchacku experts, check out the small number of chain links and the width of the chuck handles. These are the reasons for the speed of the weapons in his routine.
Karate expert, Lyoto Machida, knocked out Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title Saturday night, May 23, in Las Vegas, NV. The knockout occurred in the second round. The video link is below. Pay particular attention to the hand blitz Machida unleashes at 9:59, until the knockout at 10:25. It began with a straight left reverse punch followed by a hand blitz, typical of sparring matches at the KIA, in which Machida never let up until he knocked out Evans with a punching flurry.
Recognize these cuties and their gorgeous smiles? If you’ve been checking out our KIA photo of the week, you will. They are Jenny and Ryan Vail, Jon and Janice’s children. The family lives in Colorado and blessed us with a visit in the Fall of 2008. The twins were the subject of our November 17 photo of the week. Jon and Janice have both studied at the Karate Institute of America, and would have continued, but destiny moved them to the Centennial State.
Greg “Maddog” Bendel is the 14th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu (now 2nd Dan), receiving his 1st Dan in December 1990. Greg works full-time as a consultant for Hewlett-Packard, assisting customers to prepare for, manage, and survive disasters. He serves the community in Orange County Sheriff’s Department Search & Rescue Reserve Unit, serving as sergeant for the Command, Control & Logistics Squad. Greg is also the very proud father of two beautiful sons, Hunter and Marcus.