Congratulations to Zemia “Barracuda” Garrett on the accomplishment of her Blue Belt on 28 October! Zemia is extremely dedicated and has worked diligently to achieve her new rank at the Karate Institute of America.

Besides her diligence and dedication, another remarkable talent Barracuda exhibits is her fiery and feisty competitiveness. She can really turn up the heat when she fights, clearly holding her own with any dude.

And power? Ouch! She has devastating crossover rear kicks and beautiful roundhouse kicks with both legs. Her hand technique and speed are improving greatly, and she definitely has knockout power in both hands.

Raptors were born to fly, and Tristan “Raptor” Ligtvoet does just that - going air-borne as he prepares for his upcoming Black Belt test.

When Tristan began his martial arts journey at eight years old, he could hardly get his legs above knee height. However, with years of study and development, his ability and talent grew as he moved up through the ranks of the Karate Institute of America.

Who would have ever thunk it—Hannah “Hannibal” Shamassian having a twin sister? Such is the level of today’s technology. Just a little photo adjustment and Presto! Twins!

And how cool is this chick? Check out the attire—matching pink Tee and shoes with contrasting blue and black tights! Cool! Is this a prelude to a clothing designer profession, perhaps?

But don’t let the attire capture all of your attention. Those roundhouse kicks are looking really good. And to hold that leg up long enough to capture a “forever photo” for her family archives and ours at the Karate Institute of America, priceless.

The following statement by Sun Tzu applies equally to each of us in our life struggles, just as it does in war.

It is the business of a general to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled.

By being serene and self-controlled in any situation, we allow ourselves to think more clearly, assess the situation more completely and make better and wiser decisions.

The spotlight shines brightly on Kim “Cultivator” Thomas as he prepares for his testing to become the first Black Belt in the 36 year history of the Karate Institute of America to achieve a 5th Dan “Master” status.

Thomas began his Kiado-Ryu journey just days before 911 and has been consistently developing his martial art skills for the last 14 years. His fierce determination and never-say-quit mindset underscore his massive accomplishment. After all, over 3,300 students have passed through the doors of the KIA since they opened on 31 August 1979. Cultivator will be the first student to reach such a distinguished and daunting Kiado-Ryu milestone.

It’s hard to believe but this photo was taken nearly a quarter of a century ago. From our Karate Institute of America archives, courtesy of Jenny “Cougar” Edge, and mugging for the camera during his Black Belt test, is Jeff “Chainsaw” Kelly who went on to become the eighteenth Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu. His coronation ceremony was 23 November 1991.

Jeff transferred from another martial arts studio when it closed down. As is the case with all transfers, he had to begin the KIA curriculum from the beginning. This is not an easy task, but different studios teach different curricula and that of the KIA is quite extensive, second to none. Every student en route to a Black Belt, male or female, must learn basic, intermediate and advanced degrees in fighting skills (competitive and street), self-defense techniques, katas (choreographed forms routines), an assortment of weapons katas and basic philosophic principles specific to our Kiado-Ryu martial arts system.