I would like to put a big thank you to everyone at Tiger’s Eye Dojo in Elko Nevada for putting on such a great tournament last weekend. The entire Arizona crew had an amazing time. This is the third year in a row that they have been doing this annual Battle in the Desert and they keep getting better. The one way thirteen hour drive made for a long weekend, but the experience for my students and me were priceless. I brought my students Ben Cane and Justin Armstrong (my son) to this American Kyokushin Karate Organization sponsored tournament. Ben and I both participated in the competition for the last two years, but for my son this was the first time he had experienced a Kyokushin full contact event. We were all impressed with the quality and skill represented by the competitors this year in all of the different categories. The fighting abilities displayed really were impressive. Even though I was unable to see the fights, the sound of the fighter getting struck and the play by play I received put me right into the the thick of it. My Dojo (Blind Tiger Martial Arts Academy) represented Phoenix pretty well. Ben took first place in his Kata division and third in Full Contact Bare Knuckle fighting. Justin Took first place in Kata, second in Weapons and third in Semi Knock down Fighting (full contact with pads). I ended up getting first place in Weapons and third in Kata. The sportsmanship shown by all of the competitors, Sensei’s and spectators were awesome. We all owe a special thanks to Sensei Rosie, Sensei Lane, Shihan Sales Shihan Cervando and their volunteers for all of their work in promoting and putting on the event. Also the input and work contributed by Hanshi Buck and Kyoshi Kappa Made the tournament run smoother than any of us could have expected. I am looking forward to catching up with all of them again! God Bless, - Shihan Mike Armstrong Blind Tiger Martial Arts Academy - BlindTigerMA.com >