Are you a Coach or a Sensei?

Friday Knight News

 "Karate begins and ends with respect." Anko Itosu

Even though the term karate is used in the above quote, I feel it is safe to say that all martial arts begin and end with respect. It takes respect for a student to come to a teacher to receive training from them. This should especially be true for individuals who are putting their time and money and safety on the line. They are also trusting the safety of their loved ones on the effectiveness of their instruction. It takes respect for a teacher to accept a student. Many times the teacher is just as pleased to accept a student into their lineage because of the student's reputation in sporting venues. Often this is because the instructor lacks recognition in this area. I know that I have on occasion fallen prey to this type of method for bolstering my school's image.



This is primarily my fault for never developing an interest in competitive sports even though I desired the recognition that they could bring to my dojo. I rarely competed in martial art schools that focused on collecting trophies. I rarely stayed very long in these type of schools, but to each their own. I never felt comfortable fighting someone for sport. I generally had to get hurt a little bit before I could perform. In fact I rarely won any type of sporting event or even intramural competitions, as I would not pull the trigger to finish someone off. I had hurt someone early on and it made me gun-shy. Nonetheless, even though many of my teenage companions had went on to become regional, national, and world champions; they always wanted to include me in the group when we were going outside of the dojo. This was due to the fact that many of them had either observed or felt the authority of my techniques. They had also seen that no matter how bad I had never been hurt on the street or even in sporting competitions I never gave in. I have had broken bones, bruises, contusions, minor lacerations, my nose has laid over on the side of my face (a few times), had a tooth kicked out of my head and every now and again but I endured. Still I sometimes had to have the gravel chips dug out from under my scalp.

Some of these individuals held higher-rank than myself, but they recognized the benefit of my experience. I'd never been good at trash talking, but some of my friends had seen me (even as a teenager) stand up for others, even adults. While I had my fair share of schoolyard fights, most of my associates had not. On the other hand some of them had seen me in encounters with groups where we were outnumbered three or four to one. These situations usually involved a lot of mobility (running away) and picking off the aggressors one by one as they closed in on us. Sometimes my aggressors had been adult males that were up to 6 inches taller and held 75 or more pounds of weight advantage over my teenage frame. This often gave me the psychological advantage over my companions. This was because they had never experienced a fight without rules themselves, or trained with a teacher that had utilized the art in real life and death confrontations.

"Karate is not about winning. It's about not losing." Shigetoshi Senaha 

I know some people claim that the only thing some teachers respect is the color of the students' money. This isn't the case with most instructors I have encountered in my martial art career. From my own experience I have seen where lessons given free of charge has helped students dust themselves off and get back up on their feet. I know that this is not uncommon with other martial artists as I've seen countless times over the years where sifu and sensei alike have also given lessons to individuals purely for the sake of putting them on the right path and/or keeping them off of the wrong path.

Being a coach or a sensei may seem like splitting hairs to some individuals. In the grand scheme of things both serve a purpose, and a very similar purpose as well. Both of these titles are issued to instructors or individuals that serve as a finger pointing the direction. Most often a coach is associated with a sporting pursuit while a sensei or sifu is more often than not dealing with the physical elements of self-defense, and the emotional, intellectual, and cultural aspects as well. A coach may not have participated in the sport but they understand the requirements and rules of the sport. While on the other hand, a sensei is someone who at least at one time had been forged and tempered in the fires of their training to perform.



To help define which category you belong to it is only necessary to understand the purpose of what your teaching deals with sport, self-defense or a combination. The goal of a sensei is to instruction the culture and values of the martial arts. Martial arts are after all warriors arts, and a warrior's purpose in society is first and foremost to protect and secondly it is to heal or enrich the lives of those that practice the art. However, there are no absolutes in life and often times we find that there is a bridge position between coach and sensei. So sometimes all of these elements are also long-term goals for a sensei. There is value in every pursuit it just helps to know which target is in your sites.

 "A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action." Samurai Maximum



Enlightenment Kicking and Screaming (The Paradox of Martial Art Training) : Is the text book for Mushin University "Self-Knowledge the Ultimate Knowledge" the literary school of hard knocks. This book endorses the concept that all martial art styles transform their practitioners into people of character, and warriors making us the modern day equivalents of knights of the martial arts. Our goal as martial artists is to teach self-defense against attackers and to develop a defense against our own inner critic. 

Below are links to some of my Kindle version books from the "Dream Walker" series. My stories are about martial arts adventures that are intertwined with paranormal or supernatural events. The following links are to the Kindle version books from the "Dream Walker” series. Our adventurers find themselves on a quest where they are confronted with both conspiracy and mystery. Their challenge is to unite their mind and body skills together utilizing what they have learned in the martial arts with the transcendental power of dream mediation. They attempt to do this while they are trying to make a life for themselves and elude those that seek to use and control them.

Conversations with a Sage (Book 1 of the Dream-Walker)

Conversations with a Sage: This explores Xander Davidson's early encounters with the mysterious fog like Dream Walking martial art sages. He ponders if they are real or if they are only remnants of his dreams. He mainly keeps this secret world to himself as he tries to copes with abuse, growing up without support or guidance and the mystery of his family's past. 

Xander and the Assassins Gift (Book 2 of the Dream-Walker)

The Assassins Gift: Xander Davidson struggles with the conspiracy of his family and the group that is actively trying to manipulate him to join them or die. The young Dream Walkers learns an early lesson to be careful about whom they let into their circle.


Warriors of Perception (Book 3 of the Dream-Walker)

Warriors of Perception: Xander Davidson and his band of friends embark on a mission to free themselves from their oppressors. They bravely face the challenge all the while vying for the right moment to turn the tables.

Jace Lee The Shift (Book 4 of the Dream-Walker)

Jace Lee The Shift: We find a new apprentice, Adam, that is fighting for his life. He is struggling to understand the amazing skills of his mentor, Jace Lee; a younger man that has trained under Xander Davidson. All the while his mentor attempts to reconcile the fact that his skills do not match up with the other Dream Walkers.


Jace Lee No Agenda (Dream Walker Book 5)

Jace Lee No Agenda: Jace Lee attempts to find himself on a self-imposed vision quest of sorts. Instead he finds himself being stalked by the same group that had previously sought after his teacher, (Xander Davidson). Instead of mastering his odd Dream Walking skills he finds love and the potential loss of his powers.

Jace Lee and the Tutelage of Ming Wu: Dream Walker 6 

Jace Lee The Tutelage of Ming Wu: Jace Lee rejoins his teacher Xander Davidson as they cope with a possible combined threat (the mysterious), Ming Wu and the Council that has continuously monitored the Dream Walkers.