Highly Polished

Friday Knight News

“A thousand days of training to develop, ten thousand days of training to polish. You must examine all this well.” Miyamoto Musashi

The first lesson we learn as we begin our martial arts instruction is it takes courage to begin anything. Courage to face our fears of looking stupid, not being good, or fears of confrontation. Whatever reason or reasons brought you to a school to learn the martial arts, it took courage to start. Even if you already had training in another system, it takes courage to put aside your old knowledge and to look at a different way of doing things.

As a teacher gaining a new student, the first lesson often needs to be one of nurturing. A teacher needs to sense their students' needs, and guide them into the proper mind set. Many new students need to understand that even though they may encounter pain in training, it is not intended to harm them. Instead, pain is a barrier that can be overcome to help them reach their goals in life. Learning to deal with confrontation in a gradual and safe environment is a progressive training practice in the martial arts. 

Often though, the teacher is faced with students that wish to challenge them. Some of these new students are only aggressive so as to test the teacher's ability to see if the teacher can walk the walk. There are a whole list of ranges of students that fall into this category. A good teacher will come to know by time and experiences which students are worth keeping. Until that time, they will undoubtedly have to face drunks that get their courage from a bottle, and learn to differentiate between the cocky, the cautious, the doubtful and the bully. (Continued below)

Other times it is the teacher that needs to adjust their own classroom, or how they behave while training in another style. For those of us that have sat aside previously earned rank and titles to start over again in a new system this step should be an easy one. However, certain aspects of it can be difficult, but I am sure that I am preaching to the choir. To go from a teacher's perspective to that of a student can be hard. Especially if the moment you walk out onto the floor of the dojo the upper belts peg you for a ringer. Sometimes a new white belt doesn't hide the training hidden under it even when the styles are as diverse as pugilism and grappling.

It is doubly a lesson in controlling the ego when the students of the new school, or style, are more interested in learning from the new student (teacher). This is a double-edged blade as it endangers the other students' relationship with their teacher and your own in learning the new style. Not only should a teacher learning a new style empty his cup, but they should also refrain from pouring tea to the other students. Your job as a new student in a new style or dojo is to be that of the empty cup. Sure the new empty cup might be highly polished, but it still should remain empty, so it is useful even in the new dojo.

“The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.” Miyamoto Musashi

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.