Martial Arts: The Journey

 Martial arts training is often referred to as a journey of personal growth. The physical part becomes blended with the mental. Developing the proper attitude is just as important as learning how to master the physical moves. For me, the journey was far from smooth. There were more than bumps in the road. Sometimes the road had unexpected detours, was closed for construction, and more than once I found myself teetering on the edge of a chasm. 

There were times I thought, "Well, I tried, but this isn't for me." But I persevered. After many stumbles, things started falling into place. Of course there were future issues, however, I developed the determination to overcome them. I enjoyed the satisfaction of getting a form, defense technique, or certain kick correct. At the same time, I learned that complacency has no room in martial arts. There is always something new to learn, as well as ways to refine what you have already been taught.

I benefited from excellent instructors who pushed their students to challenge themselves, and do their best. Limitations were temporary obstacles to overcome. There are many martial artists who are physically gifted, and use that to make their moves amazing. Others, like me, aren't natural athletes. Yet we develop through training to perform far beyond what we once thought was possible. 

The confidence developed as my training progressed carried over to my personal life. I felt calmer and could better focus. Setbacks at worked became challenges to overcome. It became easier to stand up for myself in case of conflicts, especially at work. I viewed them as mental sparring, deflecting negative statements, then countering. I refused to be intimidated. There was no shouting or screaming, just calm reasoning.

That approach worked with the boss I was having problems with. He pretty much left me alone. Later I was granted a transfer to a different section in the office, while my old boss ended up in a different position. It turned out well, as he excelled as his new job. Even better, we got to know each other and became good friends.

It's now almost forty years since my martial arts journey began. It continues, slower than before, and some moves I could do have been consigned to memory. However, there is still a lot I can still do, it just takes a little longer.  

  

Martial Arts: The Beginning

 Every book has a first word. Every painting has a first brush stroke. Every journey has a first step. Martial arts is journey of patience, determination, overcoming limitations, reaching goals and establishing new ones. And like every other example listed, there is a starting point. That is the decision to begin training. But causes that initial spark? A potential student may have been in a dangerous situation, and wants to learn self defense. Or knows someone who trains, and based on that person's enthusiasm, decides to give it a try.

In my situation, the spark came almost by accident. I was in my mid thirties, decent shape, but thinking my conditioning could be better. A co-worker lifted weights at the YMCA a few blocks from our office at lunchtime. He suggested I join him. So I started with weights two to three times a week. I enjoyed it, and felt better physically.

At the same time, my work situation was not good. I was assigned to a new supervisor, who frankly had no business being in management. There was lack of support, belittlement, and the feeling that my work wasn't valued. The stress kept building up. Then one day, as I was leaving the YMCA, I just happened to see a newspaper article pinned to a bulletin board. I can't remember the exact title, but it was about relieving stress through martial arts.

The article was by a business executive in a very high stress job. He had heard of the benefits of martial arts training, and decided it might work. He admitted he wasn't young, or particularly athletic. One day, he went to a local dojo teaching a Japanese style. It was difficult at first, but he stayed with it. Within six months, he felt calmer, more focused, and able to shrug off a lot of stress. The physical training helped of course, but the mental aspects, such as self-discipline, relaxation from proper breathing, and better concentration, were invaluable. 

His job performance improved, a lot of things that bothered him were shrugged off, and his attitude, both on the job and in his personal life, dramatically improved. 

I was intrigued, and found out the YMCA taught Hapkido at lunchtime twice a week. I had not heard of that style, but the next day, I sat in on a class. Preconceived notions that martial arts required the conditioning of an Olympic athlete, and that instructors made Marine Corp drill sergeants look like wimps, ended almost at once. Sure it looked demanding, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. After class, the instructor, Larry Maldon, came over to talk to me. He told about Hapkido. I said I had back problems and asthma. He said so did he. That settled it, two days later, I started training. 

It would be nice to say everything worked smoothly. Not even close. I'll go into the obstacles, and how they were overcome, in the next installment. 

 

 

 

 

Martial Arts: Part Two

 I'm sometimes asked by younger students if I have ever used my martial arts training. I always reply, "Yes, every day." However, that doesn't mean my daily routine looks like scenes from a Chuck Norris movie. The discipline from training applies to much of my life. It's easier to focus on what is important, and persevere through difficult tasks. 

Knowing how to take care of yourself is, of course, a very important part of training. Another great quote from the original "Karate Kid" is Mr. Miyagi asking Daniel why learn how to fight? Daniel's reply, "So I won't have to fight," is the correct answer. 

Since I started training, I've been in several situations that could have turned violent. In each case, I kept my cool. Martial arts give you an advantage, but doesn't turn you into a super hero. It's also very important realizing real life often means an opponent will do something unexpected. What physically works in the dojo has to be adapted in a microsecond for it to work. That is why the mental part of training is so important.

The best defense is defusing the situation. Like I said, it starts with not getting riled. Example one. I was in my veterinarian's office watching a young brother and sister at the receptionist's desk. The brother was being a real jerk. He accused the staff of mistreating his sister's cat, (she told him no, they were doing their best but he wouldn't listen). I finally had enough of his threats to the staff and said, "Will you shut up over there?" He came over to me and got in my face. For a start, he was about six inches taller and younger. He asked, "Do you want to step outside?" over and over.

I kept my voice even and kept saying, "Calm down." Within a few seconds, he backed away a couple of feet. This meant he got the hint I wasn't intimidated. He still made some more threats while his poor sister kept asking him to get hold of himself. He moved farther away, and his bullying quickly fell to a few dirty looks. Then he left the office. The sister apologized on his behalf, saying he was always flying off the handle. I told her about my training. Her reply was it will be a pleasure telling her brother he was up against someone who could really hurt him if it came down to it.

A second example had a humorous outcome. I had finished my Hapkido class in San Francisco and was waiting on the Bay Area Rapid Transit, (BART), platform for my train ride home. A couple of guys engaged in a heated argument descended a stairway. The commotion naturally got my attention so I looked their way. They separated without incident. One of them walked in front of me. He saw me looking, and thinking I might have gotten involved, said, "Don't even think about or I'll kill you." 

I didn't reply or react. He kept going, then came back. Those few seconds gave me plenty of time to think about how to respond if he started something. Instead he apologized. "I'm sorry, you didn't do anything. I need to control my temper. You never know when someone has a gun or knife." 

I said, "Apology accepted," then unzipped my gym bag and pulled out my belt. I added, "Or a black belt." He replied, "That's another good reason."

The bottom line is winning a fight without fighting. How those situations would have turned out if I hadn't trained is unknown. I'm glad I didn't find out.

Martial Arts: Part One

 

I’ve been training in martial arts for over thirty years. I hold a second degree black belt in Hapkido and am currently a candidate for a second degree belt in Kuk Sool Won. I also trained in Tae Kwon Do and Mixed Martial arts, (MMA). So it’s natural to include what I’ve learned in my stories. That applies to much more than fight scenes.

Mention martial arts to people who haven’t trained and you get a variety of reactions, and a lot of misinterpretation. I had a relative who dismissed my involvement as “something little kids do.” Needless to say, I never cared for that relative. Others think of martial arts as something mysterious, steeped in Eastern mysticism and consisting of gravity defying kicks and punches, that allow you to overcome fifty to one odds.  

Unfortunately, the way the arts are portrayed in TV and movies is usually bad. The moves are unrealistic, and frankly, ridiculous. Everything is for dramatic effect. Kicks are more appropriate for the ballet. They wouldn’t hurt anyone. Exceptions are when real martial artists are involved. Check YouTube for Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris and you’ll see what I mean.

 In my stories, my experience helps in many ways. Fight scenes are obvious. I choreograph them to imagine which moves are the most realistic. The next step is describing them in a way that clearly conveys the action without getting bogged down in detail. Some scenes in The Wizards of Llandwellyn books combine magic with fighting skill. Why not dispatch one opponent in a skirmish with a spin kick and another with a blast of fire? It all depends on the situation.

Beyond fighting, the self-discipline, determination and respect learned during training shape several of my characters. In the first book, The Demon Wizard, the wizard Gilman meets Daiman, who helps rescue Gilman from an ambush by magically enhanced opponents. Gilman is shaken by the attack. But he is impressed with Daiman’s calmness. Daiman reveals he was trained by a mysterious wizard who taught him the physical and mental aspects of martial arts. He offers to teach Gilman. The lessons help dispel self-doubts that plague Gilman and enable him to become more assertive.

None of my martial arts characters are invincible, if they were, the stories would be predictable and boring. They are always striving to get better and realize there is more to learn. It’s like that in real life. Kuk Sool Won’s motto is “We need more practice.” Another relevant quote is from the original The Karate Kid. Daniel asks Mr. Miyagi if he got into fights when he was young. Mr. Miyagi says he got into plenty. Daniel replies, “But you knew karate.” The response, “Always someone who knows a little more.”

Of dastardly villains

A story usually has a goal, characters trying to reach the goal, and other characters trying to prevent the goal from being reached. The chief one getting in the way of the goal is labeled the Antagonist. In “The Lord of the Rings,” this is Sauron, although he leaves the dirty work to Saruman and a bunch of unpleasant Orcs.

However, the antagonist usually is a highly visible individual. He or she can come in many flavors. This person can be physically attractive or repulsive. Or in the case of Sauron, a spirit. No matter what they look like, at their core, they are evil. How they display that evil is one of the things that makes them interesting. And from a writer’s view, fun to create. Writing is even more fun when the baddies get their just deserts, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

A very important question is how nasty should an antagonist be? Should this person be the type who eats children, steals from church collection boxes, or, if here in Texas, commits the most unpardonable offense, mocking high school football? Also, in Texas, that and cattle rustling never get to trial and earn frontier justice. But I digress.

The antagonist needs helpers to carry out his or hers plans. How to get their cooperation? Know what motivates them. Is it greed? Shower them with gold. Power? Arrange convenient “accidents” for their enemies. Fear? Show them what will happen if they disobey. Flattery? Despite the old saying, it can get you to where you want to be.

Whichever methods the antagonist chooses, what is most important is being completely in control. A good antagonist is someone you hate and fear. Although it isn’t sufficient to write, “This is the bad guy, he or she is evil, now start quaking in your boots.” Some writers unfortunately are satisfied with baddies who are like that because the writer says so. Most readers want to know how and why a villain becomes that way.

A detailed biography isn’t necessary, but a bit of background will suffice. The villain could have suffered great loss and is lashing out at those he perceives were responsible. Or he could feel slighted as in not being properly rewarded for performing a heroic task.

This person can and often does, have some redeeming qualities. In one of my books, the villain kills a rival mage-king. He has the victim’s body returned to his people to be buried and mourned. The villain has some sense of honor and respect, but not enough so he’s ever liked. But it makes him more realistic. By the same reasoning, heroes are more relatable if they have flaws. But that’s a topic for another blog entry.

A trick with antagonists is making them appealing. They have to often outsmart the heroes and be hard to predict. In the end, the reader feels satisfied, perhaps elated, when they are defeated. As stated before, villains are entertaining to write, mostly because they are the opposite of the writer’s values and personality. Sometimes they are so enjoyable that they don’t get killed off until late in a series, if ever.

That happens with my main antagonist. He physically dies but is reincarnated for the next book. One of the other characters asks, “Do villains like this ever die?” Another character replies, “Yes. The problem is keeping him dead.”

 

 

 

If you don't like the world, invent your own.

One of the great features of fantasy and science fiction is world building. An author controls everything that goes into their imaginary worlds. The best part is all he or she needs is imagination. Being an all powerful deity is not required. That being said, how does a writer make their world believable? You want a place your readers want to be immersed in. If writing fantasy, you want them to remember your creation like they would Middle Earth, Gwynedd, Xanth or Earthsea. There will be parts they want to visit, and dangerous areas to avoid.

My degree is in geography, so when I conceived the world for my books, designing the map was second nature. The next step was a name. I wondered, "What could people call the land they dwell in?" The inspired answer, "Llandwellyn." I liked the Welsh touch with the spelling. 

Filling in Llandwellyn came next. There's nothing like the omnipotent feeling from designing, deleting, and moving entire rivers, mountain ranges, cities and the like. I decided on a large continent, about the size of continental Europe, so there was a lot to fill in. 

But what is a world without residents? A place for very short and dull tales. As my stories evolved, so did the geography and history of the people and creatures. There are distinct Norse, British, Germanic, Mideastern, Chinese and Mongolian influences, along with cultures I made up.

A lot more was needed, such as government types, climates, economies, all those items that make the world feel complete. The final touch is magic. So there are rules governing magic that needed to be included. 

It's possible to turn world building into a textbook. Tolkien's "Silmarillion" can be considered as part history, part novel. Mine evolved along with the stories and continues to grow.