Chapter 1

 You could hear a pin drop in the dojo as I listened intently while Shen, addressed the class. The students sat in neatly defined rows while giving him their utmost attention. I smiled as I recalled the first time we met, ten years earlier.

It was early evening. I was seventeen and feeling my need for independence. I’d just had an argument with my parents about this very fact. I was in my final days of high school and my parents wanted me to focus on college -while I wanted time to discover who I was and what I truly wanted in life. I felt restless. It was time to strike out on my own -at least for the summer- and discover new people, places, and things while my parents thought I should be focusing on selecting a college and a career goal.

The fact of the matter was that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I’d worked part-time over the years at the local gym to pay for my lessons in martial arts after my father became disabled and the household budget no longer allowed for those types of extras. I thrived on the physical discipline. The gym offered me a position as a personal trainer. All I had to do was study and take the test, but without my parent’s support I hesitated. Instead, I followed that old saying, “When in doubt, do nothing.”

I was deep in thought and brooding over yet another heated conversation with them over that same topic while I attempted to walk off some of my frustration when I walked straight into Shen coming out of his uncle’s Dojo. I apologized, excused myself, and continued on. He stood watching me for a moment before he crossed the street and walked in the same direction.

When I turned the corner, a searing pain pierced my temple as a set of brass knuckles slammed into my head. I fought to keep my senses while a small group of thugs circled me.

Shen stopped and watched intently. Blood visibly trickled down my face as I positioned my body for combat. It was obvious to him that I was trained in Kung Fu and, although my style was unusual, I showed skill and promise as I fought off an occasional attack from the circling thugs.

A young couple walking past slowed down enough to see what was happening and then moved on with apathetic disinterest. Shen hesitated. He was still new in the country and wanted to keep a low profile, but he was unaccustomed - and even surprised- by the type of apathy he’d just witnessed from the passersby. Shaking his head in disbelief, he moved in a rapid cat-like motion across the street. In a flash he was positioned next to me.

“What are you after, China Man?” someone in the group shouted.

The others joined in with more taunts and laughter as the circle tightened. Their leader held up his fists in preparation for battle. He was excited to have the opportunity to display his fighting ability.

“Maybe he wants some of this? Is that it China Man? Do you want some of this?” he taunted.

Shen showed no emotion as the leader moved forward and threw a punch. He blocked it with his arm and kicked his attacker in the face with incredible accuracy and force; sending him crashing to the pavement with lightning speed. The other thugs shouted their threats as their circle tightened.

Shen paused briefly to acknowledge me and coiled for action. Before I knew what was happening, he took down the rest of the thugs. I shook my head in amazement as I stared at the heap of bodies.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Although his accent was strong, his command of the English language was very good.

I grabbed his outstretched hand and shook it.

“Thanks, man,” I said with genuine gratitude.

“I think you need the hospital,” he said.

“I think I need to learn to fight like you!” I replied. I’d been a student of martial arts for years, but I’d never been taught moves like I’d just witnessed. In fact, I’d never seen anyone move like that and I wanted to learn. “I saw you coming out of the Dojo a few blocks back. Are you an instructor there? Tell me yes and I’ll enroll right now.”

Shen grinned and nodded. He’d recently immigrated from China and was assisting at his uncle’s Dojo. He walked with me to assure himself I didn’t have a concussion. While walking, he answered my questions.

True to my word, I became a student the very next day. It wasn’t long before I earned status as the star student and was paired with Shen for demonstrations to new groups. He was an easy five inches shorter than me. His wiry physique looked to be no match against my lean, muscular, Nordic-type, body. Upon our first pairing, when I stood before Shen I was certain I’d learned enough to show him I was his equal. That was an arrogant misconception that I’d live to regret. What he lacked in size, he more than made up with skill and wit. I was quickly humbled. As time progressed, we were paired together more and more by his uncle. We eventually learned each other’s style, strengths, and weaknesses. Our mutual respect for each other’s abilities grew steadily as our relationship went beyond that of student and teacher and we formed a strong and solid friendship.

As the years progressed, I was asked to assist in teaching and was assigned a few classes to teach on my own. Since I’d also gone ahead and gotten my personal trainer credentials and accepted the position at the gym I’d been working at, my schedule was pretty complete.

The students sat in a relaxed group on the floor, listening intently to Shen’s soft, confident voice as he lectured, “You do not have to rely on physical build, but on a logical sequence of movements. No matter how hard you train or work to improve, there will always be someone bigger than you, stronger than you, or faster than you in one way or another. Speed is important. You can overcome your opponent’s superiority by applying these principles of speed. If you cannot overcome your opponent with one principle of speed, you can beat him with another method of speed. There is the speed of traveling, the speed of distance, the speed of readiness, and the speed of reaction.” He paused and surveyed the student’s faces before continuing. “Now, the speed of traveling is when speed can be calculated in feet per seconds through a punch or a kick. The speed of distance is the theory that the straight line between two points is the shortest distance. Therefore, punching straight is shorter and quicker than a hook punch or a swing.”

He searched the room with his eyes until he found me. Smiling devilishly, he motioned for me to come to the front of the room. I obeyed and got into position without being asked.

“To bring your foot with a roundhouse kick to the head covers a greater distance than a shorter and quicker punch to the head,” he said before demonstrating. I responded quickly to block his powerful kick. “It is typical to cock back your leg or arm before executing a movement,” he continued. “This wastes valuable time in the extra motion. It also clues your opponent on your next move.” He demonstrated again. Once again, I blocked what could have been a painful impact. “When your power is not generated just by the moving hand or leg, there is no need to cock. You use the other side of your body to pull back as you rotate to push out the punch or kick simultaneously. This is what we call the speed of readiness. People spend most of their time practicing until they are good with all these techniques. In true combat, the application is not priority. This is because the proper reflexes and feeling of balance must be developed. You can train and fight with yourself all day long, but unless you apply the techniques with another person, you will not get very far. A fight requires at least two people.”

Shen bowed to me. I reciprocated the gesture before returning to the back of the room. He motioned for the group to rise and then paired them off. The pairs bowed to each other and began practicing what he’d just demonstrated. He walked slowly around the room; stopping on occasion to provide some one-on-one instruction.

The group had an odd count for attendance, leaving an enormous man standing on the side of the room in need of a partner. I groaned as Shen motioned for me to partner up with that student. As I moved in position, I felt a surge of aggressive energy projecting from this gigantic man who looked to have the blood of Goliath running through his veins. I swallowed and looked over at Shen with uncertainty. My friend and instructor maintained a stone look on his face as he methodically walked around the room and pretended not to notice my distressed glowering.

Resigning myself to the situation, I bowed to my opponent. Shen clapped his hands and Goliath went into action. Shen had a pleased glint in his eye as he watched my lean, muscular body move with agile style and grace against the aggressive assaults of my king sized opponent.