WMA Forum Goes Live

[3moose1]

I nominate Ddlr as moderator

[Matt Phillips]

Thirded

[JohnnyCache]

Is Sambo a western martial art?

[Snake Plissken]

I pretty much saw DdlR as a forgone conclusion

[DdlR]

Is Sambo a western martial art?

Way back when we were talking about a combined WMA/RMA forum ... SAMBO is in a gray area (Russia), but I can't see why it would be off-topic for this forum.

[DdlR]

X-posted from the thread in the Black Belt Club:

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Q - Western martial arts? It's madness, madness I tell you.

A - Get with the times. WMA is a growth industry.

Q - So what are these supposed Western MAs and what can they do for me?

A - WMA are basically divided into two areas. Historical European martial arts (HEMA) are those that either died out or have evolved into forms that barely resemble the originals. Examples include pankration (ancient Olympic MMA), numerous Renaissance European fighting styles (fencing with the two-handed sword, rapier and dagger, unarmed combat etc.), 19th century self defense methods and combat sports (Bartitsu, bare-knuckle pugilism, Irish stick fighting, etc.) Over the past twenty years or so, many of these "extinct" styles have been revived through a combination of serious academic research and pressure-testing (hard training and sparring).

There are also numerous traditional WMA styles and combat sports that have been practiced for many generations: boxing, Graeco-Roman wrestling (which actually dates back to 19th century France - long story), fencing, savate, Portuguese jogo do pau stick fighting, many styles of traditional Italian stick and knife fighting, etc.

Q - You said that some of these styles are being "revived by academic research", but you can't really learn a MA from a book.

A - The fact that the revived style(s) will always be approximations of the originals is taken for granted. However, most of the people who are seriously involved in this field have extensive backgrounds in other MAs and combat sports, and the old treatises and manuals offer very specific advice on technique, tactics, training methods, etc. It ain't easy and it involves a lot of experimentation, but it can be done and the results can be proved via sparring/fencing.

Q - So where are these "secret scrolls of WMA"?

A - All over the Internet. European martial arts instructors wrote **** down and drew lots of pictures, and their treatises and manuals have been preserved in libraries. Hundreds of highly detailed books and manuals covering dozens of styles are now freely available on the Net.

Q - This is all just fringe/geek/Dungeons and Dragons LARPing, right?

A - Nah. About twenty years ago there was a lot of that; nowadays most WMAs are simply trained as martial arts, with "aliveness", hard sparring, all that good stuff. Major WMA conferences have been held regularly in various parts of the world over the past decade; there are numerous quality WMA websites, a print magazine, a burgeoning WMA equipment and publishing industry, etc. If you live in a major city anywhere in North America, Europe or Australasia, chances are there's at least one good WMA club near you.

Q - OK, so what is this forum all about?

A - It's where we can discuss both HEMA and WMA in general in a fairly congenial atmosphere. Joking around is fine but if you make a claim, be prepared to back it up with more than opinions. Scholarship is taken seriously in the WMA field.

Also, although HEMA is a relatively recent development in the MA world, it has already attracted its share of BS-artists and personality politics. The WMA community does a good job of policing itself but this forum is not averse to exposing the odd scam.

Tally-ho and keep it real ...

[Matt Phillips]

I pretty much saw DdlR as a forgone conclusion

You're starting to sound like his Mom

[Snake Plissken]

You're starting to sound like his stalker

don't make me take back that Monopoly rep......

[DdlR]

I tried to +rep WarWheel for the Monopoly logo, but a Bot accused me of having a crush on him and advised me to go do some push-ups.

[Jack Rusher]

I nominate Ddlr as moderator

All in favor: Aye.



EDIT: Oh Frabjous Day, Calloo, Callay!