WMA Forum Goes Live

**Hesperus** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 12:23am

So is Dambe a WMA?!?

**theotherserge** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 12:38am

no ****, good show Ddlr!! I say! what-what

can we start with the most EPIC of WMA practicioners?

**Permalost** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 12:57am

Aye!
This should be interesting. I'm really hoping for some good discussions after so many of us bitching about making this forum.

Where does weaponry discussion go? On one hand it seems to fit into the armory, but there is such a connection between WMAs and how their weapons were designed that it seems like another grey area (for example why the Bowie knife became popular over the Arkansas toothpick).

Also, kudos on the bull with the tophat. Very gentlemanly.

**Hesperus** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 1:01am

I imagine if it's a weapon in the context of its use in a WMA, it belongs here.

**DdlR** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 1:10am

Originally Posted by Hesperus

So is Dambe a WMA?!?

Nope. African styles are way cool, but not "Western" in the sense we're aiming for here.

**DdlR** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 1:13am

Originally Posted by CodosDePiedra

Aye!
This should be interesting. I'm really hoping for some good discussions after so many of us bitching about making this forum.

Where does weaponry discussion go? On one hand it seems to fit into the armory, but there is such a connection between WMAs and how their weapons were designed that it seems like another grey area (for example why the Bowie knife became popular over the Arkansas toothpick).

Also, kudos on the bull with the tophat. Very gentlemanly.

Weaponry topics (assuming we're talking swords, Euro-style stick weapons, etc.) could fit equally well into the Armory or here; I guess it will be up to the individual poster.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 1:28am

Originally Posted by DdlR

Nope. African styles are way cool, but not "Western" in the sense we're aiming for here.

WHERE'S MY AFRICAN MARTIAL ARTS FORUM?

**DdlR** · Posted On: 2/12/2009 1:40am

I could tell you what I had to do for Phrost to get this one up and running, but there might be children reading - shudder -

**DunkelAnanas** · Posted On: 2/13/2009 11:25pm

Alright, African MAs don't belong here. What about Capoeira? It's derived from Africa, but much of it's history is in Brazil. Sorry if this is a silly question. Not really.

**DdlR** · Posted On: 2/14/2009 12:26am

The genesis of this forum was that a couple of us were quietly agitating for a General MA Forum that would allow more-or-less serious discussion of non-mainstream styles, which hitherto often ended up in YMAS by default. I'd still like to see something like that, but in that this is what we've ended up with, the WMA Forum has to draw lines in the sand to avoid becoming a catch-all "everything not Asian" forum.

Capoeira is way cool, has a really colorful and interesting history and unfortunately IMO would not be on-topic for this forum. Even if we counted Brazil as honorary "Europe" (via Portuguese settlement), Capoeira is a product of transplanted African culture(s) through centuries of organic evolution in South America; the actual Portuguese influence on Capoeira is minimal, other than language, etc.