Research and Discussion Forums

I majored in theatre at university and filled up most of my elective credits with stage combat and choreography courses. I used to get into long discussions with one of my stage combat instructors over the lack of historical techniques in choreography and he conceded the point, though was still a li...

I'm not a member yet, but I'll be back in Virginia next month and will most certainly be there through next year (probably next few years). I would definitely make it a point to get down to a 1.0. Just to verify, can I attend the 1.0 as a non-member? I'll be submitting my application once I return s...

I'm certainly no expert on wasters or even types of wood, but I used to do some dagger work using pine wasters. They were cheap and directly from a Ren Faire, but a buddy and me wrapped them up in duct tape and wrapped string around the handles. They held up fine in dagger-only sparring and even wor...

Many, if not all of the questions that you posed can be answered by browsing the Articles & Essays section.

I'm also interested in gaming and in seeing a more realistic approach to combat. PM me and I'll be glad to talk more about it with you.

Regards,

Topher

Thanks for all the input. I have a varied EMA background myself, and am happy for my pal if he finds what he's looking for in the karate classes he's attending. I still value much from my days in EMA, but I was lucky enough to have instructors who explained things in terms of usefulness as opposed t...

I had an interesting experience the other day with a co-worker. He had recently arrived in Japan and mentioned that he was looking to study karate. In the ensuing conversation about martial arts in general, I mentioned ARMA and the study of European methods of defence in general. My co-worker's eyes...

I remember a childrens' book from may grade school days about knights that mentioned the process of lifting armored knights onto their horses via winch and pulley on one page and then discussing French knights displaying strength and agility by doing handstands in full harness on the next page.

Thanks for the link! I just emailed them... hopefully something will pan out.

Hello all. I'm an avid WMA enthusiast currently living in Japan. I am curious if there is anyone else studying or interested in WMA in this area. I'm reasonably close to Tokyo (in Tochigi prefecture) and would love to meet up with someone to work out and train. -Chris "Topher" Scofield

First time posting, and it's only a shaky two cent guess... The long, straight bladed one (second row from the bottom) looks like some of the swords out of Africa using borrowed European blades and styles. That's only a guess based on pictures in a book that I don't have at my current disposal. Reli...