Research and Discussion Forums

This is an area which ARMA could expand upon. Practitioner safety is important, and EVERYONE should know how to fall safely. The falls I learned in other arts have saved me more often than I care to consider, and taking a fall actually won a fight for me once. Didn't one of the old fight masters say...

That would be true if you ONLY trained techniques wearing heavy jackets. But I never suggested that. To me, it makes more sense to have some practice time both with and without such techniques. For example, here in Minnesota, it's quite common to see people wearing sturdy jackets and such throughout...

While the old masters did not place as much emphasis upon clothing grabs, part of ARMA's mission (as I understand it) is to revive WMA as viable combat art. In the modern world, clothing is different, and sometimes grips on said clothing are very useful. Rather than limit ourselves to the limited nu...

The point is moot. The better fighter wins the day, regardless of style. And some days Lady Luck smiles on a man that otherwise might have lost. Train to be a better fighter and let others waste time on style vs style debates. Study the historical sources and the work of modern experts alike. Use wh...

I attended the Minneapolis seminar hosted by ARMA Twin Cities weekend before last. It started Friday night with a side trip to Arms and Armor, where we all got to see their shop, handle their wares, discuss historical and modern smithing realities, and socialize. The capstone of the evening was hand...

I would suggest free weights over machines as these are more effective at strengthening your "control" muscles, which are very important for athletic performance. While I agree that weight lifting will make you a better martial artist, I don't think it's the source of your problem. While ...

There are a number of vids online in which practitioners are wearing the armor. It looks light and seems to offer good range of motion.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 1969326081

Has anyone used the body protection employed in jogo do pau? It looks suitable for waster sparring.

I am new to ARMA and have started to work with a local group. The other day I brought a camera and asked to snap a picture of everyone. About half the group was "in uniform" and the rest were "out-of-uniform" newbies like me. I was told (by those in uniform) that photos are not p...

Fixating on a single option when so many others are immediately available seems... less than optimal. Regardless of the author's intentions, we are endowed with the capacity to think in broader terms. Though the text may speak in terms of a specific technique, it is more advantageous to apply underl...

The drawing makes the angle of pressure application unclear. Altering the angle changes the available options, giving a choice between takedown, joint disruption, bind, setup (for something else), or some combination of those. Better to use this as an example of a position from which to explore avai...

Jeff makes some excellent points. Setting up and executing the movement correctly is critical to avoiding failure and a successful counterattack. I must add that many of the takedowns available from this position can be countered or escaped. I've rolled out of many variations, sometimes directly bac...

Clothing grabs are easy and often very handy. I have seen videos that go into extreme detail on how to drill grips and how to use/counter them. The disadvantage of cloth grips is that clothing may slip off, tear, or otherwise permit the opponent more movement than if you had a direct grip. Direct co...

Note that the plates depict an armed opponent. They are intent upon killing the defender, so it is unrealistic to assume that dis-integrating the elbow joint would necessarily end the fight. If the person is in a high state of arousal, they might notice some difficulty doing things with that arm, bu...

You might also want to investigate ROSS. I have no formal training in it, but have been able to work with Scott Sonnon, former head of ROSS in America. His old ROSS videos, particularly the "Bayonet" series, have a truckload of fascinating material for weapons enthusiasts. Sonnon has long ...