Out of the dozen and a half or so visitors that we have had come to our Study Group for introductory training here in VAB over the last two years or so, Only about 6 have applied for membership. There are those who will say that "one out of three aint bad", but still,I think it is important to understand the "why's?" and "how comes?" that are behind these stats.
Of the six that applied, only three of those became members of the local study group.The others became ARMA Associate members due to living far from VAB;But what of the others...
Well, it seems that those who don't get involved in a lasting way display one or more of the following traits that are perhaps not conducive to intense martial endevours;
Many who come out think that swords are cool (as well they are!) and are very enthusiastic until their first taste of bouting. At this point, the rabbit in some will emerge and they will seek to protect their fragile ego's by making excuses for not participating in fencing freeplay. Their fear of public embarrassment masters them and they're shortly gone.The majority of those with Asian MA experience will likewise have noted this trend as well in about a third of those that come through the doors of commercial training halls.I consider this no loss but I hope that the individual will one day master themselves to better face the rest of life.
Some show up because they just watched "Lord of the Rings" and found us while searching for info on "swordfighting" on the web. These folks do well for several sessions until they realize that apart from simply wailing on one another in fencing(which this type particularly often seems to enjoy),there is much scholarly research to be done and that a good fencer is judged by the frequency of clean hits and skillful application of technique. As they continue to pose in freeplay,they continue to lose their hands much to their consternation.This type will not take to the source-texts and so,they never improve and remain entry level students until they quit through frustration at the lack of their self-induced improvement(You can only do the flowery twirling maneuver from highlander in bouting so many times before everyones sense of humor wears thin and asks you to buck up or get out) <img src="/forum/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" />
The last class of deserters are those hard-core reenactors that show up because they saw a cool show or two on the History Channel and they want to "Be a Knight". These folks are always carrying on with extra-curricular reenacting and Renn-fairing and although this type DOES have the potential to handle both past-times reasonably successfully if they are motivated individuals, most will hang on awhile and then realize that we locally will never call them by any un-earned Title of Nobility nor engage in their mutual Role-Playing at an ARMA training session. They often ultimately choose a Title of false nobility at a Renn-faire that is easily assumed over that earned Title that signifies Martial Excellence; "Swordsman",or "Scholar".Once they opt for the apparently ego-satisfying high of fantasy role-play,they're gone. It is this last group that I have the most hope of. I know quite a few Swordsmen that fall here that are successful at the hilt and can keep separate the two.
This pretty well sums up my observations and I feel that the three types above may yet achieve success with the rabbits the least likely and the Reenactors most likely(Pure martial artists tend to stay as they appreciate the fact that they are out-performed on demand on a session by session basis).What have you seen in your own Training?
*All opinions expressed in the above post are my own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of anyone else at ARMA~VAB or my fellow ARMA Swordsmen/Swordswomen*
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