I'm new and curious about ARMA.

[Jonathan Scott]

Ok, first off I apologize if this is the wrong place for an introduction. (and warning: I post long detailed posts!)
so if an admin could point me to the right place or move this thread somewhere, that would be great.
I'm Jonathan, I recently started looking into western sword stuff (so I'm curious and I like what ARMA is about in reviving it as a martial art), and I'm interested in what options or resources I have. I have taken a year of aikido (which has some japanese sword techniques in it, though stylized), so I'm a little familiar with swords of eastern style (But I'm still a baby learning how to walk in actually sparring), and I've read a few articles on here, which have been really enlightening and interesting. I also read J. Clement's book (the 1997 one) and that's what started my whole interest.
So let's see...I haven't applied to ARMA yet because I'm not sure where there are training places.
I currently go to college at Florida State U in Tallahassee, and I'm wondering if there's an ARMA group somewhere near there that I could join. And I live with my folks still in northwestern GA, so going to a seminar or something equating to a weekend crash course in Atlanta (which I hear is where J Clements is at, and probably a big ARMA following) would be a possibility. Since I don't have a car yet, I don't have a whole lot of options for going way outta the way to training, but I'd be pleasantly surprised if there is or could be set up an on-campus ARMA training cell. So I'm wondering where the closest group is and how I'd get there.
And I'm also not sure if I'll be able to devote so much time to training this art, cause I still want to learn aikido, and I have my major in college to worry about still (vocal performance, and singing and martial arts I've discovered have a lot more in common than I thought, but they're still pretty different disciplines) But I'm still interested in learning both eastern and western martial disciplines and if I'm not able to devote the time to train now, there might be a better time down the road. Ok, so a few official questions:
get a waster anyways and try to learn what I can by myself until I can get official training?
(and what would ya recommend, I've looked at the Raven, Hollow Earth Works, and New Stirling Arms ones, so I could probably get one from there)
Should I read up on my German Terminology? (used in your longsword practices)
(which at this point I have no basic grasp on the language, though I will have to take a year of it for my major, so I could pick it up then)
Anything else I should do to learn this stuff? (recommended articles, recommended training routines, etc)
ok that's all I can think of for the moment, but I'd appreciate someone showing me around a bit, and I'll definitely reply back and let ya know what I think.

[Craig Peters]

Jonathan,

If possible, I would highly recommend that you set aside time every week to practice with the long sword or whatever weapon you choose to study. Like all things, Western Martial Arts requires time for you to become skilled, and if you practice only irregularly, you will find that your skills decline over periods of inactivity. This is something that affects the senior ARMA members too, and it's even worse for beginners. I highly recommend that you try to get a friend interested, as having even one sparring partner makes a big difference.

Regarding your questions:

1) I would go with a New Stirling Arms waster. I really like the way they handle, and the service I received was prompt and efficient. A lot of other ARMA members will tell you that they prefer NSA weapons, so I'd try them first.

2) Yes, read up on German terminology. The better you understand the terms and concepts, the less likely you are to get lost/confused when reading discussions on the application of certain strikes or techniques. Rather than try to tackle all of the terms at once, consider looking up terms on a "need-to-know" basis, and focus on terms that you see repeated a lot "oberhau", "meisterhau", "absetzen", "Vom Tach", etc.

3) I would highly recommend reading the side-by-side translation of Hanko Dobringer's fechtbuch as it provides an excellent starting framework for the long sword.
http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/Dobringer_A5_sidebyside.pdf

I would also read the following essays:

http://www.thearma.org/essays/StancesIntro.htm

http://www.thearma.org/essays/mastercuts.html

http://www.thearma.org/essays/edgemyth.htm

http://www.thearma.org/essays/parrying.htm (be sure to read part II and III of this essay as well)

http://www.thearma.org/MSsup.htm

There's plenty of other good stuff to read, but this will give you a starting place. Be sure to also examine the fechtbuchs as they provide the knowledge for our art: http://www.thearma.org/manuals.htm

As for training/practicing:

http://www.thearma.org/Practice/training.htm

http://www.thearma.org/Practice/FreePlay.htm

Finally, there is an ARMA group in South Florida:

Bactria@bellsouth.net
http://arma-sfl.com

Best of luck with your training!

Craig

[Jonathan Scott]

thanks! (goes to reading those articles)
so there's only one in South Florida? that's kinda too far away for me I think.
There isn't one in north florida? hrm...
(mumbles curses)
Could I get instruction at my university by an ARMA member living in the area (tallahassee)?
but if there's an intro weekend class or something that someone is teaching around Tallahassee (or perhaps Atlanta or somewhere near there), someone let me know if they can!
In the meantime, I'll read up, and try some of that stuff with whatever I have handy. (I have a bunch of practice swords but none of them are wasters...I'll make do with something though, and look into purchasing a waster, thanks for the NSA tip <img src="/forum/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" /> )
any way of knowing what length/kind of sword to get? should I try a two or one handed longsword? or something in between? (hand and a half?) and how do I figure out what the right blade length is for me? (wields the almighty tape measure eagerly) I'm 5' 7" and pretty light build btw.
(and if there's an article that explains how ARMA determines this that would be great)
And as for finding time to practice, I intend on setting some time aside every week for general martial arts practice anyway, so I'll try to fit a time w/ waster in there.
And I'll definitely start looking around for a partner to get beaten up by <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />
Ok thanks yet again! <img src="/forum/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Zach Palfreyman]

Some itallian dude said a longsword should come up to your armpit, and everyone in my study group has said the same thing so that is a good measurement. I think that would be about 49 inches total length for you. If you get a New Sterling Arms waster, there is the hand-and-a-half type A which is 49 1/2 inches I think, probably about perfect length. I think that same itallian dude also said that your crossguard should be straight and sort of spike shaped, so you can stab people with it. You could do that by either punching your handle into them, or doing a morte strike I believe its called where you grab the end of the blade and swing it like a pickaxe (can help you defeat armor). The NSA waster is pretty expensive though, like 97 bucks with shipping, so you might have to save up a bit to get one.

I have heard that both longsword and the poleaxe (its more of a hammer/spear kind of polearm than an axe) are both good weapons to start with, cause they will set a good foundation for fighting with many other kinds of weapons. ARMA has way more stuff about fighting with longsword from what I've saw, so I would suggest starting with longsword. Also practice unarmed fighting because almost all weapons will use it to some extent or another (a swordfight can turn into a fistfight or wrestling match pretty quick once you both get in close and someone ends up getting disarmed or something like that). And after that just whatever you are most interested in.

Getting into good shape would also be real helpful. Swordfighting, wrestling, etc etc they can all get you tired really fast Leg strength and jumping is real helpful for mobility (which helps a lot for both attack and defense) and arm strength obviously for hitting power. Just practicing solo drills can be a real workout if you keep at it hard, but you could also do some jogging or weightlifting.

If you can, get someone to show you the basics in person. In just a few hours they could show you enough to keep you busy for months, like 8-cut drill, footwork, the guards, floyrish, etc. If not, there might be some articles around here somewhere or someone could probably explain them.

I just started about three months ago, but its awesome so far. I've always loved swords, and I would have been doing this years ago if I had known someone to teach me real swordfighting. Everyone in my study group has been real nice and have taught me LOTS already. All you need is just the basics and practice them everyday and you will get good really quick. Also I would say check out some practice videos of people who are good, and just copy what they do. One thing I've noticed is you don't need to understand why something works for it to work. You just learn it right and it will work without even thinking.

Good luck,

[Craig Peters]

Jonathan,

Fortunately, there is not necessarily no ARMA people in your area. The South Florida group are a study group, but there may be individual members closer to your part of Florida. Email John about it and check. Besides, the distance between north and south Florida isn't really that far; I wish I had other experienced members who were that close to me.

As for your other question, long swords are actually two handed weapons. This becomes apparent if you start reading the historical manuals. Single handed swords were usually just called "swords" or in some contexts, "arming swords". So, go with a sword that requires two hands to use, (people sometimes call long swords "hand and a half swords" or "bastard swords" as the distinction between the two can be confusing), to start with, and then move onto the single handed sword if you wish.

[Mike Cartier]

ARMA Free Scholar Jay Vail lives in tallahassee.