A refreshing disclosure about ARMA

[Rod-Thornton]

I found this from a website of other wma enthusiasts who are familiar with the work the ARMA has done.....

http://www.wstr.info/aboutus.html

Technique & Research
Efforts to reconstruct Western Martial Arts increased greatly in the mid-1980s, largely due to the work of men like John Clements who founded the Historical Armed Combat Association (now ARMA) in Texas. Like Clements, researchers in the field of historical combat uncovered many of the misplaced and forgotten texts written by European masters. Several texts have been translated into English and other languages and shared over the Internet, allowing many people to examine and interpret the techniques. Today, groups exist throughout world. These groups focus on the interpretation and martial application of historical techniques in order to train and practice true historical European martial arts (HEMA). Western Swordsmanship Technique & Research in one such group. We are not the pioneers of HEMA, the researchers are. To stretch this metaphor further, we are more like the early settlers, those who come in to a new territory via the path blazed by others.

http://www.wstr.info/index.html

At first, after seeing the obvious sport fencing focus (http://www.wstr.info/index.html) and choreography demonstrations I thought it may be another "we actually know best" self-serving copy-cat group looking to surf the wave of new-found popularity with WMA but was impressed when I came across a frank and honest admission of where their WMA approach was. It was good to see such commentary from others.

I found this quote from their site equally cool:

"The intent of this web site and its content is to provide open communication for the members of WSTR. WSTR claims no ownership of any fighting philosophies, interpretations, or techniques. We didn't invent any of this. We aren't that cool...yet. Frankly, we cannot truly know if we are right or wrong, and there isn't a soul alive who could truly say "You've got it!".

[Shane Smith]

I found this quote from their site equally cool:

"The intent of this web site and its content is to provide open communication for the members of WSTR. WSTR claims no ownership of any fighting philosophies, interpretations, or techniques. We didn't invent any of this. We aren't that cool...yet. Frankly, we cannot truly know if we are right or wrong, and there isn't a soul alive who could truly say "You've got it!".

That statement is true in the absolute sense perhaps,but they have overlooked the other equally important perspective. I and others I know and respect may not always be able to tell you whether you've "got it", but we can darn sure tell when you don't!

[Andrew Steeley]

The student in the .avi file seems to be leaping into each cut... is this proper? I would think that for a drill such as this simple passing steps or slope paces would be enough but perhaps my understanding of the stride length for footwork is incorrect. Must all steps require such a long stride or is something that is a little more easily controlled more appropriate? I bring control into the discussion as it seems that in some positions he has lost his balance.

http://www.wstr.info/videos/3cutsdrill.avi

Great site though. I like the fact that they have put out so much of what they do in a visual medium.

Andy

[Will Adamson]

I doubt he'd try to step like that over uneven ground. It certainly wouldn't pass David Welch's "Towton test".

At least he seems to be trying to cut with more gusto than others who have posted video on the net.

I would only use a step like he's trying to do when I want to cover a bit more distance than usual to surprise my opponent. It's certainly not something to use on every step since it's very easy to lose your balance unless you're well practiced at it. Lowering the stance and wearing flatter soled shoes would also help.

Edit: I just took a look at the cuts. I don't like how he seems to be cutting a bit short. Good energy, just not a technique that I would emulate.

[Andrew Steeley]

Will,
Thanks for the illumination and apologies for hijacking the thread to some extent by getting picky on the details of the site.

Andy

[Mars Healey]

I'm a member of Western Swordsmanship Technique and Research (WSTR). We are always learning. Drew and Ken have done an awful lot of research and I, as a student, have learned so much from them. I'm very grateful for their teachings. The student base is growing nicely and we've almost outgrown our present location.

Any questions, feel free to ask me. If I can't answer them, I'll get an answer for you.

Check out this page as well: WSTR: Pipes in the Valley Demo