Are there any ARMA members near St. Louis, Missouri?

[Chris Spohr]

Well, the topic title pretty much says everything. I'm very interested in all this but I can't seem to find anyone in the area beyond the LARPing types and... I'd like to avoid that. So if any of you live in this area and happen to be looking for an absolute beginner to get started with or teach that would be great.

[Jaron Bernstein]

Well, the topic title pretty much says everything. I'm very interested in all this but I can't seem to find anyone in the area beyond the LARPing types and... I'd like to avoid that. So if any of you live in this area and happen to be looking for an absolute beginner to get started with or teach that would be great.

If you are able to travel you might consider going to an upcoming event (listed on the front page) or paying a visit (with prior arrangement) to a study group.

[Chris Spohr]

Although I'd certainly love to attend one of the events or visit a study group that isn't really an option for me at the moment and won't be for the foreseeable future.

After that answer I have a bad feeling there aren't many of you guys around my area. St. Louis is supposed to be a major city of some sort, yet it seems everything passes us by over here. :P

[Shane Smith]

Although I'd certainly love to attend one of the events or visit a study group that isn't really an option for me at the moment and won't be for the foreseeable future.

After that answer I have a bad feeling there aren't many of you guys around my area. St. Louis is supposed to be a major city of some sort, yet it seems everything passes us by over here.

There are alot of folks in a similar boat Why not apply yourself and create your own study group there? The ball has to get rolling somewhere...why not with you

[Chris Spohr]

I had the same thought. I can't say I wouldn't prefer to have someone who already knows what they're doing to help out, but at least I have all the information provided on the site. The most important thing is to at least find someone reliable to practice with.

Another possibility might be to start a club at my college. Hopefully something like that would attract like minded individuals. The only thing that worries me there is whether or not a "weapons" related club would be allowed. Either way that possibility will have to wait until the start of the fall semester.

[Sal Bertucci]

They don't have wrestling, judo, or fencing there? It is no different from any other martial art. You might consider calling it a "sports club".

[Andy Spalding]

Here at MSU, we are a recognized student organization. We are officially classified as a research/martial arts club, and since we do not train to compete in competitions we do not fall into the "sports club" classification. This means we avoid a lot of the more bothersome hoops other active groups have to go though to remain officially recognized.

Sports clubs are constantly watched and kept in check by the campus becasue of the potentially dangerous nature of what they do, as such they are required to have certified rescue people on hand, records of their equipment (which they have to turn into the school every semester) and piles of paperwork on file for each member. One benefit we miss out on is funding from the school. Sports clubs get to receive a certain amount of money depending on various things... mostly becasue the school wants to support the teams that represent the school in the eyes of the greater sports community. The down side is that the school has final say on what is done with the things they pay for. It would not be YOUR equipment, it is their equipment they are letting you use.

[Jaron Bernstein]

I had the same thought. I can't say I wouldn't prefer to have someone who already knows what they're doing to help out, but at least I have all the information provided on the site. The most important thing is to at least find someone reliable to practice with.

Another possibility might be to start a club at my college. Hopefully something like that would attract like minded individuals. The only thing that worries me there is whether or not a "weapons" related club would be allowed. Either way that possibility will have to wait until the start of the fall semester.

That is a very good option. Just represent it like a kendo, fencing or any other martial arts club that most universities host. My own local study group is based at a college, which in turn allows for access to good facilities and aids recruitment. I really would encourage you to get to an event or study group (or alternately bring someone to you) to get off on the right foot. A lesson from my own past experience is that without good initial instruction you make all kinds of mistakes you then need to unlearn later.

[Chris Spohr]

I don't really know what to expect from the administration here. It's a community college and they tend to be more restrictive than private universities. There don't have any similar clubs that I know of either. They probably have wrestling but adding swords to the mix will change things in their eyes. Even if they accept the idea they might go crazy with absurd safety guidelines which would defeat the purpose entirely. The wording of the proposal will probably have to be very carefully constructed. Even if the college doesn't accept the idea it can still be done independently just fine.

[I just had a thought. Getting the student club adviser in contact with someone from ARMA itself to explain the whole concept might not be a bad idea.]

I definitely agree with your statement about picking up bad habits. It seems to be a fairly common concern with just about any discipline.

I'd love to have someone to teach us and help us get started, which is why I made this thread in the first place. Unfortunately, no one who has responded so far seems to live anywhere even remotely nearby.

[Sal Bertucci]

I'm all alone here too. The best thing that I would recommend is to keep your eyes peeled for a fairly local NTP 1.0. It really helped me out to avoid those bad habits, and even though I'm a beginner I feel comfortable enough with the info that I feel like I can teach it to others.

[Chris Spohr]

Unless I'm mistaken the closest one appears to be about half a country away though. Even local travel is quite difficult for me at present... going across four to five states or more is out of the question. Reading and waiting will have to do for now I guess.

I have another question though. Which is the worse option, trying things out on my own or with friends at the risk of forming a multitude of bad habits that will have to be unlearned or waiting for an indeterminate amount of time for someone knowledgeable to come along?

Personally, I hate the idea of not doing anything. Someone from within ARMA told me they'll be in the area at some point in time but it could be a very long time.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation and chose to go ahead and try learning on your own, how long did it take you to discard your acquired poor habits? Was your previous experience worth the time it took to correct them?

(As a side note I'm definitely going to get ahold of some of the books in the recommended reading list, such as The Martial Arts Of Renaissance Europe)
By Sydney Anglo.)

[David Kite]

Chris,

I began in exactly your predicament. Yes, you will develop bad habits, whether you're alone or with friends who are also beginners. All beginners have bad habits to overcome. Personally, I have had little difficulty overcoming my bad habits. The challenging part is discovering your bad habits. If you train, you will learn something and gain value from it. If you do nothing, you will learn nothing.

Also, I understand that fuel prices are crippling, especially for university students, but I live just inside the Indiana border along Interstate 70 (pretty close to, anyway). I cannot afford the fuel, but if you're interested and can spare the few hours it takes to cross Illinois I can help you get started. PM me if you want.

David Kite
GFS, ARMA in IN

[Shane Smith]

Chris,

I began in exactly your predicament. Yes, you will develop bad habits, whether you're alone or with friends who are also beginners. All beginners have bad habits to overcome. Personally, I have had little difficulty overcoming my bad habits. The challenging part is discovering your bad habits. If you train, you will learn something and gain value from it. If you do nothing, you will learn nothing.

Also, I understand that fuel prices are crippling, especially for university students, but I live just inside the Indiana border along Interstate 70 (pretty close to, anyway). I cannot afford the fuel, but if you're interested and can spare the few hours it takes to cross Illinois I can help you get started. PM me if you want.

David Kite
GFS, ARMA in IN

Having known David for years, I can say with all sincerity he is perhaps the most successful long-term lone-practitioner I have ever seen. If you can make it by to see him, do so! He can show you how to succeed on your own if anyone can.

[Keith Culbertson]

Hello Chris, I echo Shane's recommendation to get over and train with David and get a grounding in ARMA training as well as familiarizing yourself with as much of the website as you can. Then post fliers at the college offering an introduction to the serious research and applied experimental archaeology we do in ARMA. Present both sides and you will find people interested in one, the other and usually, both. Then when you have some names and a case to present an application to form a student organization out of the study group, go for it. Try for training space and even funding if you can get it---in the end you provide something for the students and staff to join potentially and you have some supprt as well as understanding that this is a serious endeavor. All this worked great at Ohio Stae when I did this, so I wish you the best of luck and good times,

[JeremyDillon]

Hey Chris, I'm not actually a member of ARMA (not for lack of trying), but I'm pretty close to were you are. I'm down in Cape Girardeau which is about 1.5 hrs south of St. Louis. My friends and I are going to be trying to get a dedicated group going around the beginning of the fall semester, and if you want to come down and practice with us, we'd love to have you. We're mostly beginners carefully working out of manuals, but if we get enough dedicated members we'll make every effort to get study group status. The commutes a bit much, but if your interested just let me know. My email is jwdillon1s@semo.edu.