Tell Me What's Special About Western Martial Arts

[Jonathan Randall]

Tell Me What's Special About Western Martial Arts. Boxing, wrestling, fencing, archery, RMA, etc. What are some strengths of Western MA as opposed to Eastern?

 

[FearlessFreep]

Tell me why you're posting at 4:37 in the morning? : )

 

[Rook]

Tell Me What's Special About Western Martial Arts. Boxing, wrestling, fencing, archery, RMA, etc. What are some strengths of Western MA as opposed to Eastern?

Western martial arts virtually without exceptions are open and transparent (no real secret hidden knowledge). Almost all of them have been practiced in a sportive fashion from near the begining of their existance. Western martial arts often are simple to learn the basics of, but complex in terms of principle of fighting. Many eastern martial arts have complex techniques while their principles have been comprimised or partially lost. Western martial arts have a strong backround of put-up-or-shut-up competition that tends to reduce the fraud that has plagued the last 80 years or so of Eastern martial arts.

 

[crushing]

Tell me why you're posting at 4:37 in the morning? : )

Doesn't the fact that Mr. Randall was posting at 4:37 AM about Western Martial Arts just go to show how special they really are?

 

[lklawson]

So why would anyone get into WMA when there's so much EMA readily available?

Quoting from the rec.martial-arts FAQ entry for WMA (which I helped write):

Historical European Martial Arts

[...]

In the late 20th century interest in recovering the martial aspect of
these European martial arts again gained in popularity. Forces behind
the interest and research in this area included: medieval re-enactors
of various philosophies seeking to fight in a more authentic manner;
theatrical fight choreographers wishing to depict more authentic
combat on stage and screen; modern fencers exploring the more
combative roots of their sport; Western practitioners of Eastern
martial arts exploring their own cultural heritage, and to some
degree the public fascination with tales of European-style combat
such as those spun by J.R.R. Tolkien or the adventures fancifully
presented in role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons (tm)
may have helped pave the way for public interest and acceptance of the
combative value of these arts. Other possible motivations for the
resurgence of interest included: ethnic and nationalistic pride in
cultural heritage; the backlash against religious or spiritual
elements found in some non-Western martial arts; Self Defense; and
as a vehicle for establishing a connection to the past for some who
would otherwise be uninterested in Martial Arts.

​

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Fionn McCool]

Tell Me What's Special About Western Martial Arts. Boxing, wrestling, fencing, archery, RMA, etc. What are some strengths of Western MA as opposed to Eastern?

My European lineage screams out for it.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

The historical connection is what draws me to it.

Also, I love comparing them to the eastern ones. In a lot of cases you can find similarities as well as differences.

Jeff

 

[Fionn McCool]

The historical connection is what draws me to it.

Also, I love comparing them to the eastern ones. In a lot of cases you can find similarities as well as differences.

Jeff

Stop following me, Jeff

 

[sethwoodworth]

I get the feeling that not very many of you have experienced the recreated Western Martial Arts, and I don't mean SCA stick fighting or the great majority of kids playing with foam. Watching a well trained longsword student of the Liechtenauer or Fiore traditions is comprable to a student in some japanese forms. Not all WMA schools are based on fantasy and many schools are combat-competitive with other tradition's weapon forms. Unfortunately very little of unarmed combat has survived in extant manuscripts, of which there are hundreds.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

I get the feeling that not very many of you have experienced the recreated Western Martial Arts, and I don't mean SCA stick fighting or the great majority of kids playing with foam. Watching a well trained longsword student of the Liechtenauer or Fiore traditions is comprable to a student in some japanese forms. Not all WMA schools are based on fantasy and many schools are combat-competitive with other tradition's weapon forms. Unfortunately very little of unarmed combat has survived in extant manuscripts, of which there are hundreds.

Oh, I think the majority of us know that the SCA stuff isn't the real thing, so to speak. Unfortunately the age of firearms dawned in Europe long before it did in Japan and China so there is not the same continuous line of experts in swordsmanship and pre-firearm weapons and tactics.

BTW, Welcome to Martial Talk!

 

[Fionn McCool]

Tell Me What's Special About Western Martial Arts. Boxing, wrestling, fencing, archery, RMA, etc. What are some strengths of Western MA as opposed to Eastern?

Well, my mom says I'm special, and I like Western Martial Arts, so I guess that's why they're so special. Because of me!:jediduel:

 

[Robert Lee]

If you really look at it Any M/A that is taught in the west Is a western type. It must be taught to the need of the people not the Country it came from. East West we are all different And Karate in Japan teach those students what they need Here the same. Each person learns then that art is theres Or they never really learned Just became a product of what they were taught But not a independant part of what the M/A was intended for. Which is to teach and cultivate each and every person as a seperate sole of the learning.

 

[drummingman]

you mean that the WWE is not a western martial art? oh crap,all my training has gone to waste.lol

 

[Langenschwert]

Some thread necromancy for fun...

Asides from the good points made so far, one thing I like about WMA (especially HEMA) is that they tend to be very integrated. There isn't a distinction conceptually between armed and unarmed fighting. Even the weapons all operate on the same basic principles, by desgin. This makes for an effective use of time when training, since muscle memory for one weapon will transfer quite readily to others. The better the actions are burned into muscle memory, the greater the chances of pulling it off in an earnest encounter, or an intense sparring match.

Another special thing is the manuals. We have written and pictorial records of these arts, literally frozen in time at the peak of their effectiveness, written by those that used them for real. These were practical fighters with no time for ineffective techniques. They realized that combat was brutal, scary, messy and chaotic, and they sought to prepare their students to deal with that. The manuals don't have a lot of chaff. They are generally concise, well-constructed summations of what each master thought was important. And if a Master thought it was worth writing down, often at great expense, then it's probably worth learning.

I also like that serious practicioners of WMA often have a scholarly bent. Some people even learn medieval German or Italian to further their studies.

Also, there is a nice collegiate atmosphere. Sure there's politics, but open cooperation between schools and sharing of information is the norm. WMA/HEMA practicioners tend to have strong bonds of friendship that span the globe, since travelling internationally to seminars is quite common. So we end up with many instructors in vastly differing disciplines that know and like each other, and have had many pints together. And that's cool.

Best regards,

-Mark

 

[LawDog]

Strengths:
* These systems are ours,
* They are based here,
* Many systems are gear to fit our society's needs,
* Many will put it out there for all to see,

Weakness:
* Many styles are still in their developmental stages,
* Many systems are safe to a fault,
* Money factories.
* Lawyers - to many.

:knight: