Research and Discussion Forums

A "bind" is the moment your two swords collide. With sharp weapons they will actually sort of stick to each other or Bind. The most basic bind is when two Zornhau (or diagonal) strikes collide. I've found a picture to try and illustrate this.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/joArhn0pc8o/maxresdefault.jpg ...

Oh I know that feeling haha.

Each of the different disciplines tend to have their own names for things (obviously, since they are generally from different cultures/languages). It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it will come to you.

Anything in particular you need help with just shout out ...

I don't believe there is an ARMA approved starting manual.

If you have a system in mind I (or someone else here) can certainly help you get started.
As for the synthetics, some people like them, some don't. They are VERY slippery, and don't work well for practicing certain techniques (binding, etc ...

Hi there SML.

Well you can go about it many different ways. I would personally grab that friend that is interested, find some source material (books, websites, etc.) and start trying to figure out the basics.
Start with the guards (forms, postures, whatever you want to call them) and the footwork ...

This is a shout out to anyone in the Northwest Ohio area. Anyone within driving distance of Toledo Ohio looking to get started or looking for a training partner send me a message.

I study mainly Joachim Meyer, but I'm more than willing to drill anything that anyone is interested in.

Thanks.