Hello from new registrant

[John Hull]

Hi!

I just signed up for the boards. I found the ARMA page some time ago, and I peruse it frequently. I'd love to learn how to fight with a sword; however, there's no groups around here that I'm aware of, and I'm not convinced in the efficacy of lone practice.

The reason I signed up today is for a book recommendation. I'll start a new thread for that, however, so that this one can be the hello thread it's supposed to be.

And, if solo practice really can be effective, this thread gives you the chance to encourage me and change my mind.

[Mike Cartier]

welcome to the ARMA site.

[Allen Johnson]

welcome- hope we can help

[Rod-Thornton]

John: If you really want to learn, then you will be able to do so as a solo-ist. Marry in several events throughout the year like NTP (nat'l training programs) and occassional weekend road trips to a study group to give you course corrections during practice) and you will find you'll learn. I recall J. Clements responding to one new person with similar concerns about a year ago reminding him that at first, before all the study groups formed, everyone was once where you are now. If they did not pursue it, no study groups would have eventually formed from those first solo-ists.

I suggest you read the article 'going at it alone' on the website. My own study group is a trek from me and we basically meet 1x a week and practice solo ourselves throughout the week.

Good luck,
-Rod

I just signed up for the boards. I found the ARMA page some time ago, and I peruse it frequently. I'd love to learn how to fight with a sword; however, there's no groups around here that I'm aware of, and I'm not convinced in the efficacy of lone practice.

The reason I signed up today is for a book recommendation. I'll start a new thread for that, however, so that this one can be the hello thread it's supposed to be.

And, if solo practice really can be effective, this thread gives you the chance to encourage me and change my mind.[/quote]

[Nathaniel Bacon]

I am in the same shoes as you John and I am going to the NTP in Ohio next month to get me started. It’s a haul for me and a %$!! of a haul from Traverse City. (I assume that’s what TC means). Too bad you live in the NW part of the Lower Peninsula and I in the SE. (About a five hour drive).

[John Hull]

I suggest you read the article 'going at it alone' on the website.

I can't find it. Can you give the link?

Nathaniel Bacon, yep, I'm in Traverse City. I've got a lot of friends in the Detroit area, so an excuse to go downstate can't hurt.

[Rod-Thornton]

John:
I'm sorry. The advice I gave you was bad. The article I referenced is indeed on the the website, albeit it is in the members only section. When I searched for it, I could not remember if it was in the public domain but it came up there when I looked it up.

Anyhoos...going at it alone is something many ARMA members do...and the fraternity is such that the support network is incredibly strong to allow it. It is not uncommon for members of one area or group to occassionally meet with and train with members of another when they are traveling and in that group's city. I myself am doing that tonight!

Bottom line though is that if you want to learn how to fence and fight effectively in the western tradition, there really are no reasons of geography or the group's approach to say you can't...just a decision on the part of the student him/herself. Indeed, going at it solo can also be a boon inasmuch as it would allow you to focus on the commitment that's right for you...but make no mistake, to be proficient, it takes commitment and focus.

[John Hull]

John:
I'm sorry. The advice I gave you was bad. The article I referenced is indeed on the the website, albeit it is in the members only section.

Thanks, and honest mistakes are the best kind. There was no harm done and I thank you for the reply.

Is it possible for an interested soul to read the going-it-alone piece? One of the things that has kept me away has been that I haven't found anything about how a person can go solo and still learn. If that's possible, it'd mean a lot. If not, that's cool, too.

Thanks!

[Jaron Bernstein]

Get yourself to a NTP 1.0 to establish a good base if you are able to travel. There are several coming up.

[John Hull]

Get yourself to a NTP 1.0 to establish a good base if you are able to travel. There are several coming up.

FWIW, suggesting I drop bread and travel to a seminar rather than letting me see something critical is generally considered a very bad sign. If it's impossible to get any insight into solo learning without spending money, then I'll have to seriously reconsider everything about the ARMA.

Money up front is strict $cientology gobbelty gook.

An organization dedicated to serious scholarship shouldn't be asking for money up front for information that is both basic and critical.

[Brian Hunt]

Hi John,

you do not need to put up any money and travel to a seminar to get started learning how to do things. It will just take longer to learn on your own than to go to a seminar and get hands on training. In ARMA our foundational weapon is the longsword. To get started training with the longsword, you are going to need a waster http://www.thearma.org/essays/wasters.htm of some kind. I reccomend either a new sterling arms one, or one of the new plastic ones. You will need to learn your basic footwork. How to simple step forward and back, how to pass forward and back, and how to traverse and volta. You will need to learn your basic guards. http://www.thearma.org/essays/StancesIntro.htm And how to transition between them. You will need to learn your 8 basic strikes and basic thrusts (high and low). You will need to lean how to correctly displace or parry another persons sword http://www.thearma.org/essays/parrying.htm there are three parts to this article. How a sword cuts http://www.thearma.org/essays/howacutworks.htm You will need a understanding of the master cuts http://www.thearma.org/essays/mastercuts.html Plus I would reccomend that you set up a pell to practice your stikes on. http://www.thearma.org/essays/pells.htm These are just some of the basics, you can find article after article on the public area of the website that will give a great deal of study material. Anything you don't understand, people will happily help you out here on the forum. We do not expect you to have to pay for a seminar to start learning, it is just a really great way to get started. We are not scientology and expect you to pay to get the information you need to advance. Everything you need to know can be found in the historical manuscripts such as those found here http://www.thearma.org/manuals.htm. Might I reccomend that you start with Ringeck. http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/Ringeck.htm. Plus it will help to start understanding the basic terminolgy of the manuals (what is a zornhaw, etc.) http://www.thearma.org/terms.htm

Hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

P.S. I was really grateful to start my studies with a 1.0 from John Clements. I found the ARMA website 3 weeks before he was showing up in Provo for a seminar. I devoured the website, then went to the seminar and found out how much I had not even begun to digest. The seminar helped me jump a lot of basic hurdles and quickly move forward with my training. My training was greatly accelerated by the understanding I gained at a 1.0 and helped me move forward much quicker that I would have on my own. Sure I could have aquired most the knowedge over time on my own, but the road would have been slower and bumpier. I wish you all the best in your training.

[Gene Tausk]

Get yourself to a NTP 1.0 to establish a good base if you are able to travel. There are several coming up.

FWIW, suggesting I drop bread and travel to a seminar rather than letting me see something critical is generally considered a very bad sign. If it's impossible to get any insight into solo learning without spending money, then I'll have to seriously reconsider everything about the ARMA.

Money up front is strict $cientology gobbelty gook.

An organization dedicated to serious scholarship shouldn't be asking for money up front for information that is both basic and critical.

Really? Bad sign? So this website we have put up and maintain at our own expense for everyone to explore and visit does not give you ANY insight into swordsmanship? The scores of articles, not to mention manuals provided for free, don't give you the slightest hint as to how to go about solo training? The fact that you, and anyone else who is interested, can post questions on this forum and have them answered by knowlegeable people provides nothing for you? Including, by the way, questions about solo training or specific techniques? All of this and you find nothing in the way of getting you started in swordsmanship? Absolutely nothing?

Do we charge you for this website? Do we charge you to post questions on the forums? Do we charge you to download the articles and manuals on this website?

Last time I checked, we do not. So don't you dare come onto our forums or this website which we provide at our expense as a service to the world and make the claim that we are a "money up front" organization and certainly don't you compare us to scientologists. There is more than enough here for a person even remotely interested in swordsmanship to get started and progress. We have scores of people in ARMA who have used this website for just such a purpose. Oh, and by the way, it's FREE!

As for Jaron's comments that you go to a seminar, well, any martial art you study requires contact with like-minded people. Obviously when you meet other people who have been doing this for a while and can meet ARMA instructors and have the ability to spar with other people, you will make improvements. The fees that are charged for such seminars are below the cost of what most McDojos charge for a month's tuition, not to mention "belt" tests. Our International Gathering is $100 for three days of top-flight instruction and sparring and, by the way, also includes meals and a T-shirt to boot. If this is a "money making" venture we sure are going about it the hard way.

Bottom line - if you cannot appreciate what ARMA already offers for free and you cannot appreciate what is offered through a seminar or by joining a study group, then maybe you should just look in the mirror and ask yourself what you want.

[Will Adamson]

tuition per month for two assitant instructors at TKD academy: $75

TKD sparring gear: $100

belt tests: $40

Black Belt test: $100

Instructor Camp: $50

Instructor Workshops (4 a year): $30

Uniform: $60

Nunchaku, Bo Staff, Bokken: $50

Tournaments (1-3 a year): starting at $50

ARMA yearly membership: $30 (or is it $35?)

Materials for padded sword: $12

NSA waster $80

Basic ARMA uniform: $18
-red shirt: $8
-black sweatpants: $10

upcoming 1.0 over two days: $50

Leaving taekwondo to learn how to fight: priceless

[J. F. McBrayer]

Get yourself to a NTP 1.0 to establish a good base if you are able to travel. There are several coming up.

FWIW, suggesting I drop bread and travel to a seminar rather than letting me see something critical is generally considered a very bad sign. If it's impossible to get any insight into solo learning without spending money, then I'll have to seriously reconsider everything about the ARMA.

If you want a good base for solo study, it's probably a good idea to get to a seminar of some kind at your earliest convenience; there's no need for it to be an ARMA seminar, as there are many other quality groups out there. ARMA has the advantages of being easier to find and being relatively consistent.

The other thing you can do is pick a good introductory book for the tradition you are interested in studying. I recommend Christian Tobler's Fighting with the German Longsword for the Liechtenauer tradition, Guy Windsor's The Swordsman's Companion for the Fiore tradition, or either Guy Windsor's The Duellist's Companion (based on Capo Ferro) or Tom Leoni's translation of Salvator Fabris' Art of Duelling for Italian rapier. You've already ordered John Clements' two books; those will probably be more useful in helping you decide what you want to pursue than in teaching technique.

Whatever route you decide on, there are limits to what you can accomplish through solo training, but assuming you do not have any life-or-death duels planned in the near future, it can be a worthwhile pursuit, especially in combination with scholarly study. If you want to go beyond those limits, you will need to find a study group, and/or attend occasional seminars, whether offered by ARMA or by another group.

[Jaron Bernstein]

Get yourself to a NTP 1.0 to establish a good base if you are able to travel. There are several coming up.

FWIW, suggesting I drop bread and travel to a seminar rather than letting me see something critical is generally considered a very bad sign. If it's impossible to get any insight into solo learning without spending money, then I'll have to seriously reconsider everything about the ARMA.

Money up front is strict $cientology gobbelty gook.

An organization dedicated to serious scholarship shouldn't be asking for money up front for information that is both basic and critical.

Look, I am trying to be polite here. As Gene and Brian Hunt have said, there is a wealth of material on this site for free. There are books by authors on this site you can buy and train from. And you can indeed make some progress on your own with no training partners and no contact with SFS instructors.

But I will tell you this. Our local study group did not have the benefit of an instructor for about a year before we hosted a 1.0 seminar. Basically it was us reading books, trying to figure stuff out and flailing badly with padded weapons. When we actually had the 1.0 it wiped out a heck of a lot things we were doing very wrong and showed us things we had no clue about such as the beauty of halfswording and short edge usage. As far as martial arts seminars goes, 50$ for 2 full days is pretty cheap. If you have spent any time at all in any martial art, you should know this. In terms of cost, our local study group requires that its members join the organization (something exhorbitant like 30$ a year). That is it. No other fee that we see other than a facility usage charge for the place we train for those who lack a gym membership there. The other study groups whose practices I am aware of are not exactly for-profit businesses either.

I challenge you show me a martial art monetarily cheaper than that.

There are some very skilled lone ARMAteers out there, but even they go to occasional seminars as they are able to get material to work on by themselves.