WMA group on YouTube

[Matt Easton]

http://www.youtube.com/group/westernmartialarts

Thought this may interest some of you.
Regards,
Matt

[Andy Spalding]

I went though some of the videos in their section, and for the most part, it was painful to watch. Tags resting on shoulders, converted shanai being used in place of wasters, little or no footwork... ugh. I just stopped i couldn't take it anymore.

Maybe i am becoming a sword snob or something. I'm not the most experienced person but most of these things i have learned not to do by having it beat out of me. Thanks Jake!

[Jason Taylor]

They look like they're at least trying. I'm too much of a novice myself to judge at this point, though I'd probably not leave the point of my Fool guard actually on the ground. But who knows? I could be wrong.

Some of their stuff looks okay. I'd also say that those kind of mistakes may be due to 1) no primary organization like we have here to support and aid the distance learner, and 2) they might be novices, just like myself.

Jason

[Shane Smith]

I watched a few of the clips. I saw mostly pre-arranged set-plays carried out with little energy. I will say that I did see some decent historically-accurate techniques though. Still, all told, it appeared to be theatrical play fighting based on the random clips I viewed.

[Matt Easton]

Guys, that is an open YouTube group - there are 60+ videos on there from lots of different groups. If there are ARMA videos on YouTube then join the group and add videos to it! It's open to everyone. Why not put some of your videos on YouTube and add them to the group?
If any of you think you have something to offer to it then offer it, help educate. Don't sit in your armchairs and sling dung .
Ain't nothing wrong with converted shinai. Many of the best European groups use them (including ARMA groups), as well as wasters and steel. I use all three. They each fill a niche.

Matt

[Jake_Norwood]

Absolutely, Matt.

Something to be said for putting your money where your mouth is. It's okay to be a "sword snob," but it's hardly "right" to talk it and not post better.

Best,

Jake

[Matt Easton]

And maybe I wasn't clear enough - this is a YouTube 'group'... anybody can join it and add videos.. So it is essentially an archive of YouTube WMA footage, of all qualities and from any WMA groups. It doesn't exist to show only the good stuff, or only things from certain WMA groups - it exists so that it is easier to find the WMA-related videos amongst the millions of videos on YouTube.
So please contribute everyone - the more videos that are on there the more useful it will be as a resource.

In my opinion there are some good videos on there, some bads ones and lots of mediocre ones. You can rate most of the videos from 1 to 5, so the more of you that vote the more meaningful the ratings will be.

Regards,
Matt

[Shane Smith]

And maybe I wasn't clear enough - this is a YouTube 'group'... anybody can join it and add videos.. So it is essentially an archive of YouTube WMA footage, of all qualities and from any WMA groups. It doesn't exist to show only the good stuff, or only things from certain WMA groups - it exists so that it is easier to find the WMA-related videos amongst the millions of videos on YouTube.
So please contribute everyone - the more videos that are on there the more useful it will be as a resource.

In my opinion there are some good videos on there, some bads ones and lots of mediocre ones. You can rate most of the videos from 1 to 5, so the more of you that vote the more meaningful the ratings will be.

Regards,
Matt

That makes more sense now Matt. Since you did not specify initially, I assumed all videos were from one group or poster. That, combined with the fact that I seemingly picked the crummy ones to watch by chance , you had me scratching my head and wondering what I was supposed to be looking for and where in the world you were coming from in posting it

I'll look through the rest as time allows. Thanks for sharing

[Shane Smith]

Absolutely, Matt.

Something to be said for putting your money where your mouth is. It's okay to be a "sword snob," but it's hardly "right" to talk it and not post better.

Best,

Jake

I disagree. It is not incumbant upon the one whose opinion or comment is being solicited on a video, article or whatever to produce a like product of their own before they are entitled to provide their commentary on the unsolicted material. If you put it out there, it is fair game for comment. I know my own articles and postings have been both praised and damned in various venues. I lose no sleep

Now, for those who will say that no solicitation to comment was implied, I ask what purpose would it serve to post the link on an open discussion forum if the intent was not to discuss it?

[Axel Pettersson]

I think there are some video clips from ARMAteers or former ARMAteers already posted on the group. Mine are, the "Marozzo" ones, where toe featured players are long time HEMArtists and ARMA members (except me, Im young and tender with the sidesword and the bouts were mostly to get me going with it).

[Matt Easton]

Now, for those who will say that no solicitation to comment was implied, I ask what purpose would it serve to post the link on an open discussion forum if the intent was not to discuss it?

Hi Shane - I should have been clearer - the purpose was firstly for interest, and secondly in the hope that more people would join the group and contribute to the video collection, for the greater good.

Sure there will be some crappy examples, but hopefully these people will benefit from seeing better examples. And even in crappy fights there can be things of interest to see (if nothing else, to see what makes a crappy fight!).

Matt

[Andy Spalding]

I too was mistaken as to the intent of the group.

As far as doing better, i dont know how well i could "put my money where my mouth is" but i could contribute when i get some material.

For the most part i thought this was more an advertisement for a specific group not just an overall forum. In which case people usually put their best stuff forward. Since it is there for critique and those things, then yes, i could see why somethings would be better than others.

I do wish we could give feedback on all the videos though. But at the most basic, like matt said, we could see the bad ones and be able to learn what makes them not so good.

[Seth Halsell]

Thank you for posting this Matt. I have been searching for more videos on swordsmanship to watch on youtube and this group of videos from various sword groups is just what I was looking for. I like to watch both the good and bad examples of swordsmanship being displayed from all groups practicing western material arts as I tend to think that in order to learn and get a greater sense of swordsmanship one has to look at the subject from many angles. This is one way to look at the angles. Thank you again.

[Matt Easton]

No problemo.
I also like to see the good and the bad, especially the different equipment people are using and the different ways people are doing things. It gives me ideas and also gives me a frame of reference to judge stuff. I hope that this YouTube Group will encourage lots more people to put videos up. The more the merrier!

Matt

[Jay Vail]

I went though some of the videos in their section, and for the most part, it was painful to watch. Tags resting on shoulders, converted shanai being used in place of wasters, little or no footwork... ugh. I just stopped i couldn't take it anymore.

Maybe i am becoming a sword snob or something. I'm not the most experienced person but most of these things i have learned not to do by having it beat out of me. Thanks Jake!

Come on, guys. Let's be charitable -- and a little humble. None of us are so good at swordplay that we can be superior about the honest efforts of others. We can disagree with how a thing is done, but let's not be snide about it. If we posted our stuff, a lot of it would evoke howls. There is stuff of me posted on the web (I won't tell you where) that makes me look absolutely awful.