I just joined the local chapter of the A.R.M.A. (Association for Renaissance Martial Arts) and plan to study the use of several weapon classes, as well as unarmed combat. (ringen)
However the basis of my studies will be centered on the longsword. (I especially like how there is no “Ren. Faire dress-up” involved. B-) )
By the way, Europeans didn’t just bash people with swords that somehow weighed 20 lbs.; Western martial arts were actually just as developed as Eastern MA. The difference is that MA in the West went extinct with the advent of firearms, and were misunderstood by the Victorians who stumbled on the evidence. Look into it; you may like it!
(I’m not in the picture. Just an FYI)
