Journal of Western Martial Art

http://jwma.ejmas.com/php-bin/jwma_content.php

TEMPORARY TEXT: (Copied from website)

The Mission of the JWMA

Welcome to the Journal of Western Martial Art. Firstly, a definition of what "western" means is required for clarification. Western or "Occidental" describes cultures stemming from the Greco-Roman, Celtic and Germanic traditions, and the lands those cultures historically dominated. Typically, this would include Europe and the Americas. A marked difference between Oriental and Occidental martial arts is the general Occidental mind set in terms of the time to train and learn new martial skills. The Occidental instructor's mind set appears very different from those of the Oriental instructor's mindset, in that the Occidental instructor is not concerned with deep ritual or ceremony that are often, an integral part of the Oriental martial arts. Occidental students expect their Masters to provide systematic and effective knowledge, that has immediate application. Given the rapidity of the growing numbers of western-oriented martial arts groups and schools, the indication is evident that technique and the abilitt technique and the abilitickly are the biggest draw for western martial arts schools today.

Perhaps, another distinction, which is related to the point above, is that it is often assumed that Occidental martial arts have a general lack of a meta-physical or religious belief system that appears to permeate Oriental martial arts. Although, in different times and places, some degree of ritual, secrecy or ritual has been attached to the martial arts, the underlying pragmatism that was Rome's legacy to the West has meant that Occidental students seek training in the "Arts of Mars" for the purpose of defence and perhaps self-discipline, but not to get "closer to God". The points raised and these assumed differences could well be enough fuel for a future article for submission!

The purpose of this journal is to create a "one-stop" collection of papers, articles, submissions and periodicals that pertains to western martial arts (WMA). This journal will also cover historical martial arts including, but not limited to medieval, renaissance and classical martial arts. As this journal evolves, and more submissions begin appearing from various martial disciplines, more refined classification and categorization will evolve to ensure proper and intelligent coverage and sorting of WMA disciplines. The expectation is that submissions will cover both the "martial" and "science" aspect of WMA. Weapons and discipl Weapons and discipl expanse from the alpeen, bayonet and cutlass to sabre, savate zipota. It is a large area, one that will require careful thought and attention when categorizing into something that is intuitive and usable.

Lastly, all submissions posted will be reviewed by one or more of the editorial staff and will operate within the boundaries as described in the Submission Guide available on this web site. The desire is to provide a value-added resource of useful, intelligent and practical material that will enhance, facilitate and promote the development, resurrection and/or research of WMA.

David Cvet
Executive Editor
November, 1999