Not what you think it is.

[MJBlazek]

He doesn't acutally say anything in this "article" except : You don't know what I don't know. I know what you don't know, and You don't know as much as I do.
Thats it. there is nothing remotely useful from the article.

[Kilkenny]

Clements makes a common mistake in equating getting paid for something with being an expert at that thing. "Because it's my job to know" usually means something along the lines of "how dare you question my authori-TAY?" and pushes warning klaxons with many readers, no matter what the subject or the context.

I've never met Mr. Clements, and know him only through some articles, video clips and the commentary of others. Very little of that commentary has been kind, but the articles I've read and the clips I've watched have not made me feel that the commentaries have been especially unkind.

He sells himself as The Great Authority and it works well enough that he makes his living at it. I think if he had a less insulting approach he might be making a better living at it, but that's purely speculation on my part. It may be that the best way to sell your product is to declare everyone else's product to be junk

Gavin

[Sigifrith Hauknefr]

If I ever met this guy I would be the most obsequious ass kisser.... but then ask the most demure and veiled sarcastic questions until he caught on.

[rpleasant]

pretentious historical role-playing societies

This from a guy who's org scores 10/11 on the key characteristics of a cult?

• 1. Single charismatic leader.
  2. People always seeming constantly happy and enthusiastic. Especially if you discover that they have been told to act that way for the potential new recruits.
  3. Instant friends.
  4. If you are told who you can or cannot talk to or associate with.
  5. They hide what they teach.
  6. Say they are the only true group, or the best so why go anywhere else.
  7. Hyped meetings, get you to meetings rather than share with you.
  8. Experiential rather than logical.
  9. Asking for money for the next level.
  10. Some cults travel door to door during times when women are home alone. They, and this is rather sexist, think that women are easier to recruit and once they have the woman then it will be easier to snare the husband or partner.
  11. Saying that they have to make people pay for it because otherwise they will not appreciate it. This is of course a very silly reason, plenty of people are able to appreciate things which they did not pay for.

Edited cause I can't count right.

Cult? Somethings never grow old.

1. Every group has a leader. ARMA is Clements' organization so he is the leader. ARMA members make no oaths to serve anyone.

2. ARMA members are highly enthusiastic about the arts. Most ARMA members appear to be happy and we do try to recruit well-adjusted people, plus nut-cases weed themselves out.

3. Yes and no. Everyone is friendly, including Clements. I consider Clements a good friend but he's my teacher, not a drinking buddy. I'm friends with everyone in my study group but the only thing I do with them is study and practice the art, we don't hang out at each other's house, bar hop, etc.

4. We associated as we please, we're just very choosy about who we associated with. Any limitations on my associations are usually defined by how friendly people are. I have attended many events and class outside of ARMA.

5. Actually ARMA has provide a lot of material to people, just look on the ARMA web side. Some of the best stuff is right there in the articles, it's there for the taking!

6. There is no such thing as a "true" group. ARMA members do think ARMA is the best group, why else would be be members if we didn't think so? When ARMA no longer fulfills my needs I will resign and say, "Thanks, been a good ride, all the best".

7. We have a weekly practices among the study groups and events once or twice a year, and an international event every two or three years. Hyped meetings? Have I been missing out on something. LOL

8. We are very experiential, we do learn from our experiences. There is a strong cycle between interpretation and application. Any member can present an interpretation, but they then have to apply it in sparring, if it works we accept it as the current best but it if fails, ie the new interpretation results in having your butt handed to you by multiple people, then it is back to the drawing board. All of Clements interpretations have gone through this process.

9. The yearly ARMA membership fee is lower than almost all other organizations and groups.

10. ARMA members are not divided in any way by gender. During training and sparring women mix in with men.

11. We pay to be members of ARMA because we like the organization, we like Clements as a teacher, and we see the value of what he teaches. It is no different than with other organization and groups.


Ran Pleasant
ARMA DFW

[Adriano]

Clements does make some good points. And there's no law against pomposity -- but it doesn't help, if you want to communicate a position clearly and have people be receptive to it.

I've had to write a few little "About the author" blurbs for myself. (I have a standard short one for my most-used pen name.) So, bear in mind, most likely John Clements wrote this himself:

About the author: A recognized international expert, John Clements is the world's foremost instructor of Medieval and Renaissance fighting arts. Having pursued the craft since 1980, he has been a pioneer in reviving these forgotten martial disciplines and is a major force in the field of historical fencing studies. His writings have been featured in more than a dozen periodicals world-wide and he has appeared in numerous television and film documentaries. As director of ARMA, the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (http://www.theARMA.org) he teaches and writes on the subject full-time from his facility outside Atlanta, Georgia. This article originally appeared on ARMA's website.

Listing one's legitimate credits is fine, but those first two sentences are a bit much.

[Murdock]

3 words


medieval spoon fighting