Author Archives: jeffersonwebb

A revised article from The Grand Master’s Herald, April 2010

Article by: Bro. Jeff Webb

Founder/Grand Master, A.O.C. European Martial Arts

So, you see a fellow martial artist within your martial arts school displaying what appears, and may very well be a natural tendency to quickly pick up on and employ some elements of the style that they are being taught. They do very well on the drills/katas. Perhaps this person managed to achieve two or three promotions within the minimum allotted time to do so. They’ve even competed some and may or may not have earned a medal in the process. This person seems ready to take their next test, but the instructor does not appear to be giving the time of day for it. It may cause that student to ask the question, “Why am I not getting to test?” One thing is for sure. If a student does ask this question of an instructor, it needs to be respectfully asked with the motivation to find what the student needs to work on rather than with a tone that conveys to the instructor that the student feels wronged. Continue reading “Why Haven’t I Progressed? The Self-Inflicted Knockout of a Martial Arts Career.”

I’ve returned from a fantastic trip to South Africa! The ACSMMA tournament was wonderfully organized and was an absolute blast! The fighters in South Africa are skilled. They are amazingly friendly. A couple of the guys there are guys that I consider brothers and family now. I want to give my thanks to Heinrich Friedereich August Jost and his wife for hosting me in their home for a week while I was there. He and his family treated me as if I were part of the family
I’m thankful to The Lord for the new friendships developed during my time there with guys like Stuart Mckenzie Bennett, and Grant Hart and rest assured I am keeping each of them in my prayers.
As a number of the members of my school have expressed their great desire to go and compete in South Africa in 2018, we will begin preparations presently and will be ready when the time comes.
As for my part in the tournament, I’m honoured to have earned the silver medal in Longsword and Sword & Buckler duathlon. Earning such an award in the company of such great martial artists is an incredible feeling, yet due to the great friendliness of their fighters and camaraderie formed with them, the medal cannot help but take a back seat to the friendships formed, and things learned while I was there. If you are a martial artist in the HEMA community, go to the ACSMMA tournament in South Africa, compete and meet some great “Oaks” there. You’ll have a wonderful experience!

By: Jefferson Webb

Although I’ve heard some criticism expressed in the Historical European Martial Arts community within the past few years of the sport of the Medieval Armored Combat such as what we see in the Armored Combat League or in the International Medieval Combat Federation, there are some key points that we can learn from such a sport.

Let’s look at some of the, perhaps a bit unrealistic aspects of the sport first. Now, it needs to be mentioned that any sport needs rules, and while the average spectator unfamiliar with the sport of armored combat may think there are no rules, there are a number of them. One of these rules that changes how these men fight as opposed to actual Medieval and Renaissance armored combat was conducted is that there are no thrusts allowed in the sport of armored combat. This is for participant safety, and while we do thrust in my H.E.M.A. school, it’s understandable. We see fighters making what would be cutting / slashing strikes with their various types of swords against armored opponents, and it is common knowledge that of course this does little to nothing (in terms of causing death or injury) to an armored warrior of the period. With a sword, thrusts were used in the gaps and through the visor to defeat your armored opponent. Of course, there was also getting them to the ground and “finishing him rightly,” with a dagger/roundel. Continue reading “The Armored Combat League and The IMCF: What Can We Learn From Them?”

By Jeff Webb

New Ulster Steel Fighting hosted House Wars III Combat Tournament this weekend in Woodway, TX in White Hall Park.  Competitors fought in the single combat event with arming sword and round shield (and a back up weapon such as a dagger or a hand ax), the Teams Melee event, and in the Last Warrior Standing Event. Only first place is recognized in the House Wars series. In the Single Combat event, fighters endured a series of round robin rounds of fighting before advancing on to the Single Elimination round where combatants fought to achieve the honor of first place. Continue reading “House Wars III Results”