a Knight vs a Samurai?

[Hereward The Wake]

This just strikes me as reverse assumptions, we suffered from the @asia did it' and then we have the 'it actually came from the west' I've seen this even from Japanese intructors. That assumes that people all ovr theworld can't come to similar solutions to solve similar problems, which seems pretty short sighted.

Jake[/quote]

To expand upon this a little bit...

It is rumored that the Foundation of the Martial Arts in the east was in fact attributable to the conquests of Alexander the Great when his men were seen practicing Pankration (The original Greek wrestling/martial art form) by the locals in India who were so impressed they started to form a martial arts system of their own. And before you start telling me I'm an idiot... Look at the time line. Alexander the Great conquers Asia Minor about 350BCE. Martial styles start springing up in India around 300 BCE and it all works its way east, finally ending up in Japan around 200CE.

Just a theory, but one that makes sense to me.[/quote]

[Hereward The Wake]

The term knight keeps getting used as if it meant the same thing throughout history. That is not true and what a knight was expected to do changed.
Recent work has found that there was good and bad tactical knowledge in Europe as much as there was good and bad tactical nowledge during any period/war.
We all have to be  carefull with making definate arguments about things!
8')

JW

[Drifter Bob]

It is rumored that the Foundation of the Martial Arts in the east was in fact attributable to the conquests of Alexander the Great when his men were seen practicing Pankration (The original Greek wrestling/martial art form) by the locals in India who were so impressed they started to form a martial arts system of their own.

I personally believe that martial arts forms existed all over the world, developed more or less independently by every group of people, all of whom went through warlike periods, all of whom developed their own weapons and armor and battle tactics.  I think there is considerable evidence, as (I keep pointing out to contracycle and others dismissive of the idea of WMA) that active remnants of very ancient martial arts traditions still exist in nearly every country in Europe, and Russia as they also do in Africa, Asia (of course) and even central and south America.

No doubt however there are periods when one art influnces another, or even influences all others, as what happened with the worldwide explosion of EMA in the 60's.  There is an interesting correlary to the whole Alexander the Great martial arts theory, in that several distinct weapon types can be traced directly from Alexanders incursion into India, perhaps most notably concave bladed swords and knives derivitive of the Kopis / Falcata, such as the infamous Kurkri knife of the Gurkhas.

JR

[Jake Norwood]

Jonathan! Nice to see you here on the TROS forum? Do you play, by any chance?

Jake

[Hereward The Wake]

Well not as much as like. I've not had a good group to do any gaming with I am generaly now only getting to do war games when not teaching. I have always follwed the game as I was very interested in the ideas behind the combat system, I have always found the combat the worst bit about games since is stated playing......jez 20 years ago! I'come back to the forum as some interesting discussions come up and it provoke my ideas for the game and my own ideas for the 'ideal' game combat system!
8')

All the best

JW

Jonathan! Nice to see you here on the TROS forum? Do you play, by any chance?

Jake

[Crusader]

That's not John Waller, the Royal Armouries fight interpreter is it?

[Hereward The Wake]

No his son! Dad never really got the whole Role playing thing! Do you know Dad?
JW

That's not John Waller, the Royal Armouries fight interpreter is it?

[Muggins]

I ran into him once, very briefly.

As long as swinging a sword runs in the family, we shall forgive your dad for his oversight in not roleplaying enough!

James

[Hereward The Wake]

Yes the sword swinging heritage, was there when I was born so, I grew up wth it an it was one of the influences in me getting in to RPGs in the first place.

All the best
JW

I ran into him once, very briefly.

As long as swinging a sword runs in the family, we shall forgive your dad for his oversight in not roleplaying enough!

James

[Crusader]

Alas, I do not know John Waller personally.  I have, however, eagerly watched him on television.  Your father has good taste in armour, too.  His harness

http://www.whiterosearmoury.co.uk/waller.JPG

is almost as cool as mine. ;)

Nice to have you here.

[Hereward The Wake]

It is a nice armour, with an unusual configuration of tassets front and back. The breast and back, pauldrons and greaves are White Rose. Thats his second string armour, he has an even nicer Gothic harness.
Nice to be here!!

JW

Alas, I do not know John Waller personally.  I have, however, eagerly watched him on television.  Your father has good taste in armour, too.  His harness

http://www.whiterosearmoury.co.uk/waller.JPG

is almost as cool as mine. ;)

Nice to have you here.

[Jake Norwood]

Ahhh, so you're Johnny Waller!  I've heard some pretty mythical stories about you and your bow from John Clements...

Jake

[Hereward The Wake]

Yep thats me. I've been shooting for longer than I've been using other weapons!