March 2004
Dear Collegues,
A very successful year for JWMA and JManly, given the submission of 14 articles and 7 articles respectively. It is becoming clear that the practitioner out there is also becoming quite a good writer, with articles based on solid research. I can see the trend continue in perpetuity.
Overall, the journals are maturing nicely, offering the WMA community a solid resource to aid in the practitioner in learning more, and enhancing their understanding and appreciation of Western martial arts. Last years articles from the talented Chris Amberger always prove informative and at times, humorous. Stephen Hand's work on Saviolo created an exceptional series of articles on this swordsmaster. A new writer on the scene, Michael Rasmusson, with his submission of details on the German school of swordplay, specifically, "blossfechten".
I'd like to re-iterate that there are features available on these journals, such as the Letters to the Editor and the Reviews on WMA relevant books and video.
I trust that you find the journals enlightening, instructional and an invaluable resource. As I said last year, even though it is not in printed form, I am and continue to be a big fan of online publications because, "save the trees" is a very strong belief that I hopefully share with most of our readers out there. And finally, journals are only as good as the contributions made by the writers and authors. Keep these articles coming and feel free to email myself or Tony Wolf, editor of JManly.
Executive Editor, JWMA, JManly