Witch burning, yes or no?
Published: Wed, 10/04/17
I am still sorting out our books after the move, but somewhere I have a couple of books by Bruce Teigner. Mr Teigner was an American writer who wrote a lot of books popularising martial arts in the 1960s and 70s. They were quite nicely presented for the time although they seem rather dated now. In his book on Karate the author dealt with the question of the authenticity of modern versions of the art. Mr Teigner’s argument was that martial arts change to adapt the circumstances in which they are taught, practised and even used. After all, he pointed out, witch burning is an authentic historical practice, but would we want to do it today? (Rhetorical question, no answers wanted or needed!)
For most of the martial arts community these days I would suggest that linage, quality of teaching and training and effectiveness for modern self-defence, fitness and self-development are more important than historical authenticity per se. You also have the question of who judges what is authentic anyway?
However in the HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) scene authenticity is the big deal. I can even quote Martin ‘Oz’ Austwick, a highly respected HEMA instructor, who has said that: ‘ HEMA is about researching authentic sources and then seeking to train and practice in methods and ways as close as possible to the practitioners of yesteryear. Effectiveness and practicality are not the primary objectives.’ I have paraphrased slightly from memory but I don’t think I have essentially misrepresented his views.
So, does Stav fit in as an authentic Historical European Martial Art? Not really for a number of reasons. Stav certainly has history, but not historical sources in the form of illustrated manuals. We seek to develop skill and knowledge as far as possible but we don’t see competition helping in that quest. The training techniques we use are intended to develop an awareness of basic principles. Once you grasp those principles you can make pretty much any technique work, or see why it would not work in any realistic way.
How did Ivar grasp these essential principles himself? Firstly by realising that he needed to look for them. Secondly by finding teachers who could give him what he was looking for. Which makes Stav inauthentic in the eyes of some purists because those teachers were Japanese. I have made another addition to the FAQs page dealing with the Japanese influence on Stav you can find it at http://iceandfire.org.uk/faqs.html
If this puts you off doing Stav training then fine with me, you won’t waste your time and money attending courses or classes and I won’t be wasting my time and energy teaching you. Win win all round. On the other hand, if you can see why Stav would work for you, next course in Beverley is on the 14th here in Beverley. http://iceandfire.org.uk/train.html
regards
Graham
PS Stav is of course much more than a martial training system. The booklet I wrote recently introduces the runic and mythological origins of Stav. You can get a pdf version of it here if you have not downloaded it already http://www.screencast.com/t/GtGtqp1USOq