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Modern Agonistics is not a style, art or system. It is simply a format for training, experimentation and competition with weapons. The goals of the participants range from cross-training, self-defense and thrill-seeking, to craftwork [like weapon and armor fabrication] and attempts to reconstruct extinct fighting arts. Practitioners of over two-dozen fighting arts have utilized this format since 1998 without sustaining serious injury. Participants have been both male and female and have ranged in age from 11 to 65; in size from 75 to 375 pounds, and in experience from novice to professional. Most participants have been males in their late teens and early twenties. We have no dues, rituals, traditions or barriers. This is simply a network for combat weaponry enthusiasts. We are just a curious group of fighters. If you want to participate you are welcome. Our motto is "as real as you want it".
Agonistics is an ancient Hellenic term that translates as "contest-preparation". The root is Agon meaning "contest". The English word agony was borrowed from the ancient Greek term for "contestant's suffering" referring to the trials of a combatant. This is admittedly a terrible term to use in modern America, as virtually everyone misreads agonistics as agnostics which is also from the ancient Greek and means "no knowledge" and is used as a self-descriptive term by people who are not sure about the existence of divinity. My favorite misreading of agonistics was when the Baltimore City Paper ran our ad for a seminar at Sifu Clark's in 2005 as Modern Antagonistics. Some guy called me and wanted to know if we were a network for hate groups.
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Developing Adaptable Time And Measure For Hand-to-Hand Mayhem
Baltimore Training Schedule As Of July, 2016
Handling Firearms In Halifax, PA 5/21/16
My Last Stick Fight, Halifax, PA, 5/21/2016
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A Man Weekend, 2016 Challenge: What About That Amistad Duel, Oliver Wendell Hayes?
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Stick Boxing & Uneven Double Stick
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Agonistics And Boxing Update
Boxing, Stick-Fighting And Knife-fighting Drills And Sparring
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Damien Using Low-line Kicks Versus James From A Set Of 2005 Steel Bouts
A Stick Work Discussion With Dave
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Two Single Stick Fights That Went To The Ground
Breaking Rhythm In A Machete Duel
The Mechanics Of Scoring The Stick-fighting Master Stroke
Hosted By Pat & Lou Pierce, 6/14/15, At A Parkville Location Yet To Be Determined
James And Cory Experiment With The Synthetic Blunt Sword
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Building Stick Stroke Mechanics: Answering A Video Coaching Request From Athenian Alex
A Vintage Machete Duel Between Kestle & LaFond
Empty Hand And Armed Training
Sunday, November 30, 2014, 1:00 P.m. Jim Frederick's Kenpo
Modern Agonistics Event Update
Beauties In Beast Mode: Why Are So Many Men Applauding Masculine Women? By Jack Donovan
The Wars Of The Ancient Greeks By Victor Davis Hansen
A Man Question From Brooklyn Shane
Achieving Self-evolution Through Combat
Notes On The Fighter’s Subconscious Eye
Notes On Fight Conditioning Past Fifty Without Healthcare
5/18/14: Charles Versus James
The First Modern Agonistics Alpha Brawl
Combat Arts Pitfalls For The Big Man
An Agonistics Anonymous Update
A Modern Agonistics Challenge
An Agonistics Guide To Round-Robin Scoring With Blades
A Real Boxing Self-defense Story From Harm City, Maryland
A Modern Munera For A Recently Passed Martial Arts Patriarch
FMA Wand Strikes Examined
Set One: The Snake & The Fan
The First Step To Surviving A Stick-fight
Baltimore Area Training Schedule As Of 1/5/14
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The Worst Combat Idea Since The French Knights Decided To Walk A Mile In The Mud At Agincourt: Agonistics Anonymous
A Minimal Gear Contact Progression
Tony Cygan Training For A Comeback
An Agonistics Knife Application Drill
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An Addendum To Winter Of A Fighting Life
Handicapping Knife Sparring & Competition
Adapting Agonistics Principles For The Female Defender
The 8 Most Effective Knife Strokes
The 7 Most Effective Stick Strokes With Economy Of Motion
Saturday, November 9, 2013, 2-4 PM
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Footwork, Coordination, Power & Stamina
Six FMA Counts & The Modern Agonistics Count
Five Stick Sparring Methods Adapted From Boxing
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For Men Only: Effective May, 31 2015
A Case Study In Reality-based Esoteric Applications
A Case Study In Parochial Miscommunication
A Report For A Baltimore Area JKD Instructor
Five Blunt Machete Duels Scheduled For Agon 2013
Modern Agonistics Challenge Meet
Kinetic Photo Diary #1: Late March 2013
Specific Procedures For Our May 25th Meet
Keeping Your Head In Weapon Sparring And Competition
A Contact Weaponry Video Archive
A Hybrid Jeet Kune Do Oriented Filipino Weaponry Class
Modern Agonistics Contact Weaponry Selections
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Countermeasures By Jim Frederick, Behavior & Scenarios By James LaFond
Notes On Using Fencing Masks With Wooden Blunts
A 2009 Report For PickYourFight Promotions
Bag Drill For Stick-fighting
Bag Drill For Stick-fighting
Integrating Strokes And Footwork For Combat
Tips On Contact Weaponry Evolutions
Bais Tres Manos With Jun Paliangayan: 10/6/2012