Interview with Western Martial Arts Author Kirk Lawson - Banned From Boxinghttp://martialarts808.com/Ninjas/index.php/topic,9.msg23.html#msg23If you're already on this western martial arts author interview there is no need to click the link above, but please copy from the link through the title and email it to your friends who may enjoy the interview
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tags:boxing,grappling,boxing rules,western martial arts,western boxing
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Rick Kirkham: Aloha Mr. Lawson. Thank you for granting me this interview. I know how busy you must be with your new book out on the market.
Kirk Lawson: Thank you. Yes, there's always lots to do. Writing the book is far from the last step. After that there's the marketing and trying to put the book in front of people who are interested and want to see it. There is a lot that comes after and it's less intuitive for me than actually writing the book was.
RK: You're a noted expert in Western Martial Arts. Can you tell the readers how you became interested in this subject?
KL: Well first off, I'm a little reluctant to call myself an expert. Western Martial Arts is such a wide and diverse field of study. To just say that I'm an expert in Western Martial Arts because I have some skills in some areas would be akin to saying that I am an expert in Asian Martial Arts because I'm yudansha in Aikido. The Maestro of sword arts in the former claim might be inclined to take exception to the claim much the same as Kung Fu Sifu's might be inclined to take exception to the latter claim. Further complicating matters, there are fewer organizing and accrediting bodies in the various Western Martial Arts. In most of the Western Arts that I study, there aren't any bodies or umbrella organizations giving rank or attesting to any base-line of skill and knowledge. For those reasons, I prefer to let my work stand on its own and to let my reputation in the Western Martial Arts community be set by those who have worked with me and by the contributions that I make.
But to answer your original question, my interest in Western Martial Arts began with an accidental exposure to Ken Pfrenger's bata work. At about the same time, I also began to be interested in the Bowie Knife as taught by Dwight McLemore. I was drawn to Ken's reconstructed stick style as well as, later, Lang's Walkingstick method, primarily because it was different and unique. Similarly Mac's Bowie stuff. The general martial arts community at large is inundated with Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino methods. There's nothing wrong with Arnis, Escrima, or Kali. They're fine arts in their own right. But stick, knife, striking, and grappling arts which originate in the West are practically an unknown to the average "man on the street" and so, paradoxically, all the more "exotic" because if it.
RK: As I understand, you're not only an author on the subject but a practitioner as well. What types of Western Martial Arts have you studied?
KL: My focus tends to shift from time to time as I look at the vast array of available interests. My "core" studies are Irish Shillelagh (Ken's bata reconstruction), Lang/Vigny Walkingstick, Bowie Knife, Tomahawk, and Classic Pugilism. However, my expanded interests include such things as Military Saber and Cutlass (which I study to further my Bowie study), Collar & Elbow Wrestling, Quarterstaff, and Fiore's Spear.
Further, I've been involved heavily in the reconstruction of Bartitsu, the eclectic Victorian martial art of E.W. Barton-Wright.
RK: Which leads us to your book. As an author myself I'm curious how long you wanted to write Banned from Boxing and when did you finally get started on it?
KL: I had been contemplating the subject for several years. Knowledge of the rules and techniques of "Classic Pugilism" is so, well, forgotten, that it seldom fails to surprise and intrigue martial artists who've not been exposed to it before. It is just an under-documented sub-set.
For some time after the idea occurred to me I slowly began formulating a vague sort of outline in my mind. Yet it wasn't fleshed out well. Finally somewhere around May of 2007 I started collecting the source material. Shortly after that, I started formalizing the outline and writing (and re-writing) the material. So I suppose it took somewhere around 5 or 6 months of in-my-spare-time writing to complete the book.
RK: There was actually grappling, wrestling, moves in boxing? What time period was that?
KL: As I said, it's really a forgotten bit of information among the general Martial Arts community. When I tell folks, I generally get a surprised "Really?!?!" response. Those are the friendly folks. The, shall we say "skeptical," respond with suggestions that I've either cribbed it from Judo or the like or, alternately, invented it whole-cloth.
To define the time period we first have to define the time period of Boxing, or rather Classic Pugilism. We'll trim out the pre-English precursors such as Greek and Roman pugilistic sports and refine it to beginning with James Figg through the Broughton and London Prize Ring era with a splash of transitional period between the London Prize Ring rules and the uptake of the Marquis of Queensberry rules. Say, roughly from the early 1700's up through the early 1900's. That's a period of 200 years or so and a lot of rule changes and innovation happened in that time.
RK: How did you research this subject?
KL: My source material was historic documents; Mostly antique boxing manuals and historic accounts. I have around 15 or 20 sources in my Bibliography.
RK: How long did it take you to write it?
KL: Probably about six months. I suppose that I could have written it quicker if I were able to devote my entire time to it. However, like many martial artists, I have a regular day job as well.
RK: Any final comments for our guests?
KL: The interest in Western Martial Arts is exploding right now. I'm vastly gratified that this is happening. What's most exciting is how easily most Western Martial Arts "plugs in" seamlessly with and enhances the practice of most Eastern Martial Artists.
RK: Kirk this book sounds great. Would you please tell the readers how they can order it?
KL: Thank you, I'd love to. The book is available through my Lulu storefront, an internet print-on-demand publishing house.
http://stores.lulu.com/lawsonRK: Thanks once again for this interview. This is a great inspiration to both martial artists and fellow authors everywhere.
And thank you for this opportunity. I appreciate the time and exposure.
Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
Published by Rick Kirkham
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