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Via Media Publishing Company was founded with a specific quest in which research on Asian martial traditions could be published that reflected the highest academic and aesthetic standards possible.
The first goal stemmed from a desire to establish a periodical in which authors, artists, and photographers could present high quality work concerning Asian martial arts. Thus, the quarterly Journal of Asian Martial Arts was founded in 1991. The Journal covers a wide variety of fighting traditions, from the well-known such as karate, taekwondo, judo, aikido, taiji, and Shaolin, to lesser known forms of self-defense. All forms of combat (striking, grappling, locking, kicking), traditional and modern, barehanded and with weapons.
This was only the start. As a natural extension, a Book Division was started in 1999 to open new vistas to the Asian martial arts world and cultural issues beyond.
But, we plan much more and the following article, “Via Media’s Scholarly Perspective on Martial Traditions” hints at our long-range goals.
VIA MEDIA'S SCHOLARLY PERSPECTIVE ON MARTIAL ARTS
NOTE: The following was adapted from a paper entitled “The Importance of Martial Arts Research & Practice” which was prepared by publisher Michael A. DeMarco as the keynote address for the First World Congress on Fighting Sports & Martial Arts, held from March 31 thru April 2, 2000, in Amiens, France. References have been removed for easier reading, but the original can be found in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts (9)2: 8-17.
Introduction
 Through Via Media’s publications, we offer an opportunity for many to share their research with readers around the world. The results of this work has brought many into contact with one another, inspiring and stimulating further research in this field. This has helped people exchange points of view and current interpretations concerning a subject that obviously interests all of us and, in many cases, has even give a singular professional direction to our lives, motivating and fulfilling them in unique ways that may be difficult - if not impossible - to attain elsewhere. This subject, of course, is the martial arts in all their diversity of methodologies, practices, theories, cultural backgrounds, and forms of etiquette. Although I am focusing the scope of this presentation to the Asian traditions, the ideas presented here can be applied to Western traditions as well.
The Common View
 Outside the academic realm, most discussions concerning Asian martial arts focus on a particular style or on comparing styles, especially their repertoire of techniques, sometimes bits and pieces of history and seasoned with philosophical proverbs and parables from the “mysterious East.” These discussions usually are based on a common perception of the martial arts largely obtained through the mass media - an entertainment industry strongly based more on creative fantasy than concrete fact. This has lead to further variations on the theme which we see in extreme forms such as cartoon animations and video games.
Another influential source that has affected our perception of the Asian martial arts is martial arts instructors themselves. Of the thousands teaching today, most have only a superficial familiarity with the cultures in which the arts they teach originated. As a result, very few instructors have fully grasped the technical, historical, and philosophical fullness of their martial systems.
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