Jedi Academies

Martial Media, Culture and Other Arts Other Related Arts
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ttt 4 2018!

I’m surprised this thread didn’t ttt earlier with the premiere of The Last Jedi. I guess this article came out earlier and I just missed it.

Mix Star Wars with martial arts, and what do you get? Lightsaber sparring.
By SARAH LEESON • DEC 19, 2017


Frank Diaz (left) spars with Dalton Smith (right).
SARAH LEESON / MICHIGAN RADIO

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened with the bang of a thermal detonator this weekend, becoming the second-highest grossing opening weekend for a film ever in North America.

But your local theater isn’t the only place where aspiring Jedi knights can be found learning to wield a lightsaber.

Chad Eisner co-founded a group called Terra Prime Light Armory in 2012. The group promotes traditional martial arts and weapon arts by sparring with lightsabers.

The swords, which are custom-made of round polycarbonate, are designed to withstand a real beating.

Stateside’s Sarah Leeson went to a workshop with the Light Armory last Saturday at Liberty Athletic Club in Ann Arbor. Listen to the audio postcard she brought back above, or read highlights below.

“We wanted some way that we could get people of differing weapons arts backgrounds to kind of mix up and fight each other and spar and have fun and stuff like that, because it’s just not so common to have people fighting with weapons nowadays,” Eisner said.

The local lightsaber scene is a certain point of pride for the group.

“In Michigan right here we have extremely high quality makers — Darth Alice and Solo’s Hold — who are really famous the world over for making extremely high quality lightsabers,” Eisner said. “They’re very accurate to the screen and really, really, durable.”

For some participants like Alex Kostrzewa, it’s not the fandom that’s the draw, but the unique martial arts element.

“My main interest was in the traditional Chinese weapon arts. Finding Chad, who knew what he was talking about, was a rare treat,” Kostrzewa said. “Fighting with swords is fun! I think it’s kind of weird that this isn’t like a more common hobby. Who doesn’t want to go sword fighting on the weekends?”

That’s not to say that Star Wars doesn’t appeal to him, though.


(From left) Dalton Smith, John Solomon, Chad Eisner, Rob Cocsis, Alex Kostrzewa, and Frank Diaz turned out to spar on Saturday.
CREDIT SARAH LEESON / MICHIGAN RADIO

“I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, like I haven’t read any of the extended universe stuff or whatnot, but it’s good — I like it. I find its place in pop culture canon pretty interesting because, as far as I can tell, it kind of invented the Hollywood blockbuster," Kostrzewa said, "So, in terms of measuring the impact of a piece of media by the amount of media that exists in relationship to it, Star Wars is kind of a keystone work of modern film because it changed the way that film was made. You can kind of break the history of cinema into a pre-Star Wars and post-Star Wars era, kind of like how you can break into a pre-Wizard of Oz and post-Wizard of Oz era.”

Other participants, like John Solomon, are here for Star Wars above all. When asked if he’d always wanted to be a Jedi, Solomon said, “Always. Ever since I was three years old. Maybe even before that.”

Solomon does have a background in Japanese swordsmanship though, and can appreciate the martial arts side of the workshop.

“The interesting thing about martial arts in general, and when you apply this to something unusual like a lightsaber, it’s more interesting to see the similarities than the differences,” Solomon said. “For instance, I see a tiny bit of Italian longsword here, and the similarities between the martial techniques there and the martial techniques in Japan are remarkably similar.… And it’s really interesting to see the techniques we use which are different in Japanese swordsmanship which are used in a new and exciting way with the lightsabers and the blending of the Chinese styles into it, it’s very interesting.”

One participant, Rob Cocsis, has an extra reason for attending: spending time with his daughter.

“She’s 13 and she’s been coming for about a year now, on and off,” Cocsis said. “We started this out as more of a daddy-daughter thing, so it’s cool. It’s great. I don’t make her do it, it’s totally on her, but it’s kind of a family thing.”

Some participants are even coming from across the state to attend. Dalton Smith who is from Grand Rapids drove for hours in fairly snowy conditions to make it to the workshop.


Dalton Smith (left) and Rob Cocsis (right) face off in a duel
CREDIT SARAH LEESON / MICHIGAN RADIO

“I come as often as I can — at least a few times a year — but I come from almost three hours away, so sometimes it’s hard to make it,” Smith said.

In his eyes, though, it’s worth it. “I don’t get to do anything like this anywhere else, really, and I’ve always been interested in sword fighting," Smith said. "So now I get to do it, and I get to do it with laser swords.”

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So where exactly is this place?

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Our newest exclusive web article

We don’t know if there will be lightsabers in SOLO but while we’re on the subject of Star Wars, READ Lightsaber Combat and the Value of Myth in the Martial Arts by Dr. Benjamin N. Judkins and Chad Eisner

THREADS: Solo: A Star Wars Story & Jedi Academies

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Aiken Lightsaber Club

Aiken Lightsaber Club teaches kids martial arts, self-defense, and fencing
By Kristina Rackley krackley@aikenstandard.com Sep 6, 2018 Updated 2 hrs ago

A former Aiken High School ROTC instructor is teaching fencing to kids with a twist that is out of this world.

Tony Negron is combining his love of “Star Wars” with defensive sports to teach fencing to youth in Aiken.

“There was a sport that started in Italy called LudoSport, and basically it was fencing with lightsabers,” Negron said. “I did some research and saw that more things like this were popping up across the country.”

Negron and one of his former students, Trey Jones, started the Aiken Lightsaber Club and taught fencing to students. Most are in college or high school.

“The reason I got started was, I taught ROTC, and when I retired I knew I wanted to pick and chose the things I was going to volunteer for,” Negron said. “I knew I wanted to work with kids, but I didn’t want a job.”


Tony Negron and one of his former students, Trey Jones, started the Aiken Lightsaber Club to teach fencing to students. Most are in college or…

Negron said his club was for kids who couldn’t make the time commitment for other sports teams, and to give them an activity that would draw them away from video games.

His club originally met in parks and around the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center. They have now rented out a room in Odell Weeks to practice.

“We’ve got this beautiful facility, and we’re just going to build from there,” Negron said.

An under-privileged youth outreach program run through Odell Weeks allows children who cannot afford to join clubs to take advantage of some of the events happening at Odell Weeks. Aiken Lightsaber Club is one of those groups they can join through the program.

If they have spare time during lessons, Negron will have the kids play games like Jedi versus Sith, a rapid-fire dueling round that splits the group into two teams.

Students need to buy protective gloves, and Negron has suggestions on what kind of lightsabers to buy for the club. The cost of rental space comes mostly out of Negron’s own pocket.

The Aiken Lightsaber Club will meet at Odell Weeks every Friday evening at 5 p.m. for practice. For more information, including how to join, message Tony Negron on the Aiken Lightsaber Club’s Facebook page.

self-defense? really? are lightsabers street legal now? :rolleyes:

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It’s all about exercise really…

The Force is strong with local fitness-minded ‘Star Wars’ fans
Parker Bowman Staff Reporter Jan 19, 2019 0

LEMOORE — Master Yoda once said, “Do or do not. There is no ‘try.’”

A group of friends from Lemoore have decided that they’ll do — and what they’re doing is getting in shape while celebrating their love of “Star Wars.”

“I’m like most people — exercise is boring and I hate it,” Melody Mar said. “So anything to inspire me to get moving and do something is great and doing it with a lightsaber is even better.”

Mar is the lead organizer of the Lemoore chapter of the Lightsaber Team, an organization where fandom meets fitness.

Mar joined the San Jose-based club about six months ago and found that she was the only Central Valley member of the organization that has members in Riverside, San Jose and Sacramento. She started the Lemoore chapter alongside a few friends recently and is hoping that other like-minded Jedi will join the cause.

The Lemoore club meets weekly to stretch and work out with light sabers at a local park.

“I’m a big geek,” she said, pointing to her “Star Trek” jacket. “There’s just something about lightsabers, though, they pull you in. You could fence with a sword or you could fence with lightsaber. Something draws you in. It’s the glow, the sophistication and the whimsy of it.”

Weilding the “Star Wars”-inspired laser swords while working out and sparring can help with cardio, balance and reflexes, according to a 2017 story in Vogue, wherein “The Force Awakens” star Daisy Ridley espoused the benefits of the Jedi workout.

The organization was started in 2011 by John-Michael Arias, a then-resident of Riverside who has since relocated to San Jose.

“I was getting on in years and I wanted to combine my work out time, my nerd time and my socialization time,” Arias told the Sentinel.

The founder, now in his early 50s, said the free-to-join group is more about being inclusive and supportive than about pumping as much iron as possible and jogging an entire Kessel Run.

Members of the San Jose have traveled to Lemoore to train Mar in the ways of The Force. Some members even build and create their own lightsabers, Arias said.

“It worked. It was a good fit,” Mar said.

Mar, a former regional champion baton twirler, had a fundamental grasp on how to move with a yard-long lightsaber and is now getting the hang of “moving like a fighter rather than like a dancer,” she said.

During training, the group focuses on movement and getting the benefits of a workout without accidentally injuring themselves or anyone else. While lightsabers in real life may not be able to cut off Ponda Baba’s arm — as Obi-Wan’s did in the cantina on Mos Eisely — but they’re still hefty, pointy and accidents can happen.

The group is hoping to grow and be more consistent, both in terms of workouts themselves and in planning the times for them, in the coming months.

Members of the Lemoore chapter will be in attendance at the Weekend Blender pop culture event at the Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis next month to spread the word about the organization. A separate Fresno chapter of the club is in the early stages of development, as well, Arias said.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/LightsaberTeam.

San Jose is local to our KFTC HQ.

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Lightspeed Saber

I luv how these groups dodge calling them ‘lightsabers’.

Light Force Academy blends sci-fi passion with martial arts technique
16 hours ago
Matt Fernandez


Students of Light Force Academy learn martial arts sword fighting with a Star Wars flair at Irom Fist Martial Arts Academy in Newhall. Cory Rubin/The Signal

Star Wars fans all across the galaxy often dream of the thrill and glory of being a Jedi knight and wielding a lightsaber. Thanks to Patrick Tatevossian, founder of Iron Fist Martial Arts, residents of Santa Clarita have a chance to fulfill that dream.

On Feb. 1, Tatevossian’s newest martial arts program Light Force Academy hit its third anniversary. The program incorporates different styles of martial arts training such as Taekwondo, kendo and escrima and a love for Star Wars into a unique training experience.

Tatevossian discovered the world of competitive saber combat while searching for a high-quality lightsaber to buy for himself on the internet after watching “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” During his search, the martial artist came across combat stunt sabers and, after tumbling down the proverbial rabbit hole of the internet, decided to take a cue from other martial arts schools and replaced his traditional weapons training with a saber fighting program.

“We originally had a full weapons training program with everything from nunchucks to staff, but I didn’t have fun teaching weapons anymore and my students didn’t even compete with them anyway,” Tatevossian said. “It might be because I’m just a big kid, but I think that the light sabers are a lot cooler than what we were doing before. This actually bettered our weapons training.”

The Light Force training is a progressive program in which students begin with traditional Japanese kendo double-handed sword fighting techniques, then move on to single-handed sword, staff, dual swords and the weapon in a non-dominant hand. After the student learns all of the styles, he or she then selects one of the styles and works to master it, the program’s equivalent of earning a black belt in a more traditional martial art. Tatevossian estimates that the program takes four years to complete, but since the program just turned three years old, no student has reached that point yet.

Since its inception, Tatevossian’s Light Force program has become an affiliate of the competitive Lightspeed Saber League and has been invited to join other competitive circuits. Each league has its own rules in regard to equipment and techniques regarding forms and sparring, but Tatevossian said his main criteria when partnering with a league is safety.

“Competitive saber leagues use either light, medium or heavy sabers,” Tatevossian said. “We have protective armor like fencing masks, and getting hit with a light or medium saber won’t hurt that much, but the heavy sabers can do a lot of damage even with the gear. Also the lighter sabers allow for a lot more fluidity and technically difficult movement, which I prefer.”

When Tatevossian first began in saber competitions he suffered many losses to those larger or more experienced in the style than him, but after he started to use techniques from other martial arts he knew, he found that he was close to unbeatable.

“It was really weird and I wondered what was going on when I started winning,” he said. “Then I realized that my footwork was more advanced than my competitors’. Once I started focusing more on my footwork and less on blade technique, that was it.”

On Feb. 23, Tatevossian will host his first saber tournament, which will also be the first competitive experience for most of his students. He said he has received interest from almost 100 competitors across Southern California. The tournament will also feature vendors and winners will offer prizes including custom sabers and Loot Crates.

If all goes well, Tatevossian hopes to host another tournament at the end of the year, using what he learns from this tournament as a test run.

Light Force Academy has about 30 regular students and dozens more who attend on a part-time basis. He would like to grow the program with other methods than word of mouth, but he said it is difficult to show people the program is more than playing with lightsabers.

“What most people that aren’t already martial artists don’t understand is that what we’re doing is actual martial arts training and a legitimate form of exercise, rather than just swinging around lightsabers for the fun of it,” he said. “On the other hand, that attraction to lightsabers is a good way for me to get people who would never have otherwise tried martial arts to come in, learn and exercise.”

Matt Fernandez
Matt Fernandez is a local news reporter for The Signal. He is a 2017 graduate of UCLA and his previous work experience includes the Daily Bruin newspaper and Variety magazine, where he focused on arts and entertainment news. Fernandez has lived in Santa Clarita since 1998.

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Lightsaber duelling is an officially recognized competitive sport

In France, the Force is strong with lightsaber dueling
By JOHN LEICESTER
February 18, 2019


In this Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, photo, competitors battle during a national lightsaber tournament in Beaumont-sur-Oise, north of Paris. In France, it is easier than ever now to act out “Star Wars” fantasies. The fencing federation has officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

BEAUMONT-SUR-OISE, France (AP) — Master Yoda, dust off his French, he must.

It’s now easier than ever in France to act out “Star Wars” fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, granting the iconic weapon from George Lucas’ saga the same status as the foil, epee and sabre, the traditional blades used at the Olympics.

Of course, the LED-lit, rigid polycarbonate lightsaber replicas can’t slice a Sith lord in half. But they look and, with the more expensive sabers equipped with a chip in their hilt that emits a throaty electric rumble, even sound remarkably like the silver screen blades that Yoda and other characters wield in the blockbuster movies .

Plenty realistic, at least, for duelists to work up an impressive sweat slashing, feinting and stabbing in organized, 3-minute bouts. The physicality of lightsaber combat is part of why the French Fencing Federation threw its support behind the sport and is now equipping fencing clubs with lightsabers and training would-be lightsaber instructors. Like virtuous Jedi knights, the French federation sees itself as combatting a Dark Side: The sedentary habits of 21st-century life that are sickening ever-growing numbers of adults and kids .

//youtu.be/bh8ZdrK3qOo

“With young people today, it’s a real public health issue. They don’t do any sport and only exercise with their thumbs,” says Serge Aubailly, the federation secretary general. “It’s becoming difficult to (persuade them to) do a sport that has no connection with getting out of the sofa and playing with one’s thumbs. That is why we are trying to create a bond between our discipline and modern technologies, so participating in a sport feels natural.”

[QUOTE] Embedded video

John Leicester

@johnleicester
Lightsaber dueling: Some basic rules.

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VIDEO: How-to guide to lightsaber dueling.

In the past, the likes of Zorro, Robin Hood and The Three Musketeers helped lure new practitioners to fencing. Now, joining and even supplanting them are Luke Skywalker , Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.

“Cape and sword movies have always had a big impact on our federation and its growth,” Aubailly says. ”Lightsaber films have the same impact . Young people want to give it a try.”

And the young at heart.

Police officer Philippe Bondi, 49, practiced fencing for 20 years before switching to lightsaber. When a club started offering classes in Metz, the town in eastern France where he is stationed for the gendarmerie, Bondi says he was immediately drawn by the prospect of living out the love he’s had for the “Star Wars” universe since he saw the first film at age 7, on its release in 1977 .

He fights in the same wire-mesh face mask he used for fencing. He spent about 350 euros ($400) on his protective body armor (sturdy gloves, chest, shoulder and shin pads) and on his federation-approved lightsaber, opting for luminous green “because it’s the Jedi colors, and Yoda is my master.”

“I had to be on the good side, given that my job is upholding the law,” he said.

Bondi awoke well before dawn to make the four-hour drive from Metz to a national lightsaber tournament outside Paris this month that drew 34 competitors. It showcased how far the sport has come in a couple of years but also that it’s still light years from becoming mainstream.

Embedded video

John Leicester

@johnleicester
In France, the Force is strong with lightsaber dueling

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PHOTOS: The spectacle of lightsaber dueling.

The crowd was small and a technical glitch prevented the duelers’ photos, combat names and scores from being displayed on a big screen, making bouts tough to follow. But the illuminated swooshes of colored blades looked spectacular in the darkened hall. Fan cosplay as “Star Wars” characters added levity, authenticity and a tickle of bizarre to the proceedings, especially the incongruous sight of Darth Vader buying a ham sandwich and a bag of potato chips at the cafeteria during a break.

In building their sport from the ground up, French organizers produced competition rules intended to make lightsaber dueling both competitive and easy on the eyes.

“We wanted it to be safe, we wanted it to be umpired and, most of all, we wanted it to produce something visual that looks like the movies, because that is what people expect,” said Michel Ortiz, the tournament organizer.


This isn’t the car you’re looking for: ‘Star Wars’ fans in cosplay had a ball at the tournament.

Combatants fight inside a circle marked in tape on the floor. Strikes to the head or body are worth 5 points; to the arms or legs, 3 points; on hands, 1 point. The first to 15 points wins or, if they don’t get there quickly, the high scorer after 3 minutes. If both fighters reach 10 points, the bout enters “sudden death,” where the first to land a head- or body-blow wins, a rule to encourage enterprising fighters.

Blows only count if the fighters first point the tip of their saber behind them. That rule prevents the viper-like, tip-first quick forward strikes seen in fencing. Instead, the rule encourages swishier blows that are easier for audiences to see and enjoy, and which are more evocative of the duels in “Star Wars.” Of those, the battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul in “The Phantom Menace” that ends badly for the Sith despite his double-bladed lightsaber is particularly appreciated by aficionados for its swordplay.

Still nascent, counting its paid-up practitioners in France in the hundreds, not thousands, lightsaber dueling has no hope of a place in the Paris Olympics in 2024.

But to hear the thwack of blades and see them cut shapes through the air is to want to give the sport a try.

Or, as Yoda would say: “Try not. Do! Or do not. There is no try.”[/QUOTE]

THREADS
Fencing
Jedi Academies
Paris Olympics

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Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge - Trailer

//youtu.be/ynDMTiamRRY

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I’m on a Lightsabering panel this Saturday.

I’m honored to be a Guest Panelist on the Terra Prime Light Armory 7 Forms Symposium this Independence Day Saturday July 4th 2020 2PM EDT. For details, visit my blog.

Threads
Jedi-Academies
Gene-Goes-Ronin

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Happy independence day!

CELEBRATE WITH MY GUEST PANELIST APPEARANCE ON THE TERRA PRIME LIGHT ARMORY 7 FORMS SYMPOSIUM

Threads
Jedi-Academies
Gene-Goes-Ronin

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TPLA 7 forms Symposium 2020

//youtu.be/iegI0ekNHmI

Threads
Jedi-Academies
Gene-Goes-Ronin

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Casting call

Actors With Stunt/Combat Abilities for Star Wars™: Galactic Starcruiser

For: Walt Disney World
Audition City: Kissimmee
Location: Online Submissions
Looking For: Stunts
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
12:00 AM
Timezone: Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Disney Live Entertainment is actively accepting ONLINE SUBMISSIONS from actors of all abilities and gender identities from a diverse spectrum of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In a one of a kind, immersive Star Wars™ multi-day adventure, guests of the Star Wars™: Galactic Starcruiser come aboard the Halcyon and voyage through a galaxy, far far away – and performers will join them as respected crew members, guests, and interlopers as they all travel in style to the Outer Rim.

This is a fully immersive experience where the story unfolds over two nights in a myriad of ways. During the experience, a variety of adventures befall the ship and onboard characters find themselves caught in the intrigue of a galactic conflict. This company of actors will portray characters from a vast and diverse galaxy and will actively engage with passengers as much as with other performers. Every character will be leveraged for improvisational, scripted, and interactive moments.

Potential relocation assistance may be available to qualified performers hired into specific roles.

Performers employed by the Walt Disney World® Resort are covered under the terms and conditions of a collective bargaining agreement with Actors’ Equity Association.

Upon signing of Walt Disney World® Individual Employment Contract, candidates are eligible to immediately apply for membership in Actor’s Equity Association.

SEEKING THE FOLLOWING:

REY: (5’6”-5’8”) Seeking a dynamic and athletic actor with an athletic, slender build and strong improvisational abilities to portray Rey. Rey is a survivor, toughened by her life as a scavenger on the harsh desert planet of Jakku. Despite dismissing herself as a “no one”, she learns that her life is being shaped by the mysterious power of the force. Actors with prior experience or knowledge in stage combat, Wushu, martial arts or hand-to-hand are encouraged to attend.

KYLO REN: (6’0”-6’2”) Seeking a dynamic and athletic actor with improvisational abilities to portray Kylo Ren. A menacing Force-sensitive warrior, Kylo is driven by his connection to the dark side to achieve his ultimate goal of galactic domination. Actors with prior experience or knowledge in stage combat, Wushu, martial arts or hand-to-hand are encouraged to attend.

SUBMISSION AND ONLINE AUDITION CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS:

This is a 2 step process. Candidates must submit AND check-in to the audition to be considered.

STEP 1 - SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please click “My_Profile” to create or update your performer profile.
Under the LINKS section, upload your video audition link to your profile. See below REQUIREMENTS section for monologue selection(s).
YouTube links are preferred. Please have the link set as “unlisted”.

STEP 2 - CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS

Visit Checkin.DisneyAuditions.com.
Click on audition titled “Actors with Stunt/Combat Abilities for Star Wars™: Galactic Starcruiser”.
Take your selfie to complete the check-in process.
Please only submit yourself once.

Submissions will be accepted through May 21, 2021.

Potential virtual callbacks to be scheduled June 17 - 21, 2021. Performers will only be notified if they are being considered for a call back following their initial submission.

REQUIREMENTS:

Please prepare a character appropriate monologue or select one or more from the following link(s):
KYLO REN - SABER_TRAINER,
REY - SCAVENGER_HERO
In addition to the monologue above, please include a link to a performance reel demonstrating stunt/combat abilities. Preferences include demos of sword work, stage combat, gymnastics, and martial arts.
Must be at least 18 years of age and authorized to work in the United States.

© & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.

EOE - Drawing Creativity from Diversity - ©Disney
Follow the link if interested (but it’s today so be quick).

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AR Combat Center

//youtu.be/H6zlRqcFXgY

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To The DEATH

//youtu.be/AAzY28C8Syc

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Sassen

[URL=“https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2023/03/25/lifestyle/sassen-swordfighting-digital-sport”]
High-tech ‘sassen’ duels are an active otaku’s dream

Part fencing, part kendo and part freestyle swordfighting, sassen combines multiple disciplines into an undeniably engaging package. | OWEN ZIEGLER
BY OWEN ZIEGLER
STAFF WRITER

Mar 25, 2023

Its an otherwise normal October night in the Akihabara district in Tokyo as tourists and locals alike plod along the glowing neon streets. Young women in maid outfits beckon half-heartedly to men ambling in and out of ramen shops, PC parts suppliers and anime retailers.

Several floors above? Its fight after fight to the death.

Figuratively speaking, of course combatants grasp not steel katanas but carbon fiber batons laden with accelerometers and other sensors, all wrapped in foam to soften the inevitable blows. They swing not to maim or kill but for points, though theres still a palpable, primal aggression in the air when two competitors face off.

From more than 2,000 entrants competing at satellite preliminaries across the country, a few dozen had won the right to come to Akihabara for the tournament finals of sassen and to vie for a ¥100,000 ($767) prize a decent purse but somehow less motivating than the energy in the air I sensed that day.


From more than 2,000 entrants, only a few dozen advanced to Sassens national finals in Akihabara in October. | OWEN ZIEGLER
A mix of traditional kendo, modern fencing and freestyle sports chanbara (a multidisciplinary combat sport that simulates historical Japanese melee combat), sassen can be difficult to define. First begun in 2016, the sport still has a nascent community, the technology underpinning it isnt without its occasional hiccups, and the name itself is a created word combining inspiration from satsuzen, a Japanese word meaning wind-breaking or dashing speed, plus techniques used by famed Sengoku Period (1482-1573) swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

That all might be secondary to a much more salient point, one that snaps into focus as soon as you brandish your electronic sword and stand across a likewise armed opponent: sassen scratches an otaku-shaped itch like few other pursuits.

Rules of war
The basic rules of sassen are simple the first to score two hits anywhere except their opponents head in a 60-second match wins. But pick up a sassen-to (the companys native nomenclature for its high-tech swords) and you quickly learn that this is no simple game of high-tech tag.

For one, competitors are discouraged from swinging wildly. A dedicated official keeps track of the five total swings per match allotted to each contestant. Once those are used up, all you can do is evade your opponent until time runs out. The illuminated batons are also configured so only one section registers as the cutting portion of the would-be blade. Swinging wildly at your opponent may land a hit, but if contact is only with the deadened section of the baton, the embedded sensors wont register a successful strike. Forget where your edge really is and the decisive blow you think youve landed might be the opening your rival is waiting for.


Strength is less important in a sassen duel than speed, positioning and accuracy. | OWEN ZIEGLER
Each baton is only about 300 grams and 65 centimeters long, says Seita Sukisaki, chief technical and financial officer at Sassen, who spearheaded the Bluetooth-supported technology underpinning the equipment. But the carbon sleeve inside has about ¥200,000 (about $1,520) worth of electronics.

All that alone would be a solid foundation for thrilling duels reminiscent of bygone warriors, but sassen goes one step further: If a combatant lands a successful blow (signaled by a slashing sound played over the PA system), the other has an infinitesimal window, no more than a few tenths of a second, to land a counterstrike. If both combatants effectively cut each other down in the same breath, the two strikes cancel each other out, a sharp ringing sound blares instead of a slash and the breathless match continues.

Over the course of the afternoon, this game mechanic shows itself time and again to be a defining element of sassen. If one competitor outmatches another on footspeed, the other times a lifesaving counterblow instead. Conversely, if an overcommitment to an opening attack leaves a competitor defenseless, presence of mind and a quick wrist keeps them alive for one more moment and one more swing.

Sassen is meant to be a martial art but one where theres no real threat of injury or harm, says Ryoma Motomura, creator of sassen and founder of parent company Satsuzen, who also served as emcee, play-by-play commentator and instant replay judge for close calls during the October competition. I come from a family of karate-ka (karate athletes), so I know how difficult training and participating in traditional martial arts can be. Sassen, on the other hand, is for everyone young and old, veterans and newcomers.


Sassen founder Ryuma Motomura serves as emcee, play-by-play commentator and instant replay judge for some sassen sessions. | OWEN ZIEGLER
Suffering a blow from one of the batons doesnt feel good, per se, but anyone who managed to walk away from a swiftly thrown dodgeball back in elementary school gym class can also bounce back from even the stiffest of strikes during a sassen match. According to Motomura, sassen is also priced much more invitingly for newcomers than other traditional martial arts. A beginners kendo set might run around ¥20,000 to ¥30,000, but one-off trial passes for drop-in sassen sessions go for around ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 with nothing other than your own athletic clothing required.

Sassens soul is a martial art, says Motomura. But its a much more modern approach and thats to do with more than just the technology.

Triumph and defeat
Astride the blue and black mats, two swordsmen bounce around each other on the balls of their feet. One might feint with their baton to the left; the other might shift his momentum to the right. A swing and a miss draws a few gasps from the modest crowd watching the tournaments championship match and when Rikitake Yuto manages to slip his opponents attack and counter with his own strike over the top, his half dozen friends explode into cheers.

With six straight wins to advance through the bracket, Yuto, a 20-year-old student and fencer at western Tokyos Chuo University, has emerged ahead of the more than 2,000 competitors that originally entered the full tournament.

Its my first time at sassen, but it feels great to win, Yuto tells me, adding that a fellow fencing teammate (who had bowed out of the tournament in an earlier stage) had invited him.

Kyori machigatta! (I got the distance wrong!) the vanquished runner-up exclaims, grasping his baton with frustration in both hands above his head.


A sense of camraderie pervades the sassen community despite its relative newness. | OWEN ZIEGLER
For whatever momentary disappointment there was, the mood quickly shifts to something much more communal as Motomura addresses the crowd of competitors and spectators and hands out trophies and awards. Many participants I spoke to emphasize that while the nature of sassen is inherently combative, there are rarely ever heated disputes about who struck who first or whether a particular point should be replayed. Indeed, tournaments like these are still rare for sassen as a whole many just prefer to drop in and spar with like-minded players in this rented space in Akihabara, outside in a Tokyo park or anywhere else a few rounds might be had.

But what is the champion going to do with the ¥100,000 prize now rightfully his?

Were all going out for ramen, Yuto says much to the delight of his fencing comrades as they all prepare to spill back out on Akibaharas lambent streets.

Jedi-Academies
Sassen
Kendo

76

Terra Prime Lightfencing

Lights, Sabers, Action: USA Fencing to Welcome Lightfencing as Summer Nationals Demonstration Event
06/28/2023, 10:45AM CDT BY BRYAN WENDELL
From July 5 to July 7, fencers and fans at the Phoenix Convention Center will be treated to an electrifying series of high-tech, high-energy lightfencing matches.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Fans of all things Star Wars won’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to experience lightfencing. In fact, those attending the 2023 Summer Nationals in Phoenix won’t even have to leave the exhibition hall.

For the first time ever, USA Fencing is thrilled to welcome Terra Prime Lightfencing as a demonstration event at Summer Nationals. From July 5 to July 7, attendees at the Phoenix Convention Center will be treated to an electrifying mix of high-tech, high-energy lightfencing matches.

With a schedule filled with matches, discovery sessions, and Q&A time, there’s plenty of opportunity to learn about this exciting sport, watch exhibition bouts and even try your hand at wielding an LED saber! Athletes from Terra Prime will be stationed right at the heart of the action, near Pod G, to ensure no one misses out.

Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, was among those who had the bright idea to welcome Terra Prime to Summer Nationals and take this opportunity into hyperdrive.

“We are absolutely thrilled to bring Lightfencing to Summer Nationals,” he says. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate and showcase the sport of fencing in a new and exciting light! I think our fencers will find themselves entertained and pulled in by the fascinating force of this emerging sport.”

So, here’s what’s on the agenda:

Terra Prime Lightfencing
Phoenix Convention Center, main competition hall near Pod G

July 5
11 a.m.: Introduction and demonstration

11:30 a.m.: Lightfencing matches

12:30 p.m.: Q and A (lunch time)

1:30 p.m.: Discovery session for public

2 p.m.: Lightfencing matches

2:30 pm: Q and A

3 p.m.: End of the day’s events

July 6
11 a.m.: Lightfencing matches

11:30 a.m.: Discovery session 1

12:30 p.m.: Q and A (lunch time)

1:30 p.m.: Discovery session 2

2 p.m.: Lightfencing matches

2:30 p.m.: Q and A

July 7
11 a.m.: Lightfencing matches

11:30 a.m.: Discovery session 1

12:30 p.m.: Q and A (lunch time)

1:30 p.m.: Discovery session 2

2 p.m.: Lightfencing matches

2:30 p.m.: Q and A

Jedi-Academies
Fencing

77

Lightsaber at USA Fencing Summer Nationals

USA Fencing brought a new blade to Phoenix: The ‘Star Wars’ lightsaber
By Jill Ryan
Published: Monday, July 17, 2023 - 4:05am
Updated: Monday, July 17, 2023 - 8:30am

//youtu.be/iLy6KJVvGYY

More than 5,000 fencers recently came to Phoenix to compete in this year’s USA Fencing Summer Nationals.

Amidst the competition was one event using very familiar weaponry.

Fencing is an ancient sport with its origins in multiple countries, including France. For centuries, the sport had three disciplines with three respective weapons: sabre, foil and épée.

“Sabre comes from war. And it’s the slashing weapon. So, the idea was you would slash somebody effectively across their torso or across their head, and you would kill the human, but not the horse, because the horse is an asset that can be brought to your side of the war in Europe,” said Phil Andrews, the CEO of USA Fencing.

In the sport, a person uses the entire sword to slash their padded opponent for the point. The two other disciplines are foil and épée. Both only use the tip of the blade to “pierce” the opponent, again while padded. But their targeted areas are different.

A fourth discipline


Jill Ryan/KJZZ
More than 5,000 fencers came to the USA Fencing Summer Nationals 2023 in Phoenix, including light fencers.

But new to this year’s competition was what France has already recognized as its fourth fencing weapon: the lightsaber. Yes, like the one from “Star Wars.”

Well, not exactly. The LED lights in the lightsabers are contained in hard plastic tubing.

“It’s based on the LED saber, which is basically a replica like the lightsabers you see in ‘Star Wars’ and all that. We have a simplified hilt, so it’s essentially just a flashlight, very durable, we can bash them against each other without breaking them,” said Chad Eisner with Terra Prime Light Armory, or TPLA.

While it’s not as formally established in the U.S., this sport goes by many names, one of which is light fencing. Unlike traditional fencing’s combat zone, which is a long but narrow rectangular area, light fencing is a more 360 degree sport typically played in a circular arena.

“The French Fencing Federation has it as a full part of their nationals so we brought them here to trial it, demo it — I did it yesterday — for our participants here,” Andrews said.

Light fencing and its specific rules have been curated and tested by TPLA.

“In 2018, we were able to get the French Fencing Federation to accept this sport as the fourth fencing weapon. And they just had their first national tournament back in February,” Eisner said.

The Federation officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a sport in 2019.

System of priority in play


Jill Ryan/KJZZ
The rule-set of light fencing takes a page out of each fencing discipline.

For light fencing, imagine what a regular fencer looks like in their padded white armor and meshed mask. Now, bulk up the pads, make it all black and add a lightsaber with a color of your choice — and that is what these athletes look like. And its rule set takes a page out of each fencing discipline.

“So, we can hit the entire body. We’re pretty much doing cuts, we don’t thrust with these blades because they injure you. And we work in a system of priority or right of way, so when one person starts an attack the other person must defend,” Eisner said.

Eisner said TPLA’s goal is threefold: to introduce sport to people who would not likely otherwise become athletes, be a gateway to fencing and to create a governing body that works in conjunction with USA Fencing.

Gender and body neutrality


Jill Ryan/KJZZ
Light fencing does not currently have different age and weight classes.

Like most combat sports, traditional fencing has divisions — usually by gender, age or skill level. One thing Light Fencing is introducing from of the get-go is gender and body neutrality.

Anna Faulkner is a TPLA-certified light fencer.

“Participation is varied from age, gender identity, body type, background. It is welcomed to anyone with or without a background in fencing or any other form of fighting,” Faulkner said.

Eisner said as they continue to build, they may create different age and weight classes, but the sport will remain coed while simultaneously being fair. He said that’s possible because the sport is played in turns where one player has to signal to the other that they have priority.

“And with that turn-based kind of system, somebody who is larger, stronger, and faster only does not automatically have an advantage,” Eisner said

COVID-19 has delayed many efforts to officially establish light fencing in the U.S. But an invitation from USA Fencing to demonstrate the sport here in Phoenix brought them another step closer.

Jedi-Academies
Fencing

78

The Global Rise of Lightsaber as a Martial Art

Read The Global Rise of Lightsaber as a Martial Art ~ my latest article for UNESCO ICM.

Jedi-Academies
UNESCO-International-Centre-of-Martial-Arts-for-Youth-Development-and-Engagement

79

Symposium 2023: Teachers and Students

//youtu.be/Je4LDC8k4iI

80

Shon-Ju

Star Wars’ Jedi Force Martial Arts Style Just Became Official Canon
Star Wars has added the Jedi’s Force Martial Arts fighting style to the official franchise canon.
By KOFI OUTLAW - December 14, 2023 12:00 pm EST

Star Wars has made the Jedi’s Force-based martial arts style part of the official series canon. That would be the fighting style known as “Shon-Ju,” and it has deep roots in the Star Wars Legends side of the franchise.

Who Is Star Wars’ Shon-Ju?


(Photo: Lucasfilm)
The Shon-Ju fighting style is named after the infamous Jedi padawan from Star Wars Legends who fell out of the order and started his own cult during the Clone Wars.

Shon-Ju was able to channel the Force into his hands and wield it aggressively, preferring that method of combat to traditional lightsaber techniques. He taught his followers to also use Force-hands combat, making them a formidable threat to the Jedi. This was all detailed in the 2010s Star Wars: The Clone Wars comic series story “The Deadly Hands of Shon-Ju,” which has since been shifted over to the non-canon “Legends” section of the franchise.

Shon-Ju Is Now Star Wars Canon

The current Star Wars: The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight comic miniseries is filling in gaps of the year between Phase I and Phase III of The High Republic saga. Shadows of Starlight #3 centers on Jedi Padawan Bell Zettifar, and his unrelenting quest to punish the Nihil responsible for destroying the Republic’s Starlight Beacon, as well as save his friend and fellow Padawan, the Wookie Burryaga.

Bell accomplishes the latter part, and is re-united with with his Wookie buddy; however, when the pair get promoted to Jedi Knights, they take on a mission with Jedi Grandmaster Veter to provide aid to a settlement on the planet Asternin that was attacked by the Nihil. That mission turns out to be an ambush; The Nihil used the attack to bait the Jedi out of the closed ranks of their temple, and strike at prime targets – like a Grandmaster.

When the Bell, Burryaga, and Veter find themselves facing a Nihil squadron, the Jedi Grandmaster orders the two Knights to evacuate the citizens, and prepares to make a stand against the enemy on his own. The Nihil think they have the upper hand when they activate a Lightsaber Nullifier that keeps the Jedi from using their fabled swords – but Grandmaster Veter doesn’t need a sword when he reveals that he’s “trained, you see, in an ancient art of unarmed Force combat… Shon-Ju!”


(Photo: Lucasfilm)
Sure enough, this canonized version of Shon-Ju is a method of Force-based martial arts that allows Veter to dispatch the entire ground force of Nihil raiders without having to lay a single hand on any of them. Veter ultimately loses the battle when the Nihil use their ship’s weaponry to incapacitate him – but the display still proves that Shon-Ju is a powerful alternative to the kind of lightsaber and/or Force battle techniques we’ve seen before.

Star Wars: The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight is now on sale from Marvel Comics.

I can’t keep up with the comics canon.