Its interesting to see the various schools emerging in this new sport of ours.
There's Ludosport - created in Italy, they now have 5 schools here in the US. A very dance-based, Italian style of fencing. Hardly any gear - I dont know how those guys dont walk away bruised as fuck at the end of a night.
There's Terra Prime Light Armory (Formerly Terra Prime Lightsaber Academy before Disney started killing Jedi.with a real world Order 66.) These guys have a great assortment of videos explaining different styles, and different tactics to use in fighting. I've watched a lot of Nonymous' videos and I like his teaching, but his dulon is so fantastically impractical, that I havent really pursued his teachings much. TPLA is another one of those schools where you will get the most out of it by attending in person. There are some good videos for "distance Jedi" or whatever.
Lightspeed Saber League - a great bunch of guys out of Orange county CA. A little further South than my old stomping grounds. From the looks of their videos, it seems like a fun school. Cang Snow is the patriarch and they run a much faster, one-handed style. Similar to Ludosport, but these guys use fencing masks and gloves. While everyone else uses heavy duty 1' poly-carbonate tubes for their blades, Lightspeed uses a 3/4" blade with a special reducer to fit in standard 1" emitters. I'm assuming this makes the blade lighter and therefore faster than other blades. They're sending me a couple of blades to try out and I look forward to putting them through their paces.
And then there's The Saber Legion. - Im convinced these guys are gear sluts. They require the most protective equipment for "tournament-level" fighting, which includes head, hand, arm, shoulder, torso, groin, leg and sometimes back protection. They are the most up-armored of any school (or group) I've ever seen. And part of the fun is piecing together your kit to make something that is strong, protective and limber enough for full-contact fencing.
But the interesting thing about TSL, is that they arent really a school. They have a standard for how they run competitive lightsaber dueling, but they dont teach a specific form (at least not yet.) Anyone with any discipline they think would be effective is encouraged to compete. It makes for some interesting combinations. Can a one handed dueler beat a 2 handed? Can someone who knows Kendo, compete against a HEMA-style broadsword swinger? Maybe. Whatever. Just come and fight.
I like that about TSL - they are gear sluts, but I like the level of fighting they employ (full contact) and the camaraderie they share during and afterwords. They're huge in Minnesota, and they have several chapters around the country, but Texas is a big state and one chapter based in Dallas is not really going to help trying to start up a group in Austin.
For right now, we're a small outpost, on a rock island, looking for reinforcements.
There's Terra Prime Light Armory (Formerly Terra Prime Lightsaber Academy before Disney started killing Jedi.with a real world Order 66.) These guys have a great assortment of videos explaining different styles, and different tactics to use in fighting. I've watched a lot of Nonymous' videos and I like his teaching, but his dulon is so fantastically impractical, that I havent really pursued his teachings much. TPLA is another one of those schools where you will get the most out of it by attending in person. There are some good videos for "distance Jedi" or whatever.
Lightspeed Saber League - a great bunch of guys out of Orange county CA. A little further South than my old stomping grounds. From the looks of their videos, it seems like a fun school. Cang Snow is the patriarch and they run a much faster, one-handed style. Similar to Ludosport, but these guys use fencing masks and gloves. While everyone else uses heavy duty 1' poly-carbonate tubes for their blades, Lightspeed uses a 3/4" blade with a special reducer to fit in standard 1" emitters. I'm assuming this makes the blade lighter and therefore faster than other blades. They're sending me a couple of blades to try out and I look forward to putting them through their paces.
And then there's The Saber Legion. - Im convinced these guys are gear sluts. They require the most protective equipment for "tournament-level" fighting, which includes head, hand, arm, shoulder, torso, groin, leg and sometimes back protection. They are the most up-armored of any school (or group) I've ever seen. And part of the fun is piecing together your kit to make something that is strong, protective and limber enough for full-contact fencing.But the interesting thing about TSL, is that they arent really a school. They have a standard for how they run competitive lightsaber dueling, but they dont teach a specific form (at least not yet.) Anyone with any discipline they think would be effective is encouraged to compete. It makes for some interesting combinations. Can a one handed dueler beat a 2 handed? Can someone who knows Kendo, compete against a HEMA-style broadsword swinger? Maybe. Whatever. Just come and fight.
I like that about TSL - they are gear sluts, but I like the level of fighting they employ (full contact) and the camaraderie they share during and afterwords. They're huge in Minnesota, and they have several chapters around the country, but Texas is a big state and one chapter based in Dallas is not really going to help trying to start up a group in Austin.
For right now, we're a small outpost, on a rock island, looking for reinforcements.
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