General

CM Styles as proposed by Gulf Coast Saber Training

CM Styles as proposed by Gulf Coast Saber Training

Introducing CM Styling as proposed by Gulf Coast Saber Training! Desso Faulkner and team have remixed CM-A and proposed various modifications to match a style of fighting. To learn more about Gulf Coast Saber Training and join them in practice in Pensacola, FL, check out their facebook page and drop them a line.

GCM A - S: CM-A Swashbuckler Style

Swashbuckler Style Notation

GCM-A-S: CM A Swashbuckler Style

GCM A-L: CM A Longsword Style

Longsword Style Notation

GCM-A-L: CM A Longsword Style

Mixing it all up!

Mixing it up

In this version, we mix up CM-A in various ways to make it quite a workout. No need to switch between more CMs - but rather, stay focused on 1 CM and exploring its movement in continual repetition. Tapas, discipline through heat, is the focus of this activity.

CMs in this exercise: GCM A - S: CM-A Swashbuckler + Longsword + Regular Style

CM-A

CM-A
Telegraph: Fist pointed out at your opponent (ASL-A)
Lumina Score: 1

GCM-A-S: CM A Swashbuckler Style

GCM-A-L: CM A Longsword Style

Posted by mcjadmin in General, Lessons
2018 LUMINA Winners

2018 LUMINA Winners

1st Place: Adaal – 248 points

Alexis "Adaal" Adames

Alexis "Adaal" Adames

2nd Place: Rhono – 238 points

3rd Place: Waoki – 230 points

Jorge "Waoki" Arenas

Jorge "Waoki" Arenas

Vanguard: Canaris – 5 of 8 wins

Canaris

Top Judge: Cole

The Winners of the 2018 LUMINA games are:

Current Top LUMENS:
1st Place: Adaal: 248 points
2nd Place: Thom: 238 points
3rd Place: Waoki: 230 points

Posted by mcjadmin in General, Lumina
SaberCraft joins the Saberist Academy

SaberCraft joins the Saberist Academy

SaberCraft is proud to announce that we are building a partnership with Saberist Academy. Saberist Academy is a Consortium of Saber Instructors operating in their own MetaStyle of either Academic Study, Stage Combat, Flow, or Sport Dueling, but it all is rooted in The 8 Core Principles It is an important resource in the Art of LED Saber Combat and Stage Combat. SaberCraft’s classes and lessons are based on the MetaStyle focus of Stage Combat and Flow. An important goal of SaberCraft is to prepare its students for any form of either performance or choreography sport competition.

As SaberCraft has developed LUMINA as a new saber choreography game system, it’s MetaStyle will be focused on Academic Study and Sport Dueling. Utilizing the Temporal Notation System, LUMINA will convert any/all notation systems into a universal collection of choreography movements. Each system/school will have its own library of moves and notations specific to that system.

Through LUMINA meets, Sport Dueling will be the primary focus as LUMENS will compete with each other in order to accrue points to win the season.

Saberist Academy is headed by Flynn Michaels, a pioneer in saber clubs throughout the US and the world. Saberist Academy focuses on building a community of various saber club instructors in order to build the saber community and awareness of its various sports, clubs and schools. Saberist Academy has established itself with a saber store called the Kyber Cave located in Fairfield, California.

Posted by mcjadmin in General, News

RoundTable PodRacers interviews SaberCraft


Join us on RoundTable PodRacers, where we are interviewed by hosts Ana (@legeekyliife) and Julie (@infinityjules ) to discuss Lightsaber combat and choreography.

Posted by mcjadmin in Archive, General
Not a Costume Club

Not a Costume Club

We are not a costuming club of any sort.

Below are a list of difference that set us apart from fan-based clubs out there.

The BIG Difference: It’s simple to start. You don’t need to spend money on equipment or countless hours creating a costume in order to be an “Official Member”. Simply show up with your curiosity, learn and have fun.

It’s about you – not performances. Though we may have participated in non-paid performances in the past, we tend not to do performances simply because of the amount of time and coordination. We conduct teaching workshops that are absent of any particular genre and are focused strictly on empowerment. Any events we participate in are free and all participants are volunteers. Many of our students build friendships that go beyond the class. Many folks are part of the local Renaissance Festival as well as various Science-Fiction conventions and may dress up for events like that. Our system is a means of choreographing for any type of saber/staff-related fight – genre-free.

We teach yoga, fitness and empowerment and utilize an LED stunt saber. We focus on the sport of combat choreography and do not incorporate any form of fantasy-specific genre in our competitions.

– Lead instruction is provided by a Yoga Alliance certified RYT 200 Yoga Instructor.

– We incorporate guided Meditation into our practice.

We require that you wear sport/fitness appropriate apparel to class. We love costuming outside of class, but our focus in class is clashing LED sabers and making it look and feel incredible. If you happen to love cosplay or larping and would like to gain a skill that you can incorporate with your cosplay then we have what you are looking for.

We invented our system – We use a combat choreography system focused on making the fight like a dance of saber play. We utilize the LUMINA Notation System and expand on it by utilizing patterns and forms of various martial arts. Other groups have their own target system that’s focused on hitting your opponent. Our combat choreography system is built to choreograph fights. Our form is not meant to hit anyone but rather to give the illusion that it’s an actual fight.

Documentation. All our lessons and various screen fights are notated so once you understand the notation, you can learn the choreographies.

Our classes have lessons plans and there is a curriculum. In other words, you’re not coming to a class and learning something random…..ever. Every class ties into every class; there is a curriculum built out and we approach topics seasonally.

We meet regularly at set times. Rain or shine as we meet indoors.

Safe Space. We charge to cover rent because our operation is conducted indoors in an air conditioned, safe environment and requires a stellar sound system as many choreographies have audio associated with them. We do not meet in parks unless it’s an informal gathering.

We end every class with an “immersive experience” that must be conducted in a controlled environment.

– Easy to learn. Can you learn how to fight with a saber similar to what you may see in the movies? Of course you can! But the system is not built on any genre terms that you’ll find in other clubs like “Dulon” or “Makashi” or other words that are tied to the Star Wars universe. We are not associated to any film series or genre. Our system is self-built from the ground-up.

These classes are to teach how to use a prop and build a system of integrated movement choreographies. We have a different approach to fitness and well-being. Here, the LED stunt saber lights the way in our path to health in both body and mind. We started the lightsaber movement in Miami and are the longest running group in South Florida.

Still not sure? Read more about why this is the class for you.

Posted by mcjadmin in General
What Saber should I buy or bring?

What Saber should I buy or bring?

This is usually everyone’s first question. Bring any saber that is a stunt-combat saber. Most Ultra Sabers, VadersVault, SaberForge, Park Sabers and most other Custom Combat Stunt Sabers work for our classes. What does not work are replica sabers such as Master Replicas or any saber that’s meant more as decorative prop rather than utility prop.

Your saber will be inspected by any of our senior students before you are allowed to bring it into the class environment. We have many Ultra Sabers on hand in case you need one for class.

What to buy for your First Saber

If you plan on doing combat choreography, expect your stunt saber to break. Several times. It’s natural that these things will happen because of the various nature of the forces of the strikes and even dropping the saber repeatedly. Keep in mind that wiring can become loose, battery packs will break, bulbs may burst and sabers may bend. So when it comes to buying your saber, here’s a plan to follow:

BUY 2 SABERS

Saber #1: The Stunt Saber

If the first thing that comes to mind is, “I can barely afford one saber; forget two!” then we suggest purchasing only Saber #1. Saber #1 should be your go to saber. This is your training saber and may even be your performance saber. This is a saber that you intend on getting scratched, dinged and banged up quite often. This is the one you bring to class, that you may leave in your trunk, that if it broke, it wouldn’t break your heart. You should spend about $90 at Ultra Sabers and pick up one for yourself. If you’re 5’5 or above, we suggest an Initiate v4. If you are shorter than that, we suggest an Initiate v2. Simply because of size and weight. When you are doing saber spins or have to do quick grip changes, it’s when the little details of the saber will either work with you or against you. The blade MUST be a Heavy-Grade or Ultra-Edge Heavy-Grade blade.

Saber #2: The Prize Saber

Saber #2 should be your prize. This is where you spend the big bucks and buy a beautiful saber that you will take with you to Cons. That you will accessorize for your photos to join Saber Guild, the Rebel Legion or the 501st Legion. This is NOT the saber you want to bring to every class or to the park to practice with.

Ideally, most folks should start with a standard Stunt Saber that costs between $75 and $100 USD.

Granted, we try to build an environment where you don’t have random people trying to hit your blade as hard as they can but you will run into that – especially at Cons and performances. Be prepared and buy wisely.

Once you have your saber, come by class and give it a whirl. We’ll be waiting for you.

Posted by mcjadmin in General
Why we use LED stunt sabers

Why we use LED stunt sabers

There’s a variety of reasons why a saber choreography class may use an LED saber. As we combine aspects of saber choreography along with Yoga, Movement, Meditation, and Dance, we utilize the LED saber because it helps us in a variety of ways starting with the “hero” or “villain” we picture inside ourselves. It gives us a chance to connect with that inner child that was obsessed with being the hero/villain of their own personal story.

We all still harbor the hero within our hearts. Without sounding too poetic, it is also known as Anchoring in Neuro-linguistic programming. By utilizing an object and putting yourself in a mind space for it, it induces one to go into a certain mind-set or state of consciousness. An easy way to look at this would be every single time a fireman grabs his jacket and hat. When they grab it and put it on they get themselves ready in their mind for the challenge that comes ahead. The same can be said for the police officer putting on his badge.

In addition to that, we have a variety of reasons why we use LED Sabers:

  • Safety – By utilizing an LED saber, classes tend to be safer. We do not use heavy foam sabers or blunt weapons. There are no blades. The LED sabers tend to have a slight flexibility to them as well so in some cases they give away.
  • Brilliance – As we are swinging the Sabers, student can easily see them coming because of their Brilliance. Brilliance, once we dim the lights and put up the music you need to be able to clearly see where each person is in class. Because the LED saber is so brilliant one can look around the room and see exactly where each student is.
  • Glow-stick – Part of being in Miami and part of what we do is establishing a connection to the music. With an LED stick one can then go into a dance performance very similar to how it would be done at a rave or at an EDM concert.
  • Elegance – the LED saber is in a is an gorgeous prop. The sleek aluminum, the brilliant lights, the cool touch, the weight, and many other details really make the LED saber the choice tool for SaberCraft. Note: we do not use sounds related to sabers as they tend to be extremely distracting in class environments.
  • Lightweight – Weighing less than a pound they provide a very versatile tool.
  • Variety – There are a variety of hilt and colors available. Because of that one can express themselves however they see fit in our classes. This goes beyond what color is deemed “good” or if a color is deemed “evil”. It’s simply colors – Colors and connections.

So as you can see, there is a variety of reasons why one would use an LED saber for this type of class.

What’s the difference between an LED Stunt Saber and a Lightsaber?

Simple, a lightsaber is a fictitious weapon from the Star Wars saga that can cut through most things in the galaxy and it was powered by the Force through crystals. An LED Stunt Saber is a real manufactured saber for saber-hobbyists and martial artists. It is usually powered by batteries and cannot cut through anything as it a blunt item.

SaberCraft has the largest selection of LED Sabers available to the public for any class in the Southeast US.

Come by if you’re interested in learning more.

Posted by mcjadmin in General
Is this class for me? Yes!

Is this class for me? Yes!

We decided to open a saber-based chapter here back in 2015 and slowly it’s gained momentum until last year when kicked it into gear and started our official classes. Why saber based – because we are not solely based on just LED Sabers. There’s way more to this. So what do we cover in these classes and why would it apply to you. SaberCraft is about the following:

  • Dancing – learning pre-rehearsed forms with the sabers, expressing one-self in a dance with others
  • Stage Combat – not real combat, Everything is rehearsed for staged performances, shows or an organized form of LARPing
  • Discipline – completing routines over and over to attend a zen-state-of-mind
  • Acting – rehearsed and improve acting and building self-confidence in front of others
  • Yoga –  increased stretching, complimenting your daily workouts, building balance and truly understanding your body
  • Meditation – building gratitude in your life and learning to quiet the senses to explore our inner self
  • Imagination – exploring your creativity – costuming, photography, expression
  • Empowerment – getting more physically fit and building self-confidence personally and in front of others
  • Family – meeting like minded individuals who are interested in saber combat and looking for partners to practice with

Our classes are for people who want to have fun! Geeks, freaks, actors, moms, dads, kids or anyone who wants to truly feel empowered. People who want to find the hero inside themselves and step up in character. Folks who love to use their imagination and are interested in hanging out with other saberists, actors, cosplay players, and Con-attendees.

We are not teaching a “Martial Arts” nor “Fencing” class. We are teaching how to clash sabers and make it look good! There is no need to buy gear like a helmet or gloves. The best part about is that because you’re not bashing each other on the head, this is not an all-boys club. Our classes are equally 50% women and 50% men breaking any taboo or “norm”.

Swinging sticks recklessly will end up with someone getting hit in the head or worse. Rather than just swinging wildly, we teach you how to duel with others in a systematic way that makes it more competitive as it binds you and your partner to specific combination of moves.

Most actual fights in real life end in 2 moves. Staged Combat choreography tells a story. It is what lures us in when we watch a movie that has duelists. We want to see the spins. We want to see the drama and the split second hits. That’s what this class is about. It’s for students looking to play out a beautiful scene that tells a narrative and told through words, movement and the drama all while using a system.

Posted by mcjadmin in General