lightsaber

Nov

2016

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.

Oct

2016

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.