You've seen all six Star Wars movies and eagerly await the seventh. You've bought the merch and played the video games. Now, dear Padawan, you can train as a Jedi knight. If you live in Italy, that is.
Established by three friends in 2005, the LudoSport Lightsaber Combat Academy (yes, it's a real thing) aims to teach the seven lightsaber fighting styles elaborated in the extended Star Wars canon. For example, students in the Academy's Knight Course learn Juyo-Vaapad, the style employed by such lightsaber luminaries as the red-skinned Darth Maul. In the Master Course, one studies Jar'Kai. (No word on Ataru, though—apparently, the gravity-defying form demonstrated by Yoda in Revenge of the Sith is still in development.)
No need to worry about losing a hand like Luke did: The LudoSport Lightsaber Combat Academy website notes that students fight with a "soft polycarbonate tube containing a reflective film, with a rounded cap on the tip." In addition, the aluminum lightsaber hilts have sound cards and motion sensors—because why should you have to make the iconic lightsaber hum and "whoosh" yourself? Finally, if things get out of hand, the Unione Italiana Sport per Tutti provides insurance coverage for Jedi-related injuries.
But how does the lightsaber style of the films compare with real swordfighting techniques? Not well, says Christopher Salet, who teaches Kendo at Sword Class NYC. "It looks like the pretend sword fighting you see in the movies," Salet says.
Which makes sense. It's pretend. But what if lightsabers weren't fictions? What would "real" lightsaber combat look like?
Salet argues that, given the incredible cutting ability and instant lethality of a lightsaber, combat would resemble the cautious circling and mental psyche-outs of a Kendo match, with the quick thrusts of fencing. "You wouldn't need too much force to land a deadly blow," he says.
There are real-life techniques to push an opponent's blade away, but the perpetual lightsaber clashing shown in the movies' duels doesn't make any sense," Saleu says. "You aren't there to injure the weapon."
And as soon as someone made an attacking move, the duel would be over in seconds because they'd either succeed or open themselves up to a counterattack. So, sadly, dueling with a real lightsaber would be nerve-wracking—and boring to watch.
