Do or do not. There is no try.
Thatâs the approach I took last year when I decided I wanted to learn to fight with a lightsaber for real. Or…as real as I could get, anyway.
Iâm pretty obsessed with lightsabers and I feel like I donât really have to explain why. From the very first time I saw Luke Skywalker spark up that green laser sword and slaughter Jabbaâs goons in Return of the Jedi, I was hooked. I know Iâm not the only person in the world who feels that way, and since my job is to make videos here at Nerdist, I try to shoehorn lightsabers into as many videos as my bosses will let me get away with.
About a year ago, I made a Nerdist video about the Saber Legion. These men and women gear up in full armor and hack the crap out of each other with lightsabers. Terry Birnbaum, the organizationâs founder, told me about an event called TSL3, their third annual national tournament held in Las Vegas as part of CombatCon. I had about a year to get ready and I figured it was time to put Master Yodaâs words into practice and go for it.
I grew up playing baseball. Iâm not a martial artist and Iâve never really been trained to fight in any way. When I first connected with the Saber Legion’s Southern California Charter, they asked me what my fighting background was. Watching Star Wars on a loop for like 30 years was the best answer I could come up with. And honestly, as I got going I realized everything I knew about swordfighting I learned from both Skywalkers and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
I went as far as Milan, Italy to attend a training session with LudoSport International. You can check that out in the video above. I even got to have a conversation with Star Wars actor Ray Park about saber combat. Thatâs in the video too. (You should really probably check it out.)
Training in other lightsaber fighting disciplines is helpful, especially for someone whoâs never been trained to fight before. But as I soon found out, nothing really prepares you for the Saber Legion like the Saber Legion. I visited the groupâs birthplace on a trip to Minnesota earlier this year. I got to fight with Birnbaum and Charlie Cummings, a top-ranked TSL fighter.
âThe person in the ring who has fought the most will usually win the fight,â Terry told me. I nodded like an idiot, thinking I knew what he was talking about. I didnât find out until later that I really had no idea.
When I say itâs full armor, Iâm not kidding. The organization has a strict rule set, requiring fighters to be covered head to toe in protective layers of foam, plastic, metal and leather. My whole thing was, if youâre gonna build a suit of armor, why not make it Star Wars armor? So thatâs what we did. You can check out more about the armor and my custom lightsaber in the video. (Not gonna let up on this.)
My trip to TSL3 was incredible. It was easily the most fun Iâve ever had at a convention, and I go to lots of them as part of my job. The fighting was exhilarating. I fought in three official tournament fights. To find out how I did, letâs all say it together now, you should check out the video. But letâs just say I found out first-hand what Terry was talking about. I had taken a whole year to get ready for TSL3 and what I quickly found out was that a year wasnât nearly enough.
The thing I really took away from TSL3 was how much this group of fighters from all over the country truly cares for its members. After every fight, the fighters hug it out. Thereâs no trash talk, thereâs no macho bullshit — these people just love to get in the ring with each other and fight with laser swords. And I felt like I fit right in.
âTheyâre super passionate and dedicated. Itâs our family,” Birnbaum told me. “Thereâs this awesome feeling when weâre all together. You may talk with them online but when you see them in person itâs just this strong, very loving feeling. Itâs amazing. I love these people.â
The Saber Legion has charters all over the U.S. Find one near you at saberlegion.org. You can also find resources there on what kind of gear you need. But seriously, if youâve ever wanted to get out there and fight with a lightsaber, now is the time.
Do or do not. There is no try.
Images: The Saber Legion
Special thanks to Steve Huff and Creative Combat, Cang Snow and Lightspeed Saber League, Starfall Sabers, Jason Hayden, Nick Cohen at Starfall Sabers, and to my brother Brad Gill, who hung out and helped me shoot at TSL3.