A lightsaber fighting class might seem like an unusual way for two bookish ladies to spend a Sunday afternoon.
(That’s even though Eleanor, when pressed, will admit to having seen all the Star Wars films in the theater upon their release, starting with the first installment in 1977.)
Nonetheless, when we saw the Valley Calendar listing for a theatrical lightsaber combat class, our immediate response was: How cool is that and how soon can we try it out?
Last Sunday at Infinity Martial Fitness in Lebanon, we joined nine other participants, ranging in age from elementary school to middle age, to practice spinning and sparring with instructors Haley Stoner and Shoshana Boar, of the Kyber Academy.
According to Star Wars lore, a kyber crystal is at the heart of the lightsaber and gives it the power of the Force.
The class meets from 1-3 p.m. every Sunday and is open to people at all levels of experience. It’s geared primarily toward adults, but children ages 5-18 can attend if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Registration is preferred, but people also are welcome to drop in to participate or watch. For questions or to register, visit Kyber Academy’s Facebook page. The class is currently free.
While experienced lightsaber wielders can purchase replicas that light up and make sounds, we used boffer (foam) swords and followed safety guidelines to make sure no one got hurt.
“We try to make it as friendly an atmosphere as possible,” Boar said.
In our class, participants varied in age, interest and capability. There were novices like us and others who already established lightsaber combat skills learned through Star Wars. About 10 people attend each session, with half of those returning, according to the instructors.
“Mostly it’s been people interested in Star Wars,” Stoner said.
Stoner, a first-year biomedical engineering Ph.D. student at Dartmouth College, is relatively new to lightsaber combat. Last summer, she attended MegaCon (a convention for science fiction, fantasy, gaming and anime fans) in her native Florida where she was intrigued by a vendor selling lightsabers.
“I looked it up that night and said, ‘All right, I’m going to do this now,’ ” Stoner said. “I’ve always loved video games and strategy games and being able to do that real-time with a physical activity and sport makes it fun.”
She quickly got involved in the Saber Legion, an international group of lightsaber enthusiasts, to meet other people with the same interest. When she moved to the Upper Valley, she met Boar. At first, they practiced on the Dartmouth Green, but as the weather got colder, they started to look for an indoor space.
As an instructor, Stoner applies a “see, do, teach” method.
“It’s just a different way of learning, which is what I like about it a lot,” Stoner said. “It brings people together, too, from different avenues.”
Boar, who lives in White River Junction, became interested in lightsabers about four years ago when a bout of tendinitis sidelined her flute playing and she decided to try a different hobby. She started taking workshops in circus arts and performance arts, which led to sword spinning.
Like Stoner, Boar had attended gatherings of the Saber Legion and wanted to start a group closer to home. She also takes kickboxing lessons at Infinity Martial Fitness and asked the owner for permission to use the space.
Lightsaber combat isn’t like traditional swordfighting, and it doesn’t try to be. It’s “a combination of everything,” Boar said.
“People bring in sword arts from every discipline you can think of — kendo, fencing, other martial arts. It’s a complete mixed bag of stuff,” Boar said.
“It’s not as intimidating as a martial art with an 800-year history. The pressure is much less. The whole core of it is to have a good time, get some exercise and learn from other people,” she added.
Generally speaking, cinematic swordplay doesn’t strive for historical accuracy, Boar said. “In the movies, they’re looking for a flashy fight. They’re trying to create emotional power. That really comes first, as opposed to trying to be close to realistic or historical swordplay. The primary focus is to tell a story.”
For beginners who don’t want to invest in a lightsaber right away, Boar recommended practicing with a dowel or a piece of PVC pipe.
“Some people pick it up a little faster than others, but it’s just practice. You have to stick with it,” Boar said. “Working in tiny increments more often is better than spending half an hour on a Friday night practicing and then not practicing for the rest of the week. … There’s going to be a lot of frustration. Just keep at it, bit by bit. You’ll get there.”
Boar started off the class by teaching the group basic sword spinning skills, using one hand to turn the sword clockwise and counterclockwise. She encouraged us to try the skill with our non-dominant hand, as sword combat requires fighters to use both. Figure eight spins were next, and we were grateful that our swords foam tubes rather than burning energy blades when they made contact with our bodies.
After learning six fundamental sword combat techniques from Stoner, we paired up to practice attacking and blocking in slow motion.
At the conclusion of the class, students formed two lines to spar with the instructors. Each time a participant hit Stoner or Boar with a foam sword, they received a point. If the instructor made first contact, the participant went back to the end of the line to try again.
We did not earn any points.
Throughout the class, Boar and Stoner never wavered from their encouragement and suggestions for how to improve techniques.
So will we be back?
Liz plans on attending again with her Star Wars and swordfighting enthusiast boyfriend. Eleanor is content to stay home and practice her spins with a whiffle ball bat.
But the class reinforced something we’ve learned from years overseeing the Valley Calendar and what Stoner summarized so perfectly:
“If you have an interest in something, then express that interest, get it out there, and you’ll find a lot more people share that, and you can create a community out of it.”
Liz Sauchelli and Eleanor Kohlsaat can be reached at calendar@vnews.com.
