Image Credit: Saber Tour Website
Saber Talk is a blog primarily concerned with LED Saber fencing within the Saber Tour tournament system. So for the first post on the site, I thought I would introduce this unique sport to anyone unfamiliar with it.
LED Saber combat is a new sport based on the duels found within George Lucas’ epic science fiction/space opera trilogy, Star Wars. Within this activity, combatants typically fight in a square arena with illuminated polycarbonate blades. Duelists then compete in fast-paced matches, scoring points for successful hits landed on their opponent, all under the watchful eye of a Head Referee and two assistants known as “Mirror” referees. Their task is to ensure the fighters’ hits are valid and keep track of their remaining Hit Points.
The first club involved in Saber Tour was Sport Saber League (SSL), founded by Adrien Koch Forbin on May 4th 2015. This club was France’s first and they have since trained 700 students in their Paris school and set up many others across the country.
SSL has spearheaded the Saber Tour movement since it began in June 2023, and the system has been expanding rapidly to include other clubs outside of Sport Saber League across France, the UK and Italy – such as Force Academy Rennes (FAR35), Eclipse Combat Academy (SSL London), Forge Jedaii (ASL Nice) and Force Academie Briarde (FAB77).
26 clubs have joined the Saber Tour since June 2023 and there over 150 fighters competing in tournaments across three countries.
Tournaments are judged by certified referees under a formal ruleset, and fighters earn ranking points based on their placement, with different tournaments contributing different amounts to the Annual Scores of the fighters.
For instance the UK Open (a Challenger tier tournament held in London) gives the Winner 100 points, while the Open de France (a Major tournament and the most prestigious event of the year) is worth 150 points.
Overall, Saber Tour is the core of a flourishing international sport that is continually growing and evolving. Whether you are a fighter, a fan or a curious onlooker, I invite you to join me here at Saber Talk as I cover tournaments, share interviews, tactics and insights into the circuit across this season and hopefully for many more to come.
May The Force Be With You
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Acknowledgements:
A huge thank you to Adrien Koch Forbin, Arthur Gautier and Alexis Leperlier for their help in ensuring that this post was the best and most accurate it could be.
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