Lightsaber-fencing channel

[Cang Snow]

Howdy ya'll. SoCal Lightsaber League's YouTube channel is live. We are a lightsaber-fencing organization promoting the art of lightsaber as a spectator sport. You can see matches, practice videos, and instructionals on a regular basis. We'd eventually like to bring you the same quality as TPLA but with a different take on the art and science of lightsaber combat. I'll post anything new of note in here so if you're interested in combat/fencing, please keep an eye on us. Hope you enjoy what we have to offer and that you'll support us with a subscribe. Thanks.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMg9ywuaVI" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMg9ywuaVI</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRfLcAFaAYM" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRfLcAFaAYM</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQhaOMvsceU" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQhaOMvsceU</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAzz6s1hJRk" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAzz6s1hJRk</a>

[Rapine]

Right on Cang Snow!

That looks well organised, and fun.

[Cang Snow]

Thanks, Lord Rapine!

Here's our lastest video: me vs our club founder experimenting with formats and techniques in a friendly match.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jr88kuixAI" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jr88kuixAI</a>

[Rapine]

AND HE WINS!!

Way to go Snow.

I like how you incorporate spins, and keep your blade moving.

Great vid - thanks.

+1

[Benji]

Thanks, Lord Rapine!

Here's our lastest video: me vs our club founder experimenting with formats and techniques in a friendly match.

Several of these techniques look very familiar to me.  So... question time.

You definitely have on head and hand protection. Are you wearing a chest protector of some kind under your shirt?

[Cang Snow]

Several of these techniques look very familiar to me.  So... question time.

You definitely have on head and hand protection. Are you wearing a chest protector of some kind under your shirt?

Some of us wear chest protectors and/or padded shirts/coats. I only wear one when fencing with heavygrade blades, which our club doesn't use anymore.

This is more than you asked but I'll hazard a guess this will come up: we use 3/4" thin-walled polycarbonate blades, with adapters to fit them into our hilts. Much faster and safer, in our opinion.

[Benji]

Some of us wear chest protectors and/or padded shirts/coats. I only wear one when fencing with heavygrade blades, which our club doesn't use anymore.

This is more than you asked but I'll hazard a guess this will come up: we use 3/4" thin-walled polycarbonate blades, with adapters to fit them into our hilts. Much faster and safer, in our opinion.

Nice. Hadn't thought about the blades, although I did notice they flex considerably in the slow motion shots. Great info! I'd give you another point but they say I have to wait an hour for that.

[Cang Snow]

Several of these techniques look very familiar to me.  So... question time.

You definitely have on head and hand protection. Are you wearing a chest protector of some kind under your shirt?

Thanks for the points!

So what techniques are familiar to you? Tech talk is best talk

[Benji]

Thanks for the points!

So what techniques are familiar to you? Tech talk is best talk

This is referring specifically to the last video. There's a move you tend to do a lot where you spin the saber and take a step forward while striking overhand at the same time. My partner does this a lot and I've learned it as well as a couple defenses against it.

Where as Ryan in his defense seems to use heaven and earth kata a couple times, sweeping upward block the goal to push your blade up out of the way and trying to smash down.  Even when the 'block' doesn't connect, it's followed by the downward stroke.

I also see many variations on the feint. Or a strike that's intentionally pulled and redirected somewhere else.

Round 2, on Ryan's first touch it looks to me like he used a ballestra. Or some type of slightly exagerated lunge. There's times looking at the way you move your saber where I think you're trying to use florentine style except that you only have one blade.

Let me know how close I am on any of this. I'm sort of a newb.

[Cang Snow]

This is referring specifically to the last video. There's a move you tend to do a lot where you spin the saber and take a step forward while striking overhand at the same time. My partner does this a lot and I've learned it as well as a couple defenses against it.

Yes there's a name for that in Olympic and turns out I've been using the wrong one the whole time. So I don't know what that's called. As far as I'm concerned every flip but the last one is a feint, for those opponents who wait for your attack to finish then riposte.

If you like that, you should check out Vickerz in our club, who does the same but going the other way. Makes for a wicked undercut. Very hard to parry correctly. Check out this vid around 0:54.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzOGi-_TNC4" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzOGi-_TNC4</a>

Where as Ryan in his defense seems to use heaven and earth kata a couple times, sweeping upward block the goal to push your blade up out of the way and trying to smash down.  Even when the 'block' doesn't connect, it's followed by the downward stroke.

Ryan probably uses the most committed stances in our club, which I think you're referring to. He doesn't block a lot but when he does they are powerful.

Round 2, on Ryan's first touch it looks to me like he used a ballestra. Or some type of slightly exagerated lunge. There's times looking at the way you move your saber where I think you're trying to use florentine style except that you only have one blade.

I watched it and it looks like a cross-step-lunge or a short fleche (we call it a flechette). A ballestra, in Olympic, is just a forward hop, often followed by a lunge. It's more like what is called a "Hyper Jump Step" in this video from TPLA around 2:55:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkbah4mcznU" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkbah4mcznU</a>

[Benji]

If you like that, you should check out Vickerz in our club, who does the same but going the other way. Makes for a wicked undercut. Very hard to parry correctly. Check out this vid around 0:54.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzOGi-_TNC4

Ryan probably uses the most committed stances in our club, which I think you're referring to. He doesn't block a lot but when he does they are powerful.

I watched it and it looks like a cross-step-lunge or a short fleche (we call it a flechette). A ballestra, in Olympic, is just a forward hop, often followed by a lunge. It's more like what is called a "Hyper Jump Step" in this video from TPLA around 2:55:

That's an interesting video.

What I'm referring to with Ryan is when he takes a forward step, raising the blade and in the same stroke changing direction and bringing it back down. In Japanese tradition, this is referred to as heaven and earth. Happens a couple times in the video but notably at about 3:35-3:40. He misses you completely with it there as you step back.

And, yes, the "Hyper Jump Step" from TPLA was what I was calling a ballestra. Flechette may be a more accurate term.