Orlando, FL Saberfight club

Hey, this is my first topic posted on Theforce.net, so I figured I might as well make it a doozy. I make lightsaber props and sell 'em on Ebay, and recently a friend of mine and I have been using them to spar with.

It's not only fun, but it's great exercise and it can help with fan films as well... if the actors actually know how to fight, the fighting can be more realistic. So I wanted to give a call out to all the Star Wars nerds in the Orlando area, see who would be interested in starting a saberfight club.

I myself live near UCF right now, and I have space outside that can be used to spar.

Anyone who's interested in making a functional saber and/or using it to spar with other people, post here. I can't guarantee I'll get back right away... having some modem problems, but I'm sure once this is posted, other people will add to it as well.

StickmanLt

 

That is truely an epic idea man!!!!! Set up a time and a date and I will see if I can drive down from Jacksonville to play!!!
I may or may not be able to contribute anything to it but man I can soo do this.
Buzz

 

I was hoping to make this saberfight club into a weekly thing, or even monthly if weekly won't work. I just spent about 4 hours sparring with a friend of mine... great exercise, great fun. Of course, I'm saying this 'cause I'm not the one who got whacked in the legs two dozen times.

Basically, this will be an all-ages thing, but since it will probably be held at night, I'm assuming the crowd will be late teens and above.

However, the more people we get involved, the more places and times we can set for people to meet, and then whoever can show up will.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I make inexpensive lightsaber props, for those who want to own their own sabers. For those who want to make their own, I can give advice and show you how I make mine. As much as I'd like to sell a saber to everyone there, I'm willing to share what I've learned from my months of sabermaking for free. Also, anyone with swordfighting or martial arts experience is welcome to come and share their experience. Most of what I've learned so far has been from sparring experience, I have no formal training of any kind.

Well, it's late at night, and I'm rambling... I'll just post what I have for now. I hope I can generate a good amount of interest, I already have one post that wasn't by me.

Saberfighting is great, but I just wish I had more than one opponant. We both learn from each other, and I'd imagine with a large group of people, we'd learn from everyone, and therefore learn more quickly.

StickmanLt

 

Well organize it!!!!!! It sounds like you are having meetings now if you are currently sparring. Send directions or something.
There is a meeting this weekend, be there, intoduce yourself, bring your wares......
PM me for any other freindly, well thought out, and remarkably free advice.
Buzz

 

All right, well, for the next week I'm free every day except for this coming weekend, the 10th and 11th. My friend that I usually spar with is only free Wednesday nights.

I live near UCF, so for those people interested who are students there, I'm probably within walking distance. I can give directions to get to my place once we set a date and time to do this. I was thinking we might do it a couple of nights a month... maybe on the weekend a couple of times for those who are in school, or work during the week, then have a couple of weekday nights to do it as well, for those who have freer schedules.

Whoever is interested, leave a post on what times and days would be best for you, and I'll try to arrange something that will include the most people. For those that have a free schedule, hey, leave a post saying that too.

If you're too shy to post anything, drop me an email at StickmanLt@aol.com. Make sure to include Saberfight club in the title, so I don't accidentally delete your mail with my junk mail.

StickmanLt

 

Okay let me address...... for those of us who live out out town and are not UCF students, give us some heads up and we, I will do what I can to participate.
I do early morning very well by the way. Saturdays preferbly.

 

I was thinking more like late afternoon/evening meetings, since it would be a lot of exercise outside... and with the florida heat, it's best done later in the day. But early mornings could be possible for some people, I'll have to see what the general demand is.

Also, if we do get a decent following, I might want to have a webpage, just a cheap free one on Tripod or something where we could have a meeting schedules and member lists posted, and then we'd just use this board to get the word out to possible new members.

StickmanLt

 

Hey,
I would love to get in on this. We should have a saber making party first.

Friday nights work best for me, but I can try to make it other times.

Leko

 

Yeah, the thought of a sabermaking party occured to me the other day. I can give advice, since I've been making them for a few months. Also, if said party was at my place, I have a drill and a saw and a PVC cutter and all of those things people would need to use... everything else could be bought at the local Home Depot. Metal tubes, epoxy, PVC and spraypaint for blades, ect.

The average saber will cost between 10-20 dollars to make, obviously a little more for double-sided sabers and things like that. I think for now, I'll tenatively schedule a sabermaking party for next Friday or Saturday, no time as of yet. As I said in my last post, I'll just wait and see who is available at what times.

And for those who don't want to make your own sabers, I can sell you any of my models that you see on my site for at least 7-10 dollars less than the cost shown there, because A) I won't have to pay for shipping, I can just give them to you, and B) It's for a good cause.

StickmanLt

 

Ooh... I just had an awesome idea... well... it's been floating around for a while. But hopefully I'll be able to show it off at the sabermaking party. I've had the idea of a light-claw rather than a lightsaber for quite a while... and when at Home Depot the other day, I saw something that I could use as a base for it. Didn't buy it then, I was in a hurry, but maybe sometime before or even during the sabermaking party, I can try to make one. Well, that's not really important, but I just had to tell somebody.

StickmanLt

 

Sounds very interesting Stickman, but my concern would safety and to that extent I would first (And yes I will offer my help as a writer and researcher) compile some training rules and guidelines for safety gear.
The information can be gathered from books and videos on martial arts, self-defense, fencing, etc. If you can't find anybody to help, you can get everything from books and videos and by studying the various types of safety gear available for fighting/sparring or parts from motocross, paintball and other sports. Of course technique-wise, books on sword, knife and stick fighting arts will probably be most useful and some do discuss safety aspects and concerns.
The SCA "nerds" play fight all the time. As a matter of fact, they welcome non-members. I was going to join them, but decided not too due to their total lack of courtesy and organization regarding meetings and helping new members.

 

Truthfully, I'm not TOO worried about safety. I've been sparring fairly roughly with a friend of mine, and we have yet to injure each other. PVC is so light that when I got whacked upside the head, it just bounced off, and it didn't really hurt at all. It only really hurts if you get whacked in the fingers or something sensitive.

In fact, the only time anyone was really hurt at all was when he was using wooden blades on his lightsaber.

But if someone wants to wear a bike helmet or pads or something, feel free. I won't think any less of you.

My idea of safety is just to start out slow, and work your way faster until you know what you're doing enough to keep from injuring yourself or your opponant. Some people may think that's a little lax... but you've never been whacked in the head with 3/4 inch PVC. It doesn't really hurt.

StickmanLt

 

Why don't we use Nerf-Sabres? Look me and a freind spent two hours in my backyard pounding away at each other. It's a blast! Trust me.... it was safer than when I used to be a roller hockey goalie.

 

Nerf sabers? Never used one, actually. My only question is, how much do they bend when you fight with them?

StickmanLt

 

It was a joke bro.

 

I umm... knew that. Really.

Anyway, so far the sabermaking party is still up in the air as far as it being on Friday or Saturday... I have one person who says Friday is better, and one who says Saturday is better... if anyone has any other input, lemme know. Otherwise I'll probably pick Saturday afternoon/evening for it.

And just because I'm a little bit paranoid, I'm going to make it an RSVP thing... you email me at StickmanLt@aol.com if you can come, and I'll email you back with my address. Also, that way I know how many people to expect.

For those who might need to use some of my materials to make a saber, I might have to charge a dollar or two for use of my epoxy and shiny buttons and whatnot, which would be cheaper than buying your own at the store, then having extra left over. A tube of epoxy costs about 4 bucks, and it lasts for at least 4 or 5 sabers. And the shiny buttons I use cost 5.99 for an entire roll... but there are hundreds on the roll. I have clear, blue, red and purple buttons on hand. The only decorative stuff I'd recommend you buy at Home Depot are the metal knobs, you can get two for a dollar, and since I'll be with you, I can show you where to find them.

Of course, I won't charge for use of my saw and my drill and whatnot, just for things that cost me money to replace. I'm not trying to get profit out of this club, just good exercise and fun.

StickmanLt

 

I apologize for not leaving this message earlier, but this is the first chance I've had to get online. The only person I've heard from off the message board is only free Friday afternoon, and so I guess I'm scheduling the sabermaking party for Friday, the 16th (today, since it's past midnight), try to show up between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. We'll make a mass trip down to Home Depot, so those of you who have cars, please be willing to drive, I myself don't have a car, and there could be others who can make it here, but won't have wheels. It's a good idea to have 15-25 dollars on you, maybe a little more if you plan on making a double sided saber. I can't imagine that they would cost more than 20 each, but you never know if you'll find a piece that you think would look really good, and costs an extra 5 bucks. My first saber cost me about 20, since then none of my later models have cost any more than that.

Email me to RSVP, since it's such short notice I will give you a link to the page that has my address http://cheapsabers.tripod.com/order.html. If you have any issues getting directions online or anything like that, I will try to help as best I can. My AOL screenname is StickmanLt, my MSN screenname is darktirade@hotmail.com, and my Yahoo! messanger name is also StickmanLt, if email is too slow for you. I will try to be online for several hours before the meeting.

If there is a conflict with times or anything like that, please let me know.

And, of course, if you have any friends who don't inhabit theforce.net, feel free to drag them along for the ride.

Sorry for the short notice, but I hope everybody can make it! I actually cleaned my apartment a little bit in preparation for having guests over (I've heard that's good to do).

StickmanLt

 

If I only get 0-1 RSVPs on this, then I'll just cancel and reschedule for tomorrow afternoon, but I'm hoping for today, since today's the only day that my friend who I already spar with can make it.

That was a long sentance... it made sense in my head. Anyway, if I get several angry responses saying that they can't make it, I'll probably also reschedule, but for now I'm just posting this because I just realized that most map sites can't give directions through the little roads in my apartment complex, so I'll give those.

Once you reach my apartment complex, University Club, come in the gate and then turn right. Go straight until you reach a four-way stop. Turn left. Keep driving for about 20 feet, and you'll reach a 2-way intersection. Turn left. My apartment is right there on the right side of the road, the building number is 12038. The doors are covered by green awnings, mine is under the second awning, apartment 1069. (Yes, it says 69 at the end... you can stop laughing now.) If you're looking at red awnings, you're looking on the left instead of the right.

If you have trouble finding your way to the apartment complex itself through any map programs online, I will try to help as best I can.

Stickmanlt

 

All righty... 4:30 and no RSVPs... I assume I just posted this too late, I apologize for that.

But if people can make it tomorrow, the 17th, let me know. I just want to find some time to get a few people together and get this saberfight club started. I've got a big backyard, lots of room to spar in... and only one sparring partner one night a week. I'd love to change that.

StickmanLt

 

I would totally interested in doing something like this. I have a parksaber and I fight as often as I can. I go to school in Daytona Beach, so it would be a small drive, but well worth it for some saberfighting! I will not be in town for another week and a half, though, so I would be unable to attend the saber making party.

 

Well, I think for now I'll just cancel any plans for this weekend and plan for next weekend, give people more time to get back to me.

I think it would be best to have it Friday afternoon/evening, I'm free then and so is the one person I already spar with. Also, he and I spar by ourselves late Wednesday night, so if anyone can make it then, we usually spar after 10 until all hours of the night. I wouldn't expect most people with NORMAL schedules to be able to make it to that, though.

But for now, I'll schedule the first saberfight club meeting as Friday the 23rd, starting late afternoon/early evening. I.E., between 4 and 5, and if you can't show up until after then, just let me know. I have a link in a previous post to my address, it should work for most map sites, I myself use Yahoo! maps.

The first meeting will just be sort of an introduction, and we'll make a trip down to Home Depot and pick up supplies to make sabers, so those that don't have them yet, or want to make one can. Although my apartment is small, the back yard is not, so we'll have plenty of room to spar, provided that it isn't pouring rain. Heck, I'm waterproof, I don't know about the rest of you.

StickmanLt

 

Hoping to hear from people about saberfight club tomorrow... the friend I usually spar with will probably be at my place at 7 at the VERY earliest, but I'm hoping more people can show up before then. It probably won't run too late, so for those of you that have to work on Saturday mornings, don't worry, we won't keep you out all night.

StickmanLt

 

Stickman,

I need saber hilts!! Help.

Can I buy a coupe of you?

Leko

 

Stickman,

Oh yeah beer and pizza on me as well.

Leko

 

Yeah, I have sabers that you can buy, and if I don't have any that you like on hand, I can make more.

Just wanted to add another post and say that Friday evenings are when saberfight club is gonna be. The last couple of Fridays it's just been me and Copazie sparring, but if anybody else wants to come buy, drop me an email at StickmanLt@aol.com and let me know. I'll try to help with directions and whatnot. And if you want to buy a saber from me, that's all good, or if you want to make your own, I'll be willing to give advice on sabermaking.

I'd love to get this group going. The more the better. Last week Copazie and I drew a big crowd. Oddly enough, they weren't watching us because we were freaks, they were watching us because they thought it was cool. And there were cute girls there, if that will motivate anybody else to come.

Well, that's all for now. I'll post again if I have anything of galactic importance to say. I hope to see people this Friday!

StickmanLt