You’ve done it. Today is the day you finally signed up for that lightsaber school you’ve been hearing about. But you’ve never been to a lightsaber class. Or maybe this is your first time in any kind of martial arts setting. What have you gotten yourself into? What even is lightsaber combat? What's a lightsaber? First.... Second, if you're unsure what a lightsaber is. Seek immediate medical attention or check out Indy Bat'leth Academy. At Indy Lightsaber Academy we teach lightsaber combat through a fun and skill based approach. Each of our “forms” are based off a real world martial art influenced by the unique properties of a lightsaber. But don’t worry, you don’t need any martial arts experience. For our Tuesday classes, the only limitation is that you have to be over 12. Our classes are good for the casual exerciser looking for something different, to the serious martial artist looking for a challenge. Lightsaber Combat? It’s wha...

For this post I'm going to recap a lot of our media coverage that we've had since 2015. You can tell we were pretty popular around the time of The Force Awakens opening. Not that we're not still popular. But we were the go-to group for a lot of things Star Wars related. So enjoy the trip down memory lane and catch up on your ILA history. (please note that it is not in chronological order) Indy with Kids https://indywithkids.com/locations/indy-lightsaber-academy/ Indy with Kids was one of the first people to do a story about us. At that time we were hardly a group and were just starting out. It was also the first time that I met the famous D list Indianapolis celebrity Leilan McNally (also see Leland). These are good people. You should check out their site. Indy Lightsaber Academy Celebrates Their Third Year https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/indianapolis/indy-lightsaber-academy-celebrates-their-third-year In May 2018, R...

We get a lot of questions. We also get a lot of the same questions. And don't get us wrong, we love answering them. So to help make information easier to access, I'm creating a series of FAQs.  For today’s FAQ I’ve enlisted the help of "Lighty" the helpful lightsaber. He (or she) is going to help me answer some common questions we get. "Lighty" the helpful lightsaber Question 1: My son is 5 and would like to come to lightsaber class. When are your classes?                                      Question 2: I want to come to lightsaber class, but I don’t have a lightsaber. What can I do? Question 3: Where do you get your lightsabers?                     Question 4: I did karate for 8 years, 3 yea...

You might be asking yourself, "wait, Indy Lightsaber Academy has a blog?" In a long time ago galaxy that's somewhat far away (almost 2 years ago for those counting), I made a post. This post was about how to pick out a lightsaber . You could say it was a blog. Michael Tucker might have called it inane ramblings that should have been edited. Shortly after I hit post on that article, a series of unfortunate events occurred and I was left without means to create more beautiful symphonies. Many people were happy. And things that were probably better lost in the 4th page of google results, were forgotten. Until one day.... But now in our third year of being, our organization has a lot of things going on. I'm not going to list them in this post, but trust me it's a lot. My goal is to publish 1-2 posts a week about various topics and events. Some will have pictures, some won't, and others might even include a video. If there is anything you ever want cover...

This is a question I get asked multiple times a week and at every event. " What is Indy Lightsaber Academy?"   Most of the time the answer goes a little something like this… "It's class where we teach you how to use a lightsaber. Based on real world martial arts, the class focuses on control and skill and less flips and spins. Ages 10 and up preferred. No experience or equipment is required. We hold class weekly and are located in downtown Indianapolis at the City Way YMCA" But that is just a description, and for the most part satisfies people's curiosity. But really, what is Indy Lightsaber Academy? Why do we exist, why do people come and enjoy what we have to offer? What are we doing that's different. The real answer? It's a discipline Make no mistake, what you are learning is a martial art. These are not made up forms based off the movies. These are forms that include centuries of martial arts and infinite complexity. Thank...

I remember my first lightsaber, it was a cheap Vader inspired hilt that probably lit up. Even then I thought "wow, this thing isn't all that comfortable to hold". It had all kinds of little buttons and gadgets that to my knowledge did nothing other than make it look mostly like what it was on screen. Fast forward 15 or so years and I was given the chance to pick out my own custom lightsaber. Things have certainly changed since the early days of toy lightsabers. They are made out of aircraft grade aluminum and involve LEDs powerful enough to blind your dog. So I decided to put a lot of thought and care into my selection. I chose the shiny one. My lovely wife holding the very first lightsaber of Indy Lightsaber Academy As it turns out, I chose pretty well. The saber was simple, easy to hold, and aesthetically pleasing. It remains one of my favorite sabers to this day. But then I got stupid and bought something that wasn't simple, horrible to hold and look...