"A weapon for a more civilised age..."

The sporting light sabers used in LudoSport must all follow a specific standard so that athletes are all fighting with standard weapons, and they are all safe to use in the techniques codified by the LudoSport masters, that we teach.

The Academy has a selection of sabers for students to use in class and at tournaments, so there is no need for beginners to purchase their own light saber -- they are provided for your lessons by us.

Th basic specification for the single saber is that, the hilt must be between 26 cm and 32 cm, with a weight between 470g and 730g, with the plastic blade/tube extending from the hilt with a length of 87cm.

The light saber must be made by one of several approved manufacturers (including Lama di Luce in Italy and Nordic Sabers in Sweden) or self-built by the athlete and then signed off by one of our saber-smiths.

The saber must light up with the coloured light appropriate to the rank of the student (beginners must have a blue blade) and make suitable sounds that are not distracting to the opponent.

Rule 1 of LudoSport gives the specific details...

Rule #1 - The Light Saber
Three types of light saber can be used for the sport: long, short and double.

The “long saber” must have a hilt of a minimum length of 26 cm and a maximum length of 32 cm, with a tolerance range of 2 mm. The weight of the hilt must be between 500 and 700 gr with a tolerance range of 30 gr. The blade, a tube of polycarbonate of a diameter of 25 mm with a gauge of 2 mm, must come out of the hilt for 87 cm, with a tolerance range of 5 mm.

The “short saber” must have a hilt of a minimum length of 18 cm and a maximum length of 26 cm, with a tolerance range of 2 mm. The weight of the hilt must be between 400 and 600 gr with a tolerance range of 30 gr. The blade, a tube of polycarbonate of a diameter of 25 mm with a gauge of 2 mm, must come out of the hilt for 60 cm with a tolerance range of 5 mm.

The “dual-headed staff” must have a hilt of a minimum length of 41 cm and a maximum length of 54 cm, with a tolerance range of 2 mm. The weight of the hilt must be between 550 and 800 gr with a tolerance range of 30 gr. The blade, a tube of polycarbonate of a diameter of 25 mm with a gauge of 2 mm, must come out of the hilt for 73 cm with a tolerance range of 5 mm.

The length of the blade is calculated including the cap. In any case, the cap must be hemispherical and not ogival (pointed).

Once the blade is illuminated, the saber is considered to be “armed”. Otherwise it is considered “unarmed”.

Sabers without light or sound are not permitted. No delay between motion and associated light and/or sound effects shall be noticed.

For safety reasons: a) the hilts cannot have cutting, barbed or dangerous parts in the event they come into contact with the adversary’s body or uniform; b) the electronics must be equipped with batteries protected from short circuits, undervoltage and overvoltage, and be inserted inside a casing equipped with vent holes; c) the hilt assembly shall satisfy electromagnetic compatibility requirements.

In order to be used in official competitions, both hilts and blades need to comply further specific technical requirements established by SLM and its delegated entities.

Saber-Smiths

Our light sabers are maintained by our team of trained saber smiths, one of the many training paths within the sport apart from members and athletes.

Our saber smiths can repair many faults with the sabers, including replacing LEDs, batteries and speakers; also offering advice and support to athletes with the maintenance and customisation of both the hardware and software settings of their weapons.

Our own Midlands Master Saber-smith also helped the International team develop the firmware in the Lama di Luce Polaris light saber, and wrote the Gilthoniel Windows/MacOS control software for the Polaris light saber.

If you choose to build your own light saber, our saber-smiths will be pleased to offer you build advice along the way to ensure your custom weapon meets all the necessary specifications and safety requirements.