Lightsaber Duelling Is Now An Officially Recognised Sport In France

All those years of waving sticks around and pretending you were a Jedi are finally paying off.

As reported by the Associated Press, lightsaber duelling has been officially recognised by the French Fencing Federation as a competitive sport. With the Federation’s support, French fencing clubs are equipping their arsenals with these weapons from a galaxy far, far away, and instructors are being trained to in turn train young Padawans.

Unlike your childhood duels of old, there’s more to an official lightsaber battle than simply whacking each other with tree branches until someone more responsible intervenes. Similar to fencing, fighters wear protective gear, and lightsaber duels follow a point system.

Points are awarded according to where you land a hit. Five points are given for striking your opponent’s head or body, three for their limbs, and one for their hands. If both combatants reach 10 points, the match enters sudden death, meaning the first to land a head or body blow wins. Each bout lasts for a maximum of three minutes, or until someone earns 15 points.

Duels also take place in a circle marked with tape, so you can’t run to the high ground.

Lightsaber dueling: Some basic rules. pic.twitter.com/GNEKH5jPJg

— John Leicester (@johnleicester) February 18, 2019

Unlike in fencing, fighters aren’t allowed to jab at their opponents. Points are only awarded for a strike if the lightsaber started with its end behind the fighter, meaning combatants have to make large, swooping movements. This was a deliberate choice, as it makes lightsaber duels more interesting to watch.

The weapons themselves are made of polycarbonate, lit inside by LEDs. Depending on how much money you invest in your weapon, some of them also make the classic electric sounds from the Star Wars movies.

Speaking to the Associated Press, the French Fencing Federation’s secretary general Serge Aubailly believes that embracing lightsabers will help promote good health and exercise. “With young people today, it’s a real public health issue. They don’t do any sport and only exercise with their thumbs,” he said.

“That is why we are trying to create a bond between our discipline and modern technologies, so participating in a sport feels natural.”

According to the Federation, as translated by Google Translate, around 90 clubs throughout France now offer lightsaber duelling.

Earlier this month, with the support of the French Fencing Federation, the Sabre Laser Academy held France’s second national lightsaber tournament. Thirty four competitors participated, with this year’s title going to Anthony Lococo, who defeated Maxime Fayt in sudden death with a blow to the head. Lococo was also the reigning champion from last year’s tournament.