The lightsaber is perhaps the defining image of the Star Wars series, and fencing’s top brass are hoping it can do for the sport what the Hunger Games did for archery

The Hunger Games gave Olympic archery a big boost, with thousands of kids taking up a bow and arrow to be more like Jennifer Lawrence.

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So with another generation of Star Wars fans being raised on The Force Awakens, will we see more people taking up fencing? The lightsaber – “an elegant weapon for a more civilized age” – is the defining image of the Star Wars series. Even the much-maligned prequels had plenty of lightsaber highlights. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan v Darth Maul. Mace Windu disposing of Boba Fett’s dad. Yoda flipping through the air to show his stuff. The climactic finale of Obi-Wan v Anakin.

And the flashy battles do indeed bring a few more people to fencing instructors such as 2008 Olympic medalist Tim Morehouse, who has recently opened a fencing club in addition to his nonprofit program Fencing in the Schools.

“We’ve had people emailing every day,” Morehouse said. “A lot of times, a kid cites Star Wars. They’re at home breaking things, and their parents want to get them somewhere where it’s legal.”

Internationally, someone in the fencing world is trying to unite the worlds of steel and light. The organizers at the last fencing World Championships in Moscow paid homage to the glowing swords with an elaborately choreographed exhibition duel, though the music didn’t fit.

Fencing has been a successful sport in the USA in the past decade. In 2004, Mariel Zagunis and Sada Jacobson broke a 20-year medal drought with gold and bronze in women’s saber, then took gold and silver in 2008 while team-mate Becca Ward completed the sweep with bronze. That trio also took bronze in the team event, while Morehouse and the US men’s saber fencers took silver. US women also have taken a team foil silver in 2008 and team épée bronze in 2012.

At the grass roots, USA Fencing has a solid membership base. The “competitive” membership ranks have been consistently in the 20,000- to 22,000 range in recent years, while total membership has blossomed to more than 33,000 with a new “non-competitive” membership offered since 2012 that includes after school programs and introductory classes.

And the Star Wars saga continues to inspire new fencers of all generations, even when there’s no new movie in theaters, says Bob Bodor, USA Fencing’s membership services manager. “Star Wars has always been a valuable recruiting tool for the sport,” Bodor said. Club managers, the first line of recruiting in the fencing community, have long sought to capitalize on the lightsaber’s popularity.

One club specifically sought to make the most out of the release of The Force Awakens. The Maryland Fencing Club replaced its annual Christmas party with a “lightsaber tournament.”

Not that lightsaber dueling looks a lot like fencing beyond the general concept of battling with long objects. Star Wars cast members train in the Japanese martial art of kendo, in which fighters use both hands to wield bamboo sticks with the occasional acrobatic flourish befitting a Jedi.

A realistic fencing bout wouldn’t offer up the drama George Lucas and JJ Abrams are seeking. A point in a saber bout typically lasts three to five seconds, with the occasional 15-second “epic.”

And Morehouse would like his chances of success if someone came at him swinging a lightsaber over his or her head. “They would be done in under one second,” Morehouse said. “I would have defeated them.”

But despite the kendo influence, fencers played a big role in the Star Wars series. The late British fencer Richard Bonehill played several roles in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi while his countryman Bob Anderson, who choreographed the gold standard of fencing scenes in The Princess Bride, was the man behind Darth Vader’s mask in his showdowns in Empire and Jedi.

Besides – it’s a lightsaber. Not a light stick. The name is well-chosen – unlike the foil and the épée, the saber can score a point in fencing with any part of the blade. A light-foil or light-épée would imply that a strike with the side of the beam of light wouldn’t hurt, which several Star Wars characters with missing hands or arms would dispute.



And it’s not as if Jennifer Lawrence perfectly mimicked competitive archery in The Hunger Games. Her training with with Olympic archery medalist Khatuna Lorig paid off, but Hollywood always tweaks something. An Archery 360 analysis praised Lawrence’s posture and release but said her grip needed work. But if your arrows explode, precision is a little less important than it is in the Olympics.

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Besides, technical accuracy isn’t always crucial for nine-year-olds. Morehouse sees plenty of kids who don’t mind the differences between the Star Wars galaxy and this one. “We have a lot of kids who are super-stoked to be fencing and swordfighting even if it’s not exactly like in the movies.”

Star Wars prequel cast member Samuel L Jackson has, following the traditions of dueling, flung the gauntlet at the current cast, saying they need to go to “lightsaber fight school.”

Maybe Morehouse can help.

“If you’re into swordfighting, come on down to fencing,” Morehouse said. “You’ll have a good time. You don’t get in trouble for hitting people with stuff in fencing.”