LOS ANGELES, CA – Californians will no longer have to be in a galaxy far far away to wield a weapon reserved for a Jedi, locals can now fight the Galactic Empire in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Light Force Academy opens in Santa Clarita

Located at Iron Fist Martial Arts

Attracting Star Wars fans to train like a Jedi

Bryan Lee is just one of the students of the light force academy at Iron Fist Martial Arts in Santa Clarita. By day the Star Wars fan works for a telecom company.

“I was 11-when they first came out for the 20th anniversary re-release that was back in ‘97,” says Lee.

Lee found out about the light force academy through his friend who is also a Star Wars fan.

“It’s a lot of what brings us here, it’s not just wanting to get into a fun sword fighting sport but also cause we’re Star Wars fans and we get a kick out of it,” said Lee.

On February 23 the students will put their Star Wars weapons knowledge to the test. Iron Fist Martial Arts will host their first light saber tournament in Santa Clarita. It will also be Lee’s first tournament, and a first for many of his fellow classmates.

Academy instructor Patrick Tatevossian started the light force Academy three years ago and says it draws in a crowd that isn’t particularly interested in fencing or martial arts. He says many students initially sign up because of their love for sci-fi, but they end up learning more than they expect.

“The biggest thing that we try and tell people is it’s not just playing with light sabers were actually teaching methods from different martial arts styles,” says Tatevossian.

The light saber dueling movement is gaining in popularity, in fact there are clubs all over Southern California and the France Fencing Federation recently recognized lightsaber duels as a competitive sport. Whether it will happen here in the United States no one knows, but judging from these Jedi’s in training, the force is definitely strong.​