Terra Prime Lightsaber Academy
Welcome
to
TPLA was created by Chad Eisner, an instructor of the traditional Chinese martial arts, and Matthew Stewart-Fulton, a historical European martial arts enthusiast, in 2012. They founded TPLA with the goal of creating a free, easily accessible, curriculum which could support class room instruction, informal study groups, or solo practice by the many “Learners in Exile” who wished to follow their work but were isolated from in person training.
Official partners with The French Fencing Federation
In 2018 the French Federation of Fencing accepted the LED saber as the fourth official fencing weapon. Since that time, the FFE and TPLA school Academie de Sabre Laser (ASL) have been certifying coaches and referees and holding national competitions in France. In October of 2019, Chad Eisner of TPLA traveled to France to formalize the relationship between the FFE and TPLA and to work to start up official certifications for people in the United States.
TPLA Is proud to be the official ambassadors to the sport of LED Saber on behalf of the FFE for the USA. We will be holding national certifications for booth coaches and refs coming soon. Please take a look at the rules presented below. If you are interested in certification, please contact us
Training in the LED Saber
Anyone can access the Terra Prime lightsaber system. A number of affiliated schools and clubs offer in-person instruction at locations in the United States and Europe. Click here to see if there is a school in your area.
TPLA also offers an extensive range of learing aids for individuals without direct access to one of our instructors. Our curriculum, complete with step by step training and discussion videos, is advailable to any student or school through our YouTube channel. If you would like to formally register as an Apprentice in our system, please visit our discussion board where you can submit videos for feedback from our staff.
When exploring this material be sure to start off with Form I and work your way through first the "Formula" video, then the "Accelerations," "Dulon" and finally the "Velocities." These four basic pillars, examined in that order, will guide students through each of the progressive levels of LED saber training.
Remote students can also access live classes and ask questions via the Lightsaber Academy's channels on YouTube, Facebook live events and Zoom. Finally, TPLA and its affiliated schools host multiple workshops, seminars and tournmanets every year focusing on certifications for both the FFE competitive system and our core curriculum designed to advance students through each of the seven forms of lightsaber combat
Equipment
TPLA takes safety very seriously and was the first group in the LED saber community to mandate the use of fencing masks and lacrosse gloves during sparring. During FFE competition athletes are also required to wear chest and shoulder protection, elbow and knee guards and back of the head protection. The LED Sabers themselves have aluminum hilts and practically indestructible polycarbonate blades. The average training saber costs only $75-$150 making our practice accessible to most middle-class families. If you are thinking about purchasing one for use in a competitive or class room environment, the best models typically have very simple hilts with no control boxes or sharp edges which might obstruct your grip. Sound effects are unnecessary for training sabers.
