Jim Tuohy, 26, is Ireland’s Ludosport master, offering classes to those who want to emulate Luke Skywalker or embrace their Darth Vader dark side.
Ever fancied unleashing your inner Jedi? Or do you reckon you could take on a Sith and win?
Now you can with a new sport based on the Star Wars art of fighting with lightsabers.
Jim Tuohy, 26, is Ireland’s Ludosport master, offering classes to those who want to emulate Luke Skywalker or embrace their Darth Vader dark side and he is planning on opening a club in Belfast.
Jim explained: “Ludosport is the combat sport of fighting with lightsabers – it’s a real sport about a fantasy weapon.
“It originated in Italy about eight years ago. There were three guys who were martial artists who thought it would be great to do the same kind of things with a lightsaber.
“The toys and the replicas were too fragile to do it with so they put their heads together and spent eight years coming up with this sport.”
Ludosport takes real martial arts skills which have been altered to work around the fantasy weapon, reports the Irish Mirror.
Jim said: “I was already a martial arts instructor and I was teaching weapons. I saw Ludosport online basically and did my research. It seemed pretty cool so I sent them a message asking if I could bring it to Ireland.
“I got my instructor’s certificate in Italy and started teaching classes.”
Those who take part can order their own specialised lightsabers and depending on their fighting styles, will be told whether they are a Jedi or a Sith.
Jim said: “The lightsabers we use are ones we have are specifically made for Ludosport – you can order them from our workshop but they are all a standardised weight and length so that they are regulated for combat.
“Inside the sport we have seven separate styles of combat based on styles you would see them in the films and the books.
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