¡Bienvenidos a Episodio 70 de SMAFcast, con nuestros amigos fantásticos Puertoriqueños, los hermanos Andinos! Maestros Aureo, Victor, y Roberto de "Saber Legends" ofrecían una charla divertida sobre varios artes marciales y cómo enseñándoles en un "dojo" balletístico, las dinámicas de la familia cuando el hermanito tiene el primer Cinturón Negro, e…

Once again, Kay Sensei brings us a guest who is a Master in his craft: Sensei Thanh Nguyen is a chief protege of Grandmaster Fumio Demura and a high-ranking Black Belt in Shitō-ryū Karate. As jovial as he is wise, Thanh Sensei's Yoda-like demeanor serves him well as Chief Instructor of Genbu-Kai International. He shared many stories, and we all sha…

Kay Sensei is back for another dojo-cleaning session! We sort through some hot-button tournament-related topics in anticipation of our biggest SMA event to date (despite being released after said event), as well as some fun "Star Wars" banter to liven the mood. Please don't forget to Subscribe to all the stuff, and Share that stuff with people who …

As you may have guessed by the titling of this episode, we're joined by a lovely "lightsabre" chap from the UK, Mr. Faisal Mian of Silver Sabres Combat Academy! A longtime Tai Chi artist, Headmaster, proponent of youth saber training, and believer in the "Power of the Force" as it were, Sifu Faisal was an astonishingly delightful guest, and someone…

It is our extreme privilege to have Sensei Bill Viola Jr. and Sensei Rocky Whatule on the show! Bill Sensei is the owner of the upcoming Kumite Classic Tournament and Viola Karate (PA), a champion karateka, author, and namesake of Sensei Viola Sr., one of the Godfathers of modern MMA. Rocky Sensei is the coordinator of the Kumite Classic and owner …

Fode, Alan, and Kay preview the new SMA partnership with the Kumite Classic, a massive martial arts tournament that is now part of the incredible Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH on Feb. 28th & March 1st! The SMA Instructors are honored to spearhead this huge leap for LED saber sports and participate in such a massively credentialed martial a…

7th Degree Kenjutsu Black Belt, globetrotting Master Instructor, and the inventor of our favorite ActionFlex brand of foam "full-speed" weaponry, Shihan Dana Abbott finally bows us into the SMAFcast SaberDojo! Treat yourself to an exclusive pow-wow with one of the most prominent American swordsmen and a true lifetime martial artist whose contributi…

Yes, the title of this episode is a geek thirst-trap: we are unfortunately not posing for any saber-thicc wall calendars. We are, however, VERY BUSY in 2025 bringing Saber Martial Arts from literal coast to coast! Fode and Sifu break down all of the events planned for this year (so far, with more to come), and you can see the calendar by clicking t…

Take a knee on the dojo mat and listen to storyteller Brian Takahashi regale you with tales from the life of a stunt performer, martial artist, Star Wars fan, and the actor under the gi top for Young Miyagi-san in Cobra Kai! Brian offers sage advice for aspiring artists and humorous accounts from decades of filmmaking experience, and his uniquely c…

Fode and Alan break down the Official SMA Patreon tiers for individual martial artists and saber academies! Becoming a Patron is an incredibly helpful way to support and perpetuate Saber Martial Arts, and thus our ability to give back to this community we love. Please enjoy this bonus release, and click that Patreon link above (and below) to level …

The first SMAFcast of 2025 is all about choreography! Story-driven vs. combat-driven, "stage combat" vs. "play-combat", the harmony of choreography and actual martial arts training, and some of the elements, actors, and films that we feel define what makes a great "fight scene"! This episode is a primer for next week's show when we'll get some insi…

Commander Tony Negron, Founder & Head Instructor of SC's Aiken Saber Academy, is our guest commentator for the final entry in our Sparchives trilogy on the SLK Praxeum 2024! Tony, Alan, and Fode dig deep into all the action of the S.I.T.S. Foam Weapons Division. WATCH ALONG WITH THESE LINKS: Foam Weapon Competition (skip to 49 seconds); Praxeum Foa…

Knight Ryan McKenna, Instructor and Event Coordinator for VA's Saber Light Knights, is our guest commentator for the second entry in our Sparchives trilogy on the SLK Praxeum 2024! Ryan, Alan, and Fode dig deep into all the action of the Exotic Saber Division. WATCH ALONG WITH THIS LINK: SLK Praxeum War Day 2 (skip to 8:18). Thank you SMA fans for …

Sifu Courtney "Darth Chocolate" Monroe, Headmaster of VA's Saber Light Knights, is our guest commentator for the first entry in our Sparchives trilogy on the SLK Praxeum 2024! Courtney, Alan, and Fode dig deep into all the action of the Standard Saber Division. WATCH ALONG WITH THIS LINK: SLK Praxeum War Day 1 Part 2 (skip to 4:00). Thank you SMA f…

Time to mop and roll the mats! Kay Sensei is back in the hot seat to chew on some gristly topics with Fode and Alan. Also, Alan takes a nap on mic. Sorry 'bout the spontaeous snoring towards the finale of this episode, but poor sweet Sifu was a tuckered-out boy. THANK YOU for being you and listening to us! Subscribe for more at the same hawkbat-tim…

In this episode of SMAFcast, we break down the mutualistic relationship between video games and martial artistry, training traditionally and practically in a world of digital education, and how various multimedia can influence your growth in the martial arts. Plus we glaze some of our favorite video game martial artists and titles we can't button-m…

Battle Proctor Matthew Dominguez of SMA founding school San Diego Sabers is back on the podcast to commentate fights from the 2024 Labor Day Spar-B-Que! WATCH ALONG with this LINK: SDS Labor Day Spar-B-Que 2024 This is a throwback to the OG days of our organization, and we had a massively fun time calling these fights. Please let your nerd flag fly…

Pan American Champion and Team USA Olympic Karateka extraordinaire, Ms. Sakura Kokumai, sits with Sifu and Your Main Man for a SMAFcast like no other. Sakura-san is a 4th Dan in Shitō-ryū and the only American female Olympian to compete in 2020, finishing in 5th place after competing in the Bronze Medal match. She was extremely generous with her ti…

Fode and Alan provide commentary for the second day of matches from the USA Lightfencing Activation Workshop at Terra Prime headquarters. Watch along using this link: USA Lightfencing Day 2 Playlist. Thank you for watching and listening! Please subscribe and share for more. The Home of TPLA & USA Lightfencing Learn Saber Martial Arts and become an …

Fode and Alan provide commentary for the first day of matches from the USA Lightfencing Activation Workshop at Terra Prime headquarters. Watch along using this link: USA Lightfencing Day 1 Playlist. Thank you for watching and listening! Please subscribe and share for more. The Home of TPLA & USA Lightfencing Learn Saber Martial Arts and become an S…

"The Path of Light" ever winds further as Alan chats across 3 time zones with Evan from Saber Arts Club in Missouri, and Vince from The Lightsaber Path. SAC is the first affiliate school of TLP. Both are lifetime martial artists, and Sifu brings the nerd right out of these boys. If you didn't catch Part 1 of this conversation with Vince and Fode, g…

After coordinating over three time zones, Fode and Sifu are joined by JKnight Vince, Headmaster and founder of French saber academy The Lightsaber Path. We had an absolutely bromantic conversation about traditional martial arts, Star Wars fandom, and the intertwining of the two forms of geekery. Thank you to Vince for taking time out of your mornin…

We're back in Fode's Falcon on our way to the Columbus Spaceport from the USA Lightfencing seminar in Ann Arbor. We ruminate on the weekend's activities. Please enjoy this candid episode of SMAFcast, and don't shy from a Subscribe & Share! *We had a long weekend and a long drive; some adult language was inevitable. Learn Saber Martial Arts and beco…

Sifu Chad aka "Darth Nonymous" from Terra Prime Light Armory and USA Lightfencing invites Sifu Alan and Fode-san to his actual living room for a pow-wow prior to our final day of training/certification as Lightfencing Officials. Please Subscribe to Saber Martial Arts as well as Terra Prime Light Armory for the latest in SMA and Lightfencing media! …

Sifu Alan and Fode-san are joined by SMAF O.G. and one of the Head Instructors of San Diego Sabers, Matthew Dominguez! This is one of our nerdiest shows to date, with a troll's share of great martial arts chatter and saber-speak. Please remember to Subscribe and Share SMAFcast with your friends and your friendliest foes! San Diego Sabers Official S…

This episode is kinda heavy, SMAFcasters. In a good way. Please Subscribe and Share! The galaxy needs more of you in it. Learn Saber Martial Arts and become an SMA Affiliate! Become an Official SMA Patron! Follow SMA on Instagram Subscribe to Saber Martial Arts on YouTube Train & Fight in an Official SMA "Duelist" Jersey!…

"The Way of Cleaning" is back for Round 2! Sakaue Sensei is in the Captain's chair again to help Fode and Alan tackle the nitty and gritty topics within the current climate of both martial arts as well as "Star Wars". Please don't forget to Share this podcast with your friends and training partners, and thank you as always for Subscribing! Learn Sa…

SMAFcast is beyond honored to bring you this exclusive conversation with lifetime martial artist, dojo brother of SMA Instuctor Kay Sakaue (who joins the chat), and resident expert on all things related to Japanese swords and martial arts from History Channel's "Pawn Stars", Sensei Mike Yamasaki! Mr. Mike broke his own no-podcasts rule (as a favor …

Fode and Alan finish their commentary series for "The Acolyte" with finale episodes 7 and 8. Spoiler alert: we kinda loved it! Lots of martial arts and Force powers displayed in these episodes, as well as a cameo from a certain Muun Sith Lord. Thank you, as always, for listening! Please Subscribe and Share SMAFcast with 5 friends! Learn Saber Marti…

Please excuse the soothing background sonics of Fode's Millennium Falcon (and the occasional adult verbiage) as he and Alan record their conversation while driving to a seminar in Ann Arbor, MI to get certified as Coaches, Judges, and Combatants in the new official USA Lightfencing system, developed and curated by Darth Nonymous of Terra Prime Ligh…

Sifu and Fode break down the safety gear from weapons-based systems that we now use in SMA and saberfighting. Please Subscribe, and Share this episode with a needy nerd you know! Learn Saber Martial Arts and become an SMA Affiliate! Follow SMA on Instagram Subscribe to Saber Martial Arts on YouTube Train & Fight in an Official SMA "Duelist" Jersey!…

Sifu Alan and Your Main Man "Sensei" Fode are joined by fellow OGs of the mixing-real-martial-arts-with-lightsabers game: Sifu Chad "Darth Nonymous" Ironmonger and Sifu Damon "General Sun" Honeycutt from Terra Prime Light Armory! Just like sitting at the bar with your favorite martial arts teachers or sportsball coaches, this chat is filled with no…

Sifu Alan and YMM Fode commentate episodes 5 and 6 of "The Acolyte". After struggling through the previous two episodes, these provide welcome restitution with huge Saber Martial Arts payouts and re-canonization of some hella popular Legends material. Thank you for listening, and please Subscribe for more SMA content! Learn Saber Martial Arts and b…

Double-bladed saber, crossguard saber, saber whip, saber sai, saber pike, saber tonfa, saber...nunchaku? Saber...scythe? Three-section saber?! If somebody has tried to turn your favorite non-sword weapon into a lightsaber, we're probably going to talk about it in this episode of SMAFcast. Thank you for your friendly listenership; please drop us a S…

During their roast-commentary for episodes 3 and 4 of "The Acolyte", Sifu Alan gives YMM Fode a new "certain point of view" and now Fode doesn't hate these episodes anymore. Please Subscribe and Share SMAFcast, and THANK YOU for listening! Learn Saber Martial Arts and become an SMA Affiliate! Follow SMA on Instagram Subscribe to Saber Martial Arts …

From Teras Kasi, to the Echani dueling arts, to Zama-Shiwo and whatever it is that Mace Windu uses to dismantle oodles of B2 Supers on Dantooine with his bare hands in the greatest animated Star War, as well as the real-world counterparts and proxies of these fantasy non-lightsaber martial arts. Thank you for Subscribing, and please Share for +100 …

After Fode gushes about his newly refurbished tomahawk, he and Alan settle in to commentate the first two martial-arts-filled episodes of "The Acolyte" in the vein of Fode's original podcasting foray. Thank you in advance for Subscribing and Sharing The Saber Martial Arts Podcast! Learn Saber Martial Arts and become an SMA Affiliate! Follow SMA on …

Your Main Man Fode and Sifu Alan come at you with a brief (for SMAFcast at least) May wrap-up, including our panel at GameX; getting kids and families involved in SMA and getting SMA involved in a community; "the great equalizers"; putting your nose down, shutting up, and doing the work; communication & collaboration; shout-outs & future plans, aka…

Join Master Venable and Fode-san for the long-anticipated "Saber May-hem: SMA Summit" LIVE from Gamex by Strategicon! Guests include: Kay Sakaue, Tony Negron, Ryan McKenna, Matthew Dominguez, Aureo Francisco, Damon Honeycutt, Darth Nonymous, Alain Bloch, Charley Cummings, and Faisal Milan. Saber groups represented: Phoenix Saber Academy (AZ), DE Sa…

"Sojido: The Way of Cleaning"; Kay Sensei is featured in a new SMAFcast series where we "clean the dojo" of some hot topics from the world of martial arts and the galaxy far away. Junior Black Belts, the term "Osu", and evolution vs. traditionalism (again) in both Star Wars and martial arts. Join us every month for another Sojido session in Sensei'…

In keeping with some recent outreach events and SMA programming, Your Main Man and Sifu Alan discuss the always-riveting task of teaching kids. From Pre-K to late teens, to adults who behave like kids, teaching our Younglings and Padawans is a privilege but also requires a dedicated passion and a sense of import. And humor (lots of it). Thank you f…

After some uppity banter about how awesome it feels to be a Star Wars fan in the month of May, Sifu Venable does the unthinkable and brings up Form VII! That's right, we're actually indulging you nerds and your devilish interests in Juyo and Vaapad, two flavors of one "forbidden" SMA Form; how Form VII fits into the Phoenix, DESMA, and overall SMA …

Your Main Man Fode and Master Venable promote saber events on/around Star Wars Day; nunchaku anxiety takes ahold of Fode in pursuit of his purple sash; bowing into the dojo, the parking lot, and how good manners are just good; interplay of tradition, modernization, and sport-ification in martial arts; intention is everything; shout-outs and preview…

Sifu and Fode get into the development of their own versions of SMA Forms 5 and 6; some of the martial stylings that influenced these Forms, and maybe some of the more eclectic themes that flavor their Shien/Djem-So and Niman/Jar'Kai. As always, thank you for Subscribing and please Share this episode with a martial nerd or three! Saber Martial Arts…

In this week's edition of SMAFcast, Your Main Man Fode and Sifu Alan discuss the nuance of traditionalism vs. evolution in martial arts; different scoring methods at tournaments; a quote from an Arnis Master sets the tone for a chat about our philosophies on gear and rulesets for saberfighting; finally, we give a big danke shön to our Deutschlandia…

Our tricenarian episode is rolled in with the furious clacking of Sifu Venable's PlayStation controller as Master Splinter surrogates his services against hordes of mindless mousers; a little talk of "Bagua" (ie Baguazhang) leads to some diddly riffing on how Sifu and Fode have developed each of the first few SMA Forms in their own respective curri…

Fode-san catches up with Sensei Kay of SoCal Saber Academy and San Diego Sabers! Kay is not just a popular SMAFcast guest, but he is also a Martial Artist steeped in traditions old and new, a great ambassador for SMA and martial artistry as a whole, and an open-minded Sensei with a penchant for uplifting those around him. Thank you for listening to…

In our second installment of HEOP supplemental episodes, Fode puts the DE Saber Martial Arts curriculum under Sifu Alan's microscope with his own "holocron" videos on Shii-Cho, Makashi, and Soresu. Complete with companion footage, analyses, and behind-the-scenes tidbits, this series aims to help you understand The 7 Forms of SMA, how real-world mar…

In a new series of Holo-Education Outreach Program (HEOP) supplemental episodes, we'll highlight educational content from not only Saber Martial Arts teachers, but from the, shall we say, "expanded universe" of Martial Arts as a whole. This first week, we check out a few of Phoenix Saber Academy's instructional videos on Shii-Cho, Makashi, and Sore…

Sifu and Your Main Man get superbly nerdy over the martial quality and enjoyability of lightsabers in video games, from today's 4K masterpieces all the way back to the 8-bit button-mashers of yesteryear. We also chomp on a roast of medium-rare Ray Park footage, and give unsolicited props to a modern brother of the blade. Plus, Sifu Alan poses an in…