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…

Fode and Alan discuss the nuances of proper practice, Fode's mom belittles the world, and hard work meets inherent talent over the BBQ coals of passion. Thank you for subscribing to SMAFcast, and please share this podcast with your nerdiest homies! Check out the Official Saber Martial Arts website!By Saber Martial Arts Foundation

The Saber Martial Arts Podcast has been reborn! Fode-san had a right nasty kumite with 2023 and quite frankly, he was sick of that year's nonsense, so he put Sifu Alan back in the cockpit and took this old freighter for a leisurely spin around the topics of recent saber competitions, our current courses of study in martial arts, flexible earthling …

In this continuation of the third Captain's Sparchives, Fode and Alan provide classic sports radio commentary for the Rise of Phoenix 2023 tournament! Find the video footage using the link below and watch right along with us, or turn on just the audio for an old-school experience like the great boxing radio of yesteryear while you get other life do…

In the third installment of the Captain's Sparchives, Fode and Alan provide classic sports radio commentary for the first set of fights from the Rise of Phoenix 2023 tournament! Find the video footage using the link below and watch right along with us, or turn on just the audio for an old-school experience like the great boxing radio of yesteryear …

Just as the title suggests, this episode is either full of insight, or full of the senile musings of three old dojo rats. Featuring fan-favorite guest, Sensei Kay Sakaue. Thank you for listening, and please Subscribe and Share! Apply for SMAF Affiliation: Being Part of SMAF Contact one of our Affiliate Instructors, including this week's guest: SMAF…

SMAFcast is live and di-rect from the 2022 Saber Light Summer Open tournament! Sifu Alan and Fode-san visit with Headmaster Courtney and Roland from Saber Light Knights, as well as Commander Tony from Aiken Saber Academy, in the flesh for the first time since 2019! We wrap up Saber Valhalla from the lobby of the Laughing Dragon Kung Fu School in Ch…

Fode-san and Sifu Alan discuss the nuances of at-home martial arts practice, some of the ideas and strategies they employ while training outside the dojo that can lead to greater success (or greater failure), the importance of adjusting your home practice to fit the goals you set for your own specific progression, and defining the thin line between…

The Saber Martial Arts Podcast features the newest SMAF Affiliate School, Aiken Saber Academy in South Carolina! Fode-san and Sifu Alan are joined by SMAFcast fan-favorite guest Courtney Monroe to interview the amiable heads of ASA, Commander Tony Negron and Instructor Nik Palmer, about their backgrounds, Aiken's mission to enrich the lives of loca…

In the second edition of the SMAF Captain's Sparchives, Fode and Alan are joined by Kenny and Spencer of Phoenix Saber Academy to watch their fights from the San Diego Sabers 2021 Fall Tournament! We also talk a little about what's going on in Phoenix for SMA enthusiasts, dip our toes into the topics of equipment and training, and shoot all the poo…

Kyle Vaz (owner of Ki Sabers, SMAF Master Sabersmith, and genuinely good human being), sails us into deep waters on his second flagship saber hilt, The Slayer! We discuss The Slayer's specs and specialties, potential martial applications, modular capabilities, and how it sets itself apart from The Persuader in overall functionality. We also give yo…

Welcome to a show about generating curriculum! That should be a sufficiently brief and misleading description of what you'll actually hear on this episode of The Saber Martial Arts Podcast. Fode and Alan are honored to intrude on your car stereos and earbuds to share this chat, and we hope you'll share it with every geek and martial artist you know…

Sweat. Huffing and puffing. Blood. Tear-stained cheeks. Caloric breakdown. Fear. Anxiety. Loss. Doubt in the face of adversity. No end in sight. Weight of mind and body. These are the preclusions all martial artists must overcome to reach motivation and self-improvement. If you never push yourself past your limits, you will never know where they ex…

Fode, Alan, Katie, and Nick from the SMAF Board of Directors discuss some of the ins and outs of starting a saber school or club. Whether you're an experienced Head Instructor or a fledgling practitioner who's been bit by the sharing bug, you can benefit from this breakdown of some of the basic concepts and FAQs that apply to nearly all combat-base…

In the premiere of a new SMAFcast serial, SMAF Master Sabersmith and the owner of Ki Sabers, Kyle Vaz, walks listeners through the experience of buying a new combat LED saber, specifically his flagship Persuader model. The saber-buying process can gray the hair of even the most laid-back and financially flush geeks, and Kyle aims to alleviate the s…

SMAFcast is infiltrated by Head Instructors from six different Affiliate Schools to resuscitate the series of podcasts that started this whole SMAF thing in the first place, "Swords & Sabers"! Fode (DESMA) and Sifu Venable (PHX) are "determined" to dissect SMA Form 1 with Kenny Novero of PHX, Kay Sakaue of SCSA, Noah Kim of CIS, Courtney Monroe of …

Kenny Novero, 3rd Degree Black Belt and Instructor for Phoenix Saber Academy, spends a couple hours talking about the nerd-turned-teacher life with Fode and getting totally bragged on by Sifu Venable. Fode couldn't choose a title, so call this episode whatever you want in your Head Canon. Kenny is a one-of-a-kind student that any Martial Arts Teach…

Fode-san and Sifu Venable are super honored to bring this week's guest, Sensei Kay Sakaue from SMAF Affiliate School SoCal Saber Academy, to your ear-dojo! We discuss East-vs-West in the world of martial arts, how we should all be on the same team despite our supposed differences, the benefits of opening your mind and heart, and of course, the thre…

Tonight's guest is Noah Kim, Founder and Head Instructor of SMAF Affiliate group, the Confederacy of Independent Saberists. Noah shares tales of his martial upbringing, how he became a sabersmith out of necessity, and lets us roast gobs of fight footage from a meet-up between CIS and Penguin Saber Academy! Be sure to follow the fights with us by us…

This week's featured guest is Matt Maughan, aka Maestro, from Bendu Saber Combat! The BSC YouTube channel has been a standard of quality for Forms-based SMA over the last decade, taking a highly academic approach to the phenomenon of online lightsaber instruction and making martial arts digestible to lay-geeks everywhere. And somehow, we figured he…

In our latest SMAF Affiliate School feature, Fode and Alan are joined by some of our oldest allies in the saber community, San Diego Sabers' own Andre, Marina, Matthew, and Serena! We learn about the mystical way of the Wanderer, the inherent risks of feckless sabery, which version of Robin is the most Juyo, and plenty more to keep your ears perked…

We hope you enjoy the first edition of the Captain's Sparchives! Fode and Katie are joined by SMAF Affiliate and Sabersmith Kyle Vaz of Ki Sabers, to commentate a gang of sparring footage from various Affiliates in the vein of our late Co-Founder and Captain, Ascendant Steve Kirk. Use the following link to watch the fights while you listen to this …

The Board welcomes Kyle Vaz, owner of Ki Sabers and the Official Sabersmith of SMAF, to chat about his Force-dreams of crafting the world's most useable combat sabers, his penchant for cereal soup, and why students don't care how much you know, they want to know how much you care. Thank you for Subscribing to The Saber Martial Arts Podcast! Please …

Head Instructor Courtney Monroe of Saber Light Knights joins the Board of Directors in the first SMAF Affiliate School feature episode! Courtney and the Board lay down the law on elitism in the saber community, chew on Sifu Venable's Talk-Fu, and reminisce about the real ultimate warrior in SMA, Granny Happy Swings. Thank you for Subscribing to The…

The second installment of our intro to the SMAF Board of Directors! We're roasting the duels from Genndy Tartakovsky & Paul Rudish's "Star Wars: The Clone Wars Microseries", and the martial arts talk gets a little weird after Sifu Venable brings up the "horse knife" and "tiger fork". Thank you for Subscribing to The Saber Martial Arts Podcast! Want…

The SMAF Board of Directors roasts the lightsaber duels from Dave Filoni's "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and discusses the influences of real-world martial arts on saber combat in the series, in the inaugural episode of The Saber Martial Arts Podcast! Thank you for listening! Want to apply for SMAF Affiliation? https://sabermartialarts.life/being-par…