@Barry99705:

Wow. You really don't know what you're talking about. I started training martial arts with Capoeira Brasil under instructor Borracha. While I wouldn't go randomly attacking strange huge nameless combatants who might be bikers, I would never compare our training which was treacherously demanding, acrobatic and really dangerous to stage-fighting with plastic lighsabers. If you really think the two are similar, go take a Capoeira class down the street from the NY Jedis with Instructor Tiba sometime. Be sure to insult his art, and enjoy the rapid throw to the ground you'll get. Or if you're lucky, he'll just sweep your ankle and hit you in the head with martelo before you touch the floor.

trickypuss

@johnnyrandom:
I believe you would be owned by said Tiny if you tried your Capoeira move. A true tactical move from a full contact martial arts is to attack the limbs first for an opponent significantly larger than yourself. I would first go for the knees if I want to see another day against an opponent with an advantage physically.

poisonfist

Looks like harmless nerd fun to me. Now those people who dance with their cats, THOSE people scare me.

Rand

@hudsong: You do realize that lightsabers aren't real, right? Critiquing someone's technique when dealing with lightsabers as 'cause instant death in reality' seems a bit ridiculous, doesn't it?

Niam

I like how they hit each others sabers instead of trying to hit each other. And they also spin a lot, which would cause instant death in reality....

hudsong

@JRo: niiiiiice. and I still say lil blondie's hot. I'd poke her with my light saber :^)

banmojo

@weatherman: NY is where i belong then... I can feel the force calling me already

CCM333

"Hand me my light saber. It's the one that says Bad Mother Fucker."

JRo

Looks like a dance/choreography class, but I couldn't sit through that whole video of those people taking themselves seriously and jabbering away. It's like a warped version of Fencing to me. To each their own.

Bottom line...it gets the kids out of grandma's basement and doing something socially. Fun is where you find it.

vagrant

At the Kennedy Center, yes the esteemed center for arts in our nations capital, there was a night of John William's music with full orchestra. And wouldn't you know it, but on the stage a light saber fight accompanied two of the musical pieces. Distracting as hell. Somebody needs to teach these brats proper kendo and kempo skillz.

Windhawk

There are many different techniques for lightsaber combat, suited for the specific fighter's abilities (speed, strength, etc).

[en.wikipedia.org]

guibom

waitaminutewaitaminute I'm writing this down!

...just run like hell in the opposite direction.

Got it.

strider_mt2k

i like how the founder's shirt is painted to make it look as if he has pecks

will

@Barry99705: Uh, let's consult our handy dictionary on that one:

martial art noun "trained in several martial arts aikido, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, Tai chi, kendo, krav maga, capoeira."

I've done a fair share of capoeira and those skills can definitely help you place a nice kick to the head that would send "Tiny" to the floor. 250 lb. biker types don't move very fast and have really bad cardio. In conventional settings, you're better off knowing advanced forms of grappling and wrestling...like jiu-jitsu or greco-roman wrestling. Almost every fight turns into a wrestling match on the ground. Or, you could just run like hell in the opposite direction. :)

johnnyrandom

@trickypuss:
Because neither is a real martial art. Though to be honest, most "real" martial arts these days are more about fitness than actual war fighting. I don't care what color your belt is, that 250Lb biker down the street named Tiny would thrash most martial artists. It would be cool to have the guys who made up the fighting style from the new movies teach though. I've seen the neighbor kids smack sticks around better than the folks in this video.

Barry99705

Kudos? You wanna give them a snack?

SkyLab

Hilarious that people, here, of all places are mocking those who enjoy 'geek' type activities.

These are the same deluded souls who thought the jocks in high school were their 'friends' when they got thrown into trash cans.

Look, they are having fun, interacting with people, being physically active...how bad can it really be what they are doing? At least they aren't sitting at home wanking it over the new apple release, or sitting on their fat asses playing video games.

Kudos to them.

Niam

@alin0steglinski: OMG the geekyness of how you wrote that. Words are spelt with LETTERS, not numbers!!

Also teh. Wtf...

Gormania

Wow, I envy them, but at the same time I want to make fun of them...

JosWindu

"It's not about nerds trying to best each other... it's about nerds trying to better each other." I couldn't have said it better myself.

usaplanb

Goatee boy's shirt is bad fashion. No matter what galaxy he is supposed to be from.

gundamsdontkillpeople

@jawzxy: You're a naughty boy.
And everyone knows what happens to naughty boys...

They'll be slapped to reason with a lightsaber!

mangochutney

It looks like more fun in the dark, like most activities.

jawzxy

i wonder how often one of these sabers shatters and if there are tears involved. I know those things are not cheap.

logruszed

You guys are somewhat right, it does look rediculous...but that weirdo guy does have a point...I have one of those replica FX sabers, and that guy is right, you turn it on and you DO feel as if you could blow up the whole fuckin world with that thing...it does make you come out of your shell a little bit.

As long as their having fun, what do they care?

DangerousDac

wow! we can all now learn how to hit our plastic light sabers together with no real reason! $\\//\\//33t!

sniggity

OMG t3h g33kn3ss

alin0steglinski

Id hit that.

emikey

Finally something from starwars to rival the geekyness of the star trek klingon speakers.

Heffae

How come Starbuck has a light saber?

R2B2

@ ISIDORE_US
How can you compare fake Jedi training to Capoeira?

trickypuss

Ok, screw this school!
Amateurs!
Check this out:
[stage6.divx.com]

mangochutney

My old room mate had a couple of those type lightsabers and we would "fight" in our front lawn after we got home from the BB games here. It was mostly to get a reaction out of people walking by. It would almost get the same caliber of curiosity/disgust as seeing fireworks coming out our chimney. College is the greatest time ever.

dwight-schrute

It's like Mr. T always says "I pitty the fools."

GHETTO.CHiLD

I don't care what you call it or what flavor you paint it, that has to be the most unfortunate thing I have ever seen. Even that host guy positively reeks of freak. A weirdo is a weirdo is a weirdo, geek or not.

SkyLab

@Sagisarius:

HUH?!

twoohfour

@CajunGuy:
Its like "I am Legend."

The nerds will be telling stories to their children about how there were these odd "popular" kids in high school that played sports and such. And of course, the kids wont believe them.

archercc

all right, Capoeira for geeks!

isidore_us

Hey Taren, come to the dark side and I will show you a real Lightsaber.

GHETTO.CHiLD

as mentioned in the clip, the point of the school is NOT actual combat, but to have fun, interact and explore some of their inner personal jedi fantasies. Make it better and open a "real" jedi combat training school. :)

duece

I am as big a stars wars fan as the next guy, but why don't they just take up fencing and paint their foils in florescent colors.

skatanic

What I don't get is why every attack is aimed at empty space, just asking to be parried. If I were there, I would be going for the body every time, not trying to get stopped. It's about the thrill of combat, and you have to really try to fight, not like what they were doing there.

pete_at_brandeis

@discounteggroll: dont bother... i own a battery shop down the street and made 5 million dollars.. im on my private jet right now...

ok ok ok

just kidding, but thats what would happen if either of us owned a battery store there

alin0steglinski

shit, I should have opened a battery store near there...I would have made a killing

discounteggroll

@CajunGuy: "Chicks dig force powers. Just ask my wife..."
Yeah, right. It's been almost two days since my girlfriend wanted to force-choke me ;)

mangochutney

At least they're not deluding themselves into thinking they are actually studying REAL martial arts. Seems to be more LARPING than anything else.

Skorpius

Face it folks, us "nerds" ARE the normal people now. So it was only a matter of time before our loves and interests came out into the open.

But, where was this when I was in my early 20's? I probably could have had more dates if this kind of place had been around back then. AND, I would have been able to show off my force powers. Chicks dig force powers. Just ask my wife...

CajunGuy

@Sagisarius: it's New York. All the normal looking people are freaks, and all the freakish looking people are normal.

weatherman

I'm confused... why are there that many normalish women there?

Sagisarius

lil blondie's kinda cute

banmojo

@poisonfist: Also, I don't think 250 lb. "Tiny" has a advantage unless he's 7% body fat and has a resting heart rate below 45 bpm. Otherwise, he's toast. Big doesn't always mean strong, fast or skilled.

johnnyrandom

@poisonfist: Truth be said, I wouldn't go for a head shot. I'd have better luck with grappling moves...dislocating shoulders, busting someone's anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, breaking fingers, etc. There's a whole variety of choke holds that can put said "Tiny" off to dreamland for a little while. If you're really mean, you could do some groin hits or go for the eyes...friendly stuff, you know. Or, you can run like hell and save yourself the trouble, because fighting should always be a last resort. If they chase you, just whip out the light saber and do a few pirouettes.

johnnyrandom

@trickypuss: just for your information, your instructor´s name, Borracha, means "Drunk Girl" in spanish.

So...this means NY geek girls are hotter than anywhere else? oh wait, i forgot cosplayers.
Kiss me, Im a geek!!!

Erzengel

@johnnyrandom: Weight is an inescapable advantage. (Speaking as a former light welterweight in Muay Thai.)

Yeah, sorry, Capoeira isn't for fighting. I would have to say I'd think Krav is the most practical for maiming. Next to light sabers, of course.

Brian Lam

@Brian Lam: Brian, I totally disagree for a few reasons:

Big guys who aren't in shape tire easily. Even big guys with lots of muscle aren't as fast as someone who is powerful, lean and quick. The only advantage a fat guy has is the ability to absorb blows better.

That aside, I know from experience that when doing Capoeira you can knock someone out cold. Usually it happens by mistake since you're trying not to hurt someone while you're doing it. I've been punched by boxers and never been knocked out. I've been kicked in the head once during Capoeira and was on the floor. Essentially, you can't argue that a calculated kick to the head can't knock someone out because it's a simple fact employed in a variety of martial arts, even if they are traditionally disguised as dance.

But...like I said above, I personally wouldn't use Capoeira in a fight. Why? Because I was a state champion wrestler and have done more Greco-Roman, Freestyle Wrestling and JiuJitsu. I don't need to kick, throw punches, get bloody or risk breaking my fists or feet. Grappling skills have saved my ass in many a bad situation, especially when I used to work the door of a club in SF called "The Top" on Lower Haight.

I was tossing out crackheads, drunk idiots and breaking up a fights, yet I never had to punch or kick anyone to control a situation. Being 5 ft 11 inches and lean, I had no height or weight advantage & was often up against people much taller and heavier. If they were drunk I had the advantage of them not being coordinated, but then they also didn't feel pain as much. I was actually more afraid of a 4 ft 2 crazy crackhead lady than a 6 ft 4 drunk meathead. Crackheads and speed freaks are just plain scary. The worst I ever had to deal with was a guy on PCP and acid who ran into the place buck naked and screaming at the top of his lungs. Fun times.

Either way, I hate violence and avoid it unless forced to defend myself. I'm glad I haven't done that job in over 10 years!

johnnyrandom

I practiced Judo for over 7 years and it was fun.
My master was one of the best fighters in whole Europe.
I won several tournaments and thought highly of my master.

Then some of our dojo were invited to martial arts contest along with our master.
The cool thing about it was that a inter-martial-arts-competition with nearly every fighting style represented by some champion from Europe, Asia or America.

This competition took place over two days and unfortunately my master lost in the semi-finals against a Jin Jitsu fighter the same age.
The final contestants were a 25 year old Korean Muay Thai champion that had kicked some major ass in the semi-finals against the European Taek Won Do Master, and a 80 (!) year old Aikido Grand-Master from Japan.
While everyone was worrying about that gram'pa, he only got hit two times pretty hard by the young lad.
The fight went on for not even two minutes ending with the Muay Thai fighter laying unconcious on the ground after that Aikido-Grandmaster evaded one of jump-kicks, turned him round in mid-air and threw him down. That old guy was freaking fast!

Just wanted to share this.

mangochutney

I think this project is awsome.
At least they're getting out and doing what they love, not thinking about what other people would think.
Some say what's the point...well im sure we all play videogames right.Whats the point of that, besides entertainment?Pretty much nuffin.
I like what they do, and would probably join them if i wasnt living in Belgium.

deso

Dudes, this is by far my favorite fan movie.

[video.google.com]

i don't care where you come from, this movie kicks ass!

DSaddict

I'd rather go to a male testicular cancer support group and bury my head in Meatloafs bitch tits than pay to play lightsabre dress up with a bunch of kooks. Actually I'd just walk in wearing stormtrooper gear and tazer them all then laugh maniacally.

Hypenotistathotmail

What a scam. This shows there is a sucker born every minute.

pupaboy2

@Mango
I wouldve loved to see that...it sounds awsome, just awsome !

deso

@mangochutney: That is a really cool story.

@Hypenotistathotmail: "You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not you're @*!&ing khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world." -TD

@everyone: I still think for most people, the best line of defense is sprinting or distance running. :)

johnnyrandom

@mangochutney: You do know that Second Life doesn't count. Right?

(Just kidding - please don't kill me.)

92BuickLeSabre

@alin0steglinski: FYI, There are cornerstores like every 2 blocks in NYC.

Mr.Purple

@johnnyrandom: thanks. It was an amazing thing to witness.

"still think for most people, the best line of defense is sprinting or distance running. :)"

seconded

mangochutney

@Hypenotistathotmail: And while you watch 'Fight Club' for the 1000th time and feel like a tough guy while you sit at home, alone, wearing out yet another couch the people in the video are actually interacting with REAL people doing something they obviously enjoy.

Enjoy that solitary lifestyle in which you have no friends and no life.

Niam

@Brian Lam: Hey Brian, off topic: what happened to this thread?: [gizmodo.com]
It seems to have vanished from the giz.

johnnyrandom

Looks like a bunch of midgets with glowsticks. Where's the turntables?

LastAndLeast

@Niam: Don't be too harsh. I'm sure he has plenty of "single serving" friends.

johnnyrandom

This is just sad...

Stang70Fastback

They look more like dorks than geeks to me. Maybe the "geek" term is not what it used to be.

dysthymia

What's up with the blond chick's eyes?

Barfolemew

This is a theatrical combat group. Most colleges offer classes like this just not with the Star Wars theme. Actually, this looks more like a cross between theatrical combat and creative writing since it involves character development.

bgplpshep

So, where's all the force choke and cool flips?

decerbo

Wait...wait..there are somewhat hot girls there...

Saboth

"we have to remember this is not actual combat"
you are hitting each other with flamboyantly colored glow sticks. im pretty sure the 4 year olds fighting with sticks at recess have better moves than these guys

mwalker05

Sorry guys Ninja totally pwns the Jedi.

TheAstronot

Man, how can you fight and not laugh at someone dressed like that... I'd get cut down immediately and my neatly filleted half-torso would continue to mock them from the ground. Goatee-boys Kevin Sorbo outfit was just too gei.

Klaw

@banmojo: I must agree, she's not half bad L

tin

welcome to nerdsville.

tomaartist

@tin: o, just saw the end if the vid...no she's not :P

tin

Ok.

Got the consesus in what you all THINK you know what we're doing. Now we'll tell you what we're REALLY doing. Go to our home page at newyorkjedi with that dot com thing.

But really, if you're dissin us, it's nothing new and you're as narrow minded as your IQ.

And I will quote one of our instructors; "The truth is we are practicing, and they are not." Regardless of which martial art you practice, or which world view you claim, the truth is in the action.

"This sword, whether or not it exists, utilizes properties that are unique in it's presentation, defense, and attack parameters. It is as you will it. It is within these properties of this weapon we commit our knowledge and experience to create a fun, practical use with reality-based defense, attacks, strikes, and blocks that makes this enigmary weapon a joy to use.

"The fact of whether or not a light saber exists is immaterial, you are using your mind to change your world and engage socially in a positive environment." - NY Jedi.

nyjedi.com

Wow!
My friend told me about this club a few months ago. He ran in to them at Washington Square Park (near NYU). One of the guys ended his battle by screaming "AND THAT'S HOW YOU SLAY A DRAGON!"
He was so enamored by this group, that he has been following them around for months, and is creating a documentary about them. I imagine "King of Kong" but about light-saber nerds..i think he's gonna call is "how to slay a dragon".
I gotta tell him about this, though i'm sure he already knows.

avidan

Ok.

Got the consesus in what you all THINK you know what we're doing. Now we'll tell you what we're REALLY doing. Go to our home page at newyorkjedi with that dot com thing.

But really, if you're dissin us, then f%#@ y'all!!

And I will quote Master Sun. "The truth is we are practicing, and they are not." Regardless of which world view you claim, the action is truth.

"This sword, whether or not it exists, presents properties that are unique in it's presentation, defense, and attack parameters. It is as you will. It is within these properties of this weapon we commit our knowledge and experience within a practice of practcal use in exchange of defense and attack strikes & blocks, that make this is enigmary weapon possible to train with.

The fact of whether or not it exists is immaterial. Can you use it is the question." - NY Jedi.

nyjedi.com

Ok.

Got the consesus in what you all THINK you know what we're doing. Now we'll tell you what we're REALLY doing. Go to our home page at newyorkjedi with that dot com thing.

But really, if you're dissin us, then f%#@ y'all!!

And I will quote Master Sun. "The truth is we are practicing, and they are not." Regardless of which world view you claim, the action is truth.

This sword, whether or not it exists, presents properties that are unique in it's presentation, defense, and attack parameters. It is as you will.

It is within the properties of this weapon we commit our knowledge and experience within a practice of practcal use in exchange of defense and attack strikes & blocks, that make this the most enigmary weapon possible?

"The fact of whether or not it exists is immaterial. Can you effectively use it, is the question." - FLYNN, NY Jedi.

nyjedi.com

I've seen these guys at the New York Comic Con, and their fights are pretty fun to watch. Comparing them to real martial arts is kind of missing the point--it's more like pro wrestling, in that the idea is to put on an entertaining show and tell a story, as opposed to trying to "win", or perform moves that would actually work in real life.

areacode212

The Wired article made NY Jedi look so cool. The reality is that is looks sooooo dorky.

Benjo

I always knew that if I didn't care about what people thought of me, I would dress like I was in Star Wars, but this just put me over the edge. I am converting to Nerdism right now!

ghostbusterbob