Recently, my friend Pippa Jay – who is not only a great writer but also a great scientist – became an instructor at the LudoSport Essex lightsaber academy in Colchester.Â
FT: Thanks, Pippa, for taking time for this interview. What interested you about being an instructor at the LudoSport Essex lightsaber academy in Colchester?
PJ: When I originally went on the instructor course, I never really intended to teach. I just saw it as (possibly) my only opportunity to learn the sport on an intensive course, as the other academies were too far away for me to attend regular classes. Then I passed. Since I’m not one to see skills go to waste, I decided I had to teach, but much to my surprise I actually love teaching LudoSport. I also wanted to save other people from having to go the lengths I went to to learn the sport.
FT: What did you have to do to start this academy?
PJ: Attend and pass the instructor course, then find a venue. The main academy (LudoSport Britannia) has supported me financially, providing the costs for the venue, and the sabers for students to use, plus marketing media, setting up social media, and general support and guidance.
FT: What techniques are taught at this academy?
PJ: Students are taught to control their weapon, movements and emotions so as to duel as safely as possible, and as close to the style of combat seen in the films as is realistically possible.
FT: What approach did you take when researching what you needed to teach these techniques?
PJ: I first went to a Discovery session, where the suggestion was made that I learn to teach it in order to open my own academy. There’s an online course called Evolve, which I started following to learn as much as I could about Form 1 without a school I could easily attend. Then the instructor course came up, and after a lot of debate with myself and some friends about whether I should do it, I decided to go for it. Afterwards, I tried to go to as many workshops and events as possible to expand my experience and get some practice. I also asked a lot of questions!
FT: What is your favorite technique to teach and why?
PJ: I love to teach Rovescio, which is one of the two lower leg strikes. I like it because even though it’s one of the more complex moves in Form 1, it’s also a rule breaker. All the attacks in Form 1 are two handed except for this one.
FT: What is the hardest technique to teach and why?
PJ: For me, it’s the other leg strike – Montante. Both lower leg strikes involve vertical spins, and getting the wrist rotation right can be difficult for some, and is tricky to demonstrate.
FT: Did you learn anything new when starting this Academy?
PJ: Not so much starting the school, but training to become the instructor. I really learned what I could achieve, but also my limitations. I was finally diagnosed with autism last year, and had a complete shutdown the day before my final exam, something that has only happened once in my life before, but I came back from that (thanks to my clan and my teacher). I guess I also learnt the lengths I am willing to go to to achieve my goals, however insane they may sometimes seem (to some people, anyway).
FT: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or this project?
PJ: I always tell beginners that if I can do this, anyone can. I thought being older, being someone who’d never really been interested in sport, and being ASD, that I would fail at the sport and at being an instructor. But I didn’t. Maybe those things made it harder for me to learn – it’s definitely up there in the top five hardest things I’ve ever done in my life – but it’s also been one of the most rewarding. Part of the core principle of the sport is that we help each other grow, never knock down. It’s a community – not just your class (your clan) or your school or academy, but a worldwide community where we all support each other and help one another to progress. It’s a belonging.
FT: Where can those that are interested in attending find out more information?
PJ: For those in the UK looking for their nearest academy, you can go to https://www.ludosport.co.uk/
To find LudoSport in the rest of the world, you can go to https://www.ludosport.net/