Alain Bloch works as a software engineer at online petition platform Change.org. But during the weekends, he shifts gears and works as a lightsaber instructor, training potential padawans to learn the way of the Jedi.
It all started when Bloch met Matthew Carauddo, a martial arts and fencing instructor who had choreographed lightsaber fights for theater productions. Bloch emailed him to learn about his lightsaber fighting system and was immediately hooked.
"There's the stuff you see in the fantasy books and out on the
battlefields. But I can, from behind my computer desk, make the world a
better place."
"At the end of it, I was like, 'I think we could make this into a class,'" says Bloch. "He said, 'Are you sure about this? It's such a geeky thing.'"
"I was like, 'You don't even know.'"
The duo decided to launch 'The Golden Gate Knights', which takes in about 20 and 30 students each week for instruction, drills, and sparring in the specially crafted Novastar and Caine's Saber Combat System (NCSCS).
And they aren't the only ones doing this, as other
lightsaber clubs can also be found all over the globe. Check out the promo video below: