Your 13+ Students Are
Aging Out.
This Keeps Them.
The electronic-scored light sword league. Weekly. Nationally ranked. Zero schedule disruption to your existing program. Your art stays your art.
Growth Stops.
Students Leave.
Most martial arts academies hit the same wall. Not because the art is weak, but because the business model has a structural ceiling. You can only run so many classes, charge so much per month, and retain so many students before the numbers stop moving. Saber Tag X-Treme League is a parallel revenue engine that runs inside your existing facility without touching your class schedule, your curriculum, or your lineage.
Attrition
The average martial arts student quits within 6–12 months. A competitive weekly league with live national rankings gives students a reason to stay that a belt test alone cannot provide. Saber Circuit makes progress visible, and public.
Revenue Ceiling
Monthly dues scale linearly: more students, more income, but you hit a floor space and schedule limit. A Saturday league runs in the same space after hours or on a day you don't currently program, generating per-head revenue at $247 per student per season.
Competition Gap
Most local tournaments happen once or twice a year. Weekly electronic-scored competition changes the culture of your academy. Students train differently when there is a bracket on Saturday and a national ranking on the line.
Lead Generation
Saber Tag draws people who would never walk into a traditional dojo: gamers, collectors, film fans, fitness seekers. Every league participant is an unqualified lead for your main program. The Saturday league is the top of your enrollment funnel.
Your Art Stays
Your Art.
Every traditional martial arts instructor who hears about light sword training asks the same question first: does this conflict with what I already teach? The answer is no, and here is why the question itself reflects a misunderstanding of what the license actually is.
Saber Tag X-Treme League is a competition format, not a curriculum. It operates as a parallel program inside your academy the same way a kickboxing cardio class operates parallel to your Jiu-Jitsu curriculum: different context, same facility, different students or the same students on different days. Your lineage is never mentioned in the league. Your system is never at risk. Your students don't confuse Saturday league with Monday class.
Read the Full System Background →Three Revenue Streams.
One License.
The Saber Tag X-Treme League license opens three separate revenue opportunities for your academy. Each operates independently, run one, run all three. The math on each is straightforward.
Student League Fees
Your academy collects $247 per enrolled league participant per season. A Saturday league with 30 students generates $7,410 per season before a single sponsor is approached. 40 students is $9,880. 50 students is $12,350. This revenue is yours. LSTA's fee structure is separate from your per-student collection.
Local Business Sponsors
Local businesses sponsor student participation costs. Reducing or eliminating the per-student fee for families and making league enrollment a zero-barrier decision. Your academy presents the sponsorship packages and collects the revenue directly. LSTA provides all materials. One presenting sponsor at $9,880 covers 40 students entirely.
Cross-Enrollment
Every league participant who isn't already a student is an unqualified enrollment lead for your main program. Our founding Norfolk academy has documented an 80% day-pass to enrollment conversion rate. An illustrative result from that program, not a guaranteed rate for every academy. A Saturday league of 30 participants where a third are new to your academy represents 10 potential monthly-dues students. That is your highest-quality lead generation channel.
Run Your Numbers.
Live.
Adjust the variables below to model your academy's Saber Tag X-Treme League revenue, costs, and net profit. All figures update in real time. Numbers reflect actual LSTA rates and typical academy operating conditions.
League Variables
Cost Variables
Cross-Enrollment
Minimum students to cover all costs
Three Formats.
Your Choice.
The Saber Tag X-Treme League fits inside your academy in three distinct configurations. Same equipment kit. Century Martial Arts 2020 Armor electronic scoring technology, used internationally. Same Saber Circuit access. Same certification. Different deployment depending on your schedule and capacity.
Saturday League
Weekly 2-hour sessions. Full bracket competition with national rankings updated same day. Your academy becomes a registered league location on Saber Circuit. Ages 13+. Teens and adults compete in the same progression system with sanctioned bracket eligibility from their first session. The most engaging format and the highest revenue per student.
After-Class Add-On
A Saber Tag session appended to the end of an existing class slot. 45–60 minutes. No separate scheduling required. Students stay after their regular class. You collect the season fee. Lowest barrier to start. Ideal for academies testing enrollment demand before committing to a dedicated Saturday session.
Open Enrollment Event
A single-day Saber Tag open event. Advertised to your community, not just existing students. The highest-volume lead generation format. Every participant who isn't already a student is a qualified enrollment conversation. Run quarterly or monthly as a standalone event, or use it to launch a full season.
What Your Academy
Receives
Complete Equipment Kit
2020 Armor electronic scoring vests, light swords, carry cases. Ships to your academy. Sets up in under 20 minutes. No permanent installation. No floor modifications.
Operator Certification
You or a designated staff member certified via three remote sessions. Equipment, brackets, Saber Circuit, safety protocols, fully covered before the first session.
Saber Circuit Access
sabercircuit.com: live tournament management, national rankings, permanent athlete profiles. Your academy's results feed the national leaderboard from day one.
National Academy Finder
Your academy listed as a licensed LSTA location on lightswordtrainingacademy.com and Saber Circuit. Co-branded with a federation-sanctioned light sword martial art.
Saber Kinetics for Members
All league participants receive access to Saber Kinetics.com, the LSTA wellness platform. Retention tool for your students between sessions. Goal-setting, nutrition, wearable integration, workout programs, and body vision tools.
Sponsor Package Materials
Local business sponsorship templates, flyers, and promotion materials, ready to use the day you sign. Your academy presents to local businesses and collects revenue directly.
The Code of S.A.B.E.R.
The same code that governs every LSTA practitioner worldwide governs your Saturday league. Five principles, written in 2016, upheld globally. These are assessed conduct standards, not motivational posters. Every league participant commits to them at enrollment.
Internal stability under pressure. Acting from conviction, not anxiety, in a match and outside one.
Academy Value, Composure Under PressureRank earned through demonstrated ability. Not by time on the mat. Not by who you know.
Academy Value, Earned AchievementCompeting, performing, and trying again after a loss. The willingness to step onto the floor.
Academy Value, Courage in CompetitionIntegrity whether winning or losing. The code holds when the ref isn't watching and when they are.
Academy Value, Dojo Etiquette ReinforcedFinishing what you started. Every Saturday, not just the Saturdays that feel good.
Academy Value, Long-Term CommitmentSponsors Cover
Student League Costs
Your academy approaches local businesses using provided sponsorship packages. Sponsors cover per-student league fees. Eliminating enrollment friction for families and making your Saturday league free or low-cost to participate. All sponsor revenue flows to your academy. LSTA provides the templates, agreements, and deliverable documentation.
- Logo on all league bracket materials
- Named in LSTA Weekly Dispatch
- Academy social media mention
- Certificate of community support
- Everything in Community tier
- Banner displayed at all league sessions
- LSTA national website listing
- Documented community impact report
- Everything in Silver tier
- League named for sponsor
- Logo on Saber Circuit
- Annual CSR impact report
- LSMAF Eastern Regionals (Connecticut (June 30, 2027)), priority invitation
Every Student Gets
Saber Kinetics
Every league participant receives full access to Saber Kinetics.com, the LSTA branded wellness platform. This is your academy's retention tool between sessions. Students who have active wellness goals, tracked progress, and daily platform engagement return to the mat more consistently than students who don't.
Health Assessments
Every student completes a personalized wellness assessment at enrollment. Training preferences, current fitness level, and goals are captured, and the platform delivers programming specific to each individual, not a generic plan.
Body Vision
3D body composition mapping shows students where they are and projects where consistent training takes them. Visible physical progress between Saturday sessions is the most powerful retention mechanism available. Students who see progress stay.
Workout Programs
Saber-specific conditioning programs (agility, footwork, reaction time, core strength), delivered through video inside the platform. Students who train between sessions arrive measurably better prepared. Better performance on Saturday means deeper investment in the program.
Nutrition Programs
Detailed nutrition plans, recipe libraries, and meal tracking tied to athletic performance. Students who take their nutrition seriously are students who take their training seriously, and students who take their training seriously are students who stay enrolled.
Wearable Integration
FitBit and Garmin connected directly to the student's Saber Kinetics profile. Activity between sessions is tracked and visible on their dashboard. Students who track are students who return, documented across wellness platforms consistently.
Goal Settings
Students set measurable goals tied to both physical milestones and league rank advancement. Progress is tracked, visualized, and celebrated inside the platform. A student with an active goal on the platform is a student with a reason to come back next Saturday.
Connecticut:
Proof It Replicates
Saber Core Light Sword Academy in Norwich, CT (the US flagship partner academy), launched February 7, 2026. Academy Operator Keith Nye licensed the full academy system in December 2025 and operates a completely independent Saturday league without any on-site support from LSTA. Every result is documented on Saber Circuit in real time.
This is the standard the academy license is built on. Certified in three remote sessions. Runs independently. Saber Circuit handles every bracket and ranking automatically.
"Keith Nye licensed the full academy system and opened his own academy in Connecticut. I have only ever visited as a guest. He runs the Saturday leagues, manages Saber Circuit, documents every result, completely independently. That is the standard every licensed academy operator is held to. The model replicates without me in the room.", Sifu Edward Armstrong, Co-Founder & Co-Principal, Light Sword Training Academy
"1,500+ warriors trained. 60+ five-star reviews. Multi-state reach on a single curriculum and rank standard. These are not projections. They are documented outcomes. The system is proven.", LSTA Performance Record
Signed to
First League Day
First league session achievable within 30–35 days of signing. No travel. No disruption to your existing class schedule. No specialized background required before certification.
Agreement executed. Equipment order placed. Your academy listed as a licensed LSTA location on Saber Circuit and academy finder.
Three remote sessions. Equipment operation, bracket management, Saber Circuit, and safety protocols, fully covered.
Your academy approaches local businesses using provided sponsorship packages. Revenue collected covers student costs for the season.
Existing students + open enrollment. Saber Kinetics access activated for all registrants. Profiles created on Saber Circuit.
Electronic scoring live. National rankings updated same day. Your academy is on the national leaderboard from the first match.
Your Academy Plugs Into A Complete System.
When you license Saber Tag X-treme into your academy, you are not just adding a program. You are plugging into the Warrior Intelligence System Edge. Four operating layers that no other martial arts business carries. Your academy gains all four. Your students train inside the same system that runs at every certified LSTA academy across the U.S. and internationally.
Submit your form video and a certified master returns coached, frame-by-frame feedback. Real eyes. Real corrections. The kind of training that used to require flying to a master, delivered through your phone, on your schedule.
A complete warrior wellness system, powered by AcadevoFit, covering recovery, mobility, and conditioning. Built for the demands of the 9-Form combat system, not generic fitness. Available to all enrolled league participants.
Electronic scoring backed by Century Martial Arts. National rankings platform with live athlete profiles. Every match result is permanent, public, and undisputable, from your first Saturday league bout onward.
12 volumes of operational knowledge covering every system a licensed LSTA academy needs. From student acquisition to curriculum delivery to league operations. The backbone of the Academy Commander path.
Train inside the WISE. Compete with the edge.
Four Masters.
One System.
This is the question every serious martial artist asks first. The answer: Saber Tag X-Treme League was built by practitioners with credentials that hold up under scrutiny. A 2× World Champion, a military contractor and international referee, a Hollywood stunt director, and a US light sword academy operator. Their combined lineage spans 12+ martial arts traditions across 80+ years of documented practice.
Sijo Nathan Young holds a Nidan rank in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu under Professor Kai Li. The Light Sword Martial Arts Federation has a documented international competitive record dating to the 2019 WAC World All-Style Championship in Portugal and Spain.
View Full Credentials →
Built a landmark U.S. light sword academy · Entrepreneur of the Year · Featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox · Parks & Recreation Contract
3× WEKAF National Champion · NASM-Certified Trainer · U.S. military contracts, Langley AFB & Fort Eustis
2× World Champion · 2004 Olympics Performer · Black Belt Magazine Feature · 2nd-Gen JKD, Bruce Lee lineage
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 · Tenet · The 5th Wave · 101 Stunt Credits on IMDb · JKD · Capoeira · Kempo · Judo
Light Sword Martial Arts Federation
Virginia nonprofit. 45 governing documents. Constitution, bylaws, competition rulebook, anti-doping policy, referee certification standards. This is a governed sport, not a brand.
WAC World Championship, 2019
Sijo Nathan Young competed at the WAC World All-Style Championship in Portugal and Spain in 2019. The moment Light Sword Martial Arts entered the international competitive record. The LSMAF Eastern Regionals (Connecticut (June 30, 2027)), is the next milestone.
60+ Five-Star Reviews.
Zero Exceptions.
"As a 15-year traditional martial artist, I was skeptical. After one session I understood. This is a complete, legitimate system. The 9 forms are grounded in real combat traditions."
"My 14-year-old wasn't connecting with traditional team sports. Eight months into Saber Tag and he's earned his Orange Sash, trains between sessions without being asked, and has a goal he actually cares about. The structure is transformative."
"Booked a corporate event for 40 people. Everyone from our CFO to our interns were completely locked in for two hours. Best team-building event in five years of trying."
"I visited as a tourist in Norfolk. I stayed as a student. Sifu Armstrong is the real deal. This isn't cosplay, it's combat."
Frequently Asked
Questions
The questions martial arts academy owners ask before signing the license. Answered here so your decision is fully informed before we get on a call.
Does this require me to teach light sword martial arts?
Do my existing students have to participate?
What if my martial arts association has rules about cross-promotion?
Can multiple academies in the same city both run the league?
Can I run the league myself or does it require a separate person?
What happens to the league if I close or sell my academy?
What age groups are eligible?
How does the LSMAF Eastern Regionals relate to my academy?
The League Is One Path.
Your Academy Has Five.
League participants who want to go deeper have a structured pathway inside the LSTA ecosystem. Every path strengthens your academy's position in the community, and every path feeds the same national competitor database.
Shadow Warrior
15-level AI-guided curriculum. The next step for any league participant who wants to train between Saturday sessions and build toward a full rank progression.
Start Training
Academy Commander
Open a fully licensed LSTA academy. Three license paths, from instructor certification to a full partner academy. Eight revenue streams. A documented 63% net margin at scale. An example of what the model has produced, not a promise of your results. The league is the front door.
Build Your Academy
Temple Warrior
Train under a certified instructor at a licensed LSTA academy. Master the 9-Form system and earn your sash through demonstrated skill. The deeper path for participants who want more than the weekly league.
Train In Person
Total Saber Fit
A complete fitness system built on the light sword forms, led by NASM-certified Sifu Julliana Armstrong. Strength, mobility, and real energy in 30-minute sessions, the wellness track between league nights.
Train with Sifu Julliana
Saber Smuggler
Become an authorized saber builder with revenue-based ranks from Rookie to Legend. A different kind of path for participants who want to build, not just compete.
Join the RebellionBuilt. Betrayed.
Rebuilt by four masters.
In 2015, Edward Armstrong built a light sword martial arts academy in the United States: 68 students, Entrepreneur of the Year, featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox. Sijo Nathan Young, Sifu Julliana Armstrong, and Sifu Nick Benseman built the curriculum, the institutional partnerships, and the safety protocols alongside him.
In 2016, the franchise that gave the sport its international structure betrayed the warriors and operators inside it.
In 2017, all four walked away, and rebuilt from scratch, on their own terms, engineered against the exact failure modes they had survived.
That rebuild is why this partnership exists.
When you partner with LSTA, you become part of a federation built by people who refuse to let predatory operator terms or unsupported franchisees happen again. The terms you see on this page aren’t generous because we’re trying to win you. They’re what we wish we’d had.
Three reasons
this isn’t the right fit for your academy.
Adding a sport-format to your martial arts academy is a real commitment. Before you wire the license fee, here are three reasons to walk away.
Saber Tag isn’t a marketing extension of your primary discipline. It’s its own combat sport with its own ranks, its own rules, and its own competitive ladder. If you need it to feed your karate or BJJ pipeline, the integration will frustrate you. The three-boundary separation framework exists for a reason.
Saber Tag league economics work because each location runs a consistent weekly cadence. If your floor is already at capacity and you can’t carve out a regular evening or weekend slot, the league won’t build the roster it needs to compound.
The license includes scripts, marketing assets, federation pathway, and operator support. It doesn’t include us recruiting your members. If your academy can’t personally run the first six weeks of league community-building, the format has no way to start.
If any of those describes you, we’d rather you know now than three months in.
Add the League.
Keep Your Art.
Confirm your interest and schedule a 30-minute live demo of Saber Circuit. Receive the formal license proposal with current pricing and complete sponsorship package templates.
READY TO SIGN → Request a License Proposal | DEMO FIRST → Schedule a Call | QUESTIONS → Contact Sifu Armstrong
[email protected] · lightswordtrainingacademy.com · sabercircuit.com · saberkinetics.com