They Didn't Set Out to
Build an Organization.
Each of the four founding masters found Form 1 independently. Each experienced the same result — a training system that worked without requiring a gym, expensive equipment, or 90 minutes. Just 15 minutes, 8x8 feet of space, and focused movement.
When they recognized what they each brought to the table — a 2004 Olympics performer, a military contractor, a Hollywood stunt director, and the builder of the largest US light sword academy — the decision was immediate. They weren't going to join another organization. They were going to build one. From scratch. On their own terms.
"We've built something that doesn't require you to choose between training seriously and building a life. That's what the empire never figured out. And that's what they'll never be able to take from us."
— Sifu Edward Armstrong, Co-Founder
They formalized accreditation through the American Jujitsu Institute and built the 9-Form Combat System — a complete athletic classification framework with white-to-black sash progression designed for international competition. Today LSTA operates 10 certified academies across 7 states and Japan, including a certified location at Langley Air Force Base.
The Founding Rebel Summit · LSTA Masters & Academy Commanders
Sijo Nathan Young
Hawaii · Father of Our Forms
Creator of the 9-Form Combat SystemNathan Young was already a legend before LSTA existed. A two-time World Champion. Invited to perform at the 2004 Olympics. Grand Champion in Forms at Professor Godin's Kenpo Tournament. Featured in Black Belt Magazine. His credentials spanned disciplines most martial artists spend a lifetime accumulating.
But in 2017, Nathan was lost. The martial arts world had become a content machine — post your training, tag your sponsors, build your brand. He didn't want to build a brand. He wanted to build warriors.
Then a former student sent him a text: "Found the thing we were looking for. Form 1. Try it." He tried it in his living room. 8x8 feet. A wooden dowel. 15 minutes. For the first time in years, his body didn't hurt. It felt like home — not because it was flashy, because it was private. No performance. No validation. Just competence, built in silence.
Nathan spent the next years building the 9-Form Combat System — the complete athletic classification framework that became LSTA's curriculum foundation and the rulebook for future international competition. Every LSTA student worldwide trains his forms.
Credentials & Achievements
Watch Sijo Nathan Young
Featured Fan Film
Sijo Nate Introduces LSMA to the World
Sifu Edward Armstrong
Virginia Beach, Virginia · The Academy Builder
Co-Founder & CEOCredentials & Achievements
Edward didn't set out to build an empire. It started with a conversation — Nathan showed him a light sword. His response was immediate: "I didn't even know that was a thing."
But he tried it. Within months he had built the largest light sword academy in the United States — 68 students in a single location. He won Entrepreneur of the Year. People's Choice Award. The City of Virginia Beach contracted him to provide classes through Parks & Recreation. Keynote speaker at the Holistic Health & Wellness Expo in Los Angeles.
By every external measure, he'd won. But he'd built an empire that required constant feeding. He'd forgotten how to be a warrior.
When the organization he'd built under revealed its true character — favoritism, dishonesty, manipulation, control — Edward made a decision that cost him everything he'd built. He walked away. And then built something better, answering to no one.
Watch Sifu Edward Armstrong
As Featured on America's Real Deal
As Featured on Total Health Magazine
Sifu Julliana Armstrong
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia · The Military Champion
First American International RefereeJulliana wasn't teaching yoga or running Instagram challenges. She was contracted by Langley Air Force Base and Fort Eustis Army Base to teach light sword combat to active-duty military personnel.
She became the first American certified to referee international light sword competition — officiating at the Annual International Lightsaber Championship Arena in Milan, Italy. She is the Senior Trainer for the Guardian Division of Light Sword Martial Arts and serves as the Official Referee Bureau for all LSTA competitions worldwide.
Her championship record is extensive — 1st Place GSBA Regional Champion, 1st Place GSBA National Championship, and two 1st Place finishes at the WEKAF National Championships. As co-creator of Total Saber Fit, she brought the system to audiences who'd never find it through traditional martial arts channels.
Credentials & Achievements
Watch Sifu Julliana Armstrong
Langley Joint Base Productions
Sifu Nick Benseman
Los Angeles, California · The Hollywood Professional
Hollywood Stunt Director & Fight ChoreographerCredentials & Achievements
Nick was already living the dream most people never touch. Hollywood Stunt Director. Fight Choreographer. Second Unit Director on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Tenet, and The 5th Wave. Over 101 stunt credits.
But twelve-hour days and constant travel were breaking his body down. The industry had become all spectacle, all performance, all for the camera. One night between shoots, an old martial arts instructor sent him a video.
"Form 1: The Foundation of Everything." An old master demonstrating a flowing sequence with a wooden training sword. No cameras. No crew. No audience. Just movement.
Nick tried it in his hotel room. 15 minutes. For the first time in years, his body didn't hurt. His mind was quiet. He realized: this was what combat was supposed to feel like before Hollywood turned it into entertainment.
Watch Sifu Nick Benseman
Featured Fan Film
Accreditation & Recognition
Now You Know Who Built This.
Find Out Where You Fit.
Four paths. One combat system. 60 seconds to find out which one was built for exactly where you are right now.
10 Academies · 7 States + Japan · Langley AFB · Olympic Pathway In Formation
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This is our way of life.”
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