Stage combat is a broad term that covers acts of conflict, danger and/or violence performed for entertainment. A slap to the face, a fall down some stairs, an epic fifteen-person battle with swords and axes – all of these are stage combat. More than just set moves, true stage combat uses violence to tell a story, just as dance choreography, set design, or costuming can.

The SAFD is the Society of American Fight Directors, an organization of dedicated artists whose purpose is to promote safety and foster excellence in the art of performing, teaching, and directing staged combat/theatrical violence.

The SAFD offers its members opportunities to study, train, network, and share their love of all things relating to stage combat.

All members receive the SAFD’s in-house magazine, The Fight Master and have a searchable profile on our website.

Current members in good standing are eligible to apply for several full-tuition National Stage Combat Workshop Scholarships. There is also a flat-rate discount of $50 for members in good standing who’ve been part of the SAFD for at least one year.

As a member you have access to emails and updates from your Regional Representative.  Additionally, many regional workshops offer tuition/registration discounts to SAFD members.

The following members are currently exempt from paying membership dues:

Certain other individuals who have been exempted by the Governing Body for providing needed service to the organization

All serving and past presidents of the SAFD governing body

All other currently serving members of the governing body. Dues are waived on a year to year basis.

Currently serving regional representatives. Dues are waived on a year to year basis.

The editor of the Fight Master magazine and The Cutting Edge newsletter. Dues are waived on a year to year basis.

Editorial staff members for the Fight Master magazine and The Cutting Edge newsletter. Dues are waived on a year to year basis.

Emeritus members.

Fight Masters who are not Fight Directors or Certified Teachers

No. If you are designated as a Certified Teacher and/or Fight Director you are still requried to pay your certification fees every three years.

Yes.

If you are a Certified Teacher and/or Fight Director, and you are exempt from paying dues, you can pay your fees online at:  https://www.safd.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=11

PDF version

Printer-friendly version

Certified Teachers (CT) have gone through a rigorous training and evaluation process, and have been vetted by the Fight Masters of the SAFD as safe and effective experts in the SAFD weapon disciplines. The SAFD stands behind these teachers and publicly endorses their expertise. Additionally, CTs are the only teachers whose students may take an SAFD Skills Proficiency Test (or Renewal). Furthermore, the SAFD is recognized as the most respected organization of theatrical combat in the country.

The SAFD formally trains in eight disciplines: Unarmed, Rapier & Dagger, Broadsword, Single Sword, Smallsword, Broadsword & Shield, Quarterstaff, and Knife. These eight are the only weapons in which SPTs are offered or recognized; however, individual teachers may offer classes in other disciplines. Additionally, the SAFD offers a theatrical firearms safety course.

A Skills Proficiency Test is the culmination of extended training with a SAFD Certified Teacher. After at least 30 hours of training with a CT in a particular weapon, students may perform a staged fight in that discipline before an SAFD Fight Master. If the students’ work meets the SAFD’s criteria for safety and dramatic effectiveness, the students may be recognized with either Basic or Recommended Proficiency.

For EACH weapon skill test or renewal a student attempts, the online SPT ADJUDICATION REPORT automatically calculates the total fee owed to the SAFD. The person creating the adjudication report must enter a score of “basic pass”,  “recommended pass”, or “incomplete or not passed” in order for the report to calculate fees correctly.

There are two ways to pay for SPT fees owed to the SAFD:

You can send a check made payable to the SAFD by regular mail to:

SAFD
3501 N. Southport Ave. #302
Chicago, IL 60657

Or you can pay your SAFD fees using our secure online payment processor, paypal.

The SPT Adjudication Report asks the author to decide which payment option will be used to pay SAFD test fees and new membership fees.

If the Secured online payment option is selected, upon saving the new report, the author will be redirected to the payment form where he/she can complete the transaction.

If “I will mail my test fee via regular mail” option is selected, upon saving the new report, the author will be redirected to a quick invoice view of the report, which can be downloaded and printed for his/her records.
Upon completing and saving your new report, you will also receive an email that contains a summary of the event, links to return to the report you just created, links to print either a full or quick invoice of the event, and a link that will take you to the online payment form to pay your fees/dues if you so desire.

In any SAFD skills proficiency test or renewal, you can pass with either a basic pass or a recommended pass. A basic pass is given to students who demonstrate technical proficiency with the weapon, while creating a sense of tension and the illusion of danger. A recommended pass is awarded to students who do all of the above, but perform with a strong sense of character and demonstrate a high level of acting and performing technique.

Look here for a listing of Certified Teachers in your state, or contact your Regional Representative.

Actor Combatants are active SAFD members who have passed Skills Proficiency Tests in at least three SAFD disciplines: 1) Unarmed, 2) either Single Sword or Rapier & Dagger, and 3) any other discipline.

Advanced Actor Combatants are active SAFD members who have passed Skills Proficiency Tests in at least six SAFD disciplines, including both Unarmed and Rapier & Dagger. Additionally, the student must have current Recommended status in at least three of those six disciplines.

Becoming a Certified Teacher requires acceptance and successful completion of the Teacher Certification Workshop (TCW). These individuals are endorsed by the SAFD to teach staged combat, Skills Proficiency Tests, and Skills Proficiency Renewals. The TCW is an intense testing program for certification, held at the National Stage Combat Workshops. In order to apply for the TCW, a candidate must: Be an Actor Combatant in good standing for a minimum of five consecutive years Maintain proficiency in all recognized disciplines offered by the SAFD. Demonstrate an advanced level of skill in the performance and choreography of the stage combative arts. Show evidence of a high level of professional teaching standards. Hold an undergraduate degree in performance studies or equivalent training. Hold current First Aid and CPR certificates from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association and/or other such qualified certifying bodies recognized by the Governing Body. Complete the application for admission to the TCW.

A Fight Director is a Certified Teacher with significant professional fight direction / fight choreography credits. This individual is endorsed by the Society to direct and choreograph incidents of physical violence. A candidate for the status of Fight Director must fulfill the requirements of Fight Director status as prescribed in the Policies and Procedures of the SAFD.

A Fight Master is an individual who has, through dedication to the art of Stage Combat, demonstrated and maintained the highest standard of professional excellence and garnered a national reputation as a leader in the field. The rank of Fight Master is the highest honor in our discipline.

The NSCW is the SAFD’s flagship workshop, where all levels of stage combat students gather for intensive training with SAFD-Certified Teachers, Fight Directors, and Fight Masters. Lasting 3 weeks and held each summer, the NSCW gives participants the opportunity to test and renew in SAFD weapon disciplines, work with highly experienced professionals in the field, and expand and strengthen their industry network of mentors and peers.  

There are four courses offered, on a rotating basis, at the NSCW:

• Introduction to Stage Combat. This workshop is designed for beginners in stage combat. Students train in all eight disciplines recognized by the SAFD, for roughly 10 hours each. While qualified students may have the opportunity to renew, the ISC does not offer SPTs.
• Actor Combatant Skills Proficiency Workshop. Students in the ACW received focused training in Unarmed, Rapier & Dagger or Singlesword, and a third weapon, and may take Skills Proficiency Tests in those weapons at the end of three weeks. If they pass all three, and join the SAFD, they are recognized as Actor Combatants by the SAFD.
• Advanced Actor Combatant Skills Proficiency Workshop. This workshop features study in advanced movement and acting techniques, as well as three additional weapon styles from the SAFD’s eight. Possible weapons include Knife, Single Sword, Smallsword, Sword & Shield, and Quarterstaff.
• Teacher Certification Workshop. Advanced teachers of stage combat may apply to be Certified as teachers with the SAFD. At this workshop, teachers have their classroom technique, curriculum planning, and knowledge of stage combat evaluated and critiqued by SAFD Fight Masters. At the conclusion of the TCW, successful candidates receive their Teaching Certification.

Yes. Any SAFD member is eligible to apply for an intern position at the NSCW or any other SAFD sanctioned workshop; however, Advanced Actor Combatants may be given preference. Interns are vital to the smooth running of these workshops and take charge of such logistical issues as transportation, armory maintenance, and cleaning the classroom spaces.

Yes!  We offer multiple scholarships to the NSCW:

1) The General Scholarship – anyone who has been a paid member for at least one year may apply.  One (1) general scholarship is given per year, and this scholarship covers 100% of your tuition

2) The Carlos Lopez IV Memorial Scholarship – anyone may apply who has been a paid member for at least one year and additionally is a member of one or more of the following communities: pgm/bipoc, female, trans/nonbinary, member of the LGBTQ+ community.  One (1) is given per year and this scholarship covers 100% of your tuition.  When funds allow, this scholarship *may* also cover a meal plan, housing, and/or a travel stipend but this is *not* guaranteed.

3) The PGM/BIPOC Scholarship – anyone who is pgm/bipoc may apply, regardless of membership status.  This scholarship is generated through a portion of the adjudication fees received by Fight Masters throughout the year, so we always award at least one (1) but can often fund more.  This is a “fully funded” scholarship, and covers 100% of your tuition, your meal plan, on-campus housing, and a small travel stipend.

The scholarship application is built into the registration (https://safdnscw.com/); and you can select which scholarship (or scholarships) you’d like to apply for on this screen:  Please note that you do not need to submit a downpayment in order to apply for scholarships.

You may also be able to find and apply for personal grants.  A good place to start that search is by visiting the website of your state and local Arts Council.

Finally, folks who have been paid SAFD Members for over a year will receive a $50 discount to the workshop.  The discount is refunded to your account on the first day of class.

Regional workshops are held across the country, generally, over a single weekend. These workshops offer master classes for all experience levels and in a variety of subjects related to stage combat. Regional workshops with at least one Certified Teacher on faculty may apply for Sanctioning from the SAFD. Sanctioning allows use of the SAFD’s mailing list, and requires that the workshop offer a discounted tuition to SAFD members. You can find upcoming regional workshops here.

YES. The SAFD offers an intensive workshop in theatrical firearms safety and performance use, culminating in the Theatrical Firearms Safety Test.

Two reasons: Safety and Story. A professionally choreographed fight ensures that the violence is appropriate to the characters’ given circumstances (i.e. a trained swordfighter in a duel or victim ambushed in a back alley) rather than “whatever the actors create in the moment.” More importantly, good choreography keeps the actors safe even as the characters are in danger – so the actor can fully commit to the violence, safely.

Look here for a listing of Certified Teachers in your state, or contact your Regional Representative.

“The Cutting Edge” is the SAFD’s newsletter, featuring articles by SAFD members, notices of regional workshops, updates of member activity, and reports from the Governing Body. It comes out every two months, and is available here.  

Yes. You can even read “The Cutting Edge” without being an SAFD member.

The Fight Master is the SAFD’s industry magazine. In addition to in-depth articles on stage combat and other theatrical movement disciplines, The Fight Master publishes the results of all Skills Proficiency Tests and Renewals since the last issue. The Fight Master is available free to SAFD members, or by subscription.

Yes. These include Fight Directors Canada, the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat, the British Academy of Dramatic Combat, the Society of Australian Fight Directors, Stage Combat Germany, and the Nordic Stage Fight Society.

Having a profile does not mean you are a member of the SAFD yet, but you can join! To be a current member of the SAFD you must pay your annual dues. Dues cost $30 for your first year, and $45 for every year after that. You can pay your dues by clicking on the little shield next to your username in the top right-hand corner of the screen.