Introduction

The purpose of this course is to introduce the reader to the seven lightsaber forms and the various strikes that can be made with a lightsaber. The goal is that after taking this course, the reader will be much more knowledgeable of lightsaber combat. This will lead, of course, to merely an academic understanding of lightsaber combat; training with an actual lightsaber by sparring and running velocities (explained later) are the only ways to truly understand the majestic weapon.

Lightsaber Combat Forms

Form I - Shii-Cho

Created millennia before the Clone Wars, advanced technology replaced metal swords with energy-beam lightsabers — at least for Force-sensitives. In this transition the first Form was born. Jedi Masters created Form I from ancient sword-fighting traditions since the principles of blade combat remained fairly much the same. The basics of attack, parry, body target zones, and the practice drills called velocities are all in Form I. The core techniques of every other Form are also contained within this Form, using horizontal side-swipes and parries

Form II - Makashi

Considered the ultimate refinement of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat before the advent of blaster weapons, Form II is one of the most elegant and powerful Forms in existence. It advances the precision of blade manipulation to its finest possible degree and has produced the greatest dueling masters the galaxy has ever seen. The Jedi Order today considers Form II to be an anachronism studied by almost no one because it is not relevant to current tactical situations in which a Jedi’s enemies rarely fight with lightsabers. Even with the resurgence of the Sith, they feel that confrontation of an enemy wielding a lightsaber is such an exceedingly rare prospect for a Jedi as to make Makashi worthless so they continue to focus on more practical Forms. To the Dark Jedi, however, Form II is a powerful technique studied in order to destroy the Jedi through the art of the duel. For example, Count Dooku is a practitioner of the Form II style.

Form III - Soresu

The third lightsaber discipline was first developed in response to the development of blaster technology in the galaxy. As these weapons began to spread widely into the hands of evil-doers, the Jedi had to develop unique means of defending themselves. Form III thus arose from "laser blast" deflection training. Over the centuries it has transcended this origin to become a highly refined expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy. Form III maximizes defensive protection in a style characterized by tight, efficient movements that expose minimal target areas compared to the relatively open style of some of the other forms. However, Form III shows significant weakness in its offensive capabilities. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi took up the discipline of Form III after the death of Qui-Gon Jinn (who favored Form IV), since it was apparent to Kenobi that Jinn's defense was insufficient against the Sith techniques of Darth Maul. True Form III masters are considered nearly invincible. Even in his elder years, Kenobi remained a formidable Form III practitioner; because of this, Obi-Wan was regarded by such famous Jedi Masters as Mace Windu as the "Master of Soresu."

Form IV - Ataru

Form IV is the most acrobatic Form, heavily emphasizing Jedi abilities to run, jump, and spin in phenomenal ways by using the Force. Users of Form IV incorporate all of the ways in which the Force help them go beyond what is physically possible. Their lightsaber combat is astonishing to watch, filled with elaborate moves in the center of which a Jedi (or Dark Jedi) may be all but a blur. However, defense is a significant weakness of Form IV, as all of the acrobatic maneuvers leave its user open to attack; a user’s legs are in particular left completely unprotected as he or she jumps through the air, allowing an attacker to easily strike. For example, Yoda with his deep emphasis on the Force in all things, is a Form IV master. Form IV was also the chosen discipline of Qui-Gon Jinn and the early choice of his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Form V Shien/Djem So

During an era when Jedi were called upon to more actively maintain the peace in the galaxy, Form V arose alongside Form IV to address a need for greater power among the Jedi. Jedi Masters who felt that Form III could be too passive developed Form V. A Form III master may be undefeatable, but neither could he necessarily overcome his enemy. Form V focuses on strength and lightsaber attack moves. This Form exploits the ability of the lightsaber to block a blaster bolt and turns this defensive move into an offensive attack by deflecting the bolt deliberately back towards an opponent. A dedication to the power and strength necessary to defeat an enemy characterizes the philosophy of Form V, which some Jedi describe by the maxim "peace through superior firepower." To some Jedi Knights, Form V represents a worthy discipline prepared for any threat; to others, Form V seems to foster an inappropriate focus on dominating others; therefore, this is an ideal form for a Dark Jedi to study and master. The most famous practitioner of Form V was Anakin Skywalker, both as himself and as Darth Vader.

Form VI - Niman

In the time of Palpatine's Chancellorship, Form VI was the current standard in lightsaber training. This Form balanced the emphasis of the other forms with overall moderation, in keeping with the Jedi quest to achieve true harmony and justice without resorting to the rule of power. It is considered the "diplomat's form" because it is less intensive in the demands than the other disciplines, allowing Jedi to spend more time developing their skills in perception, political strategy, and negotiation. In practice, Form VI is a combination of Forms I, III, IV and V. Young Jedi often spend their first years studying Form I and then a year or two with each additional Form before completing their training. By comparison, a Form VI master will spend at least a decade only studying that form after completing the basic Form I training. Form IV suits the modern Jedi's role in the galaxy, in which a Knight overly trained in martial combat might be at a loss to resolve a complex political conflict between star systems. However, full masters of other Forms sometimes consider Form VI to be insufficiently demanding.

Form VII Juyo/Vapaad

Only high-level masters of multiple Forms can achieve and control the ultimate discipline known as Form VII. This is the most difficult and demanding of all Forms, but it can eventually lead to fantastic power and skill. Form VII employs bold, direct movements, more open and kinetic than Form V but not so elaborate as Form IV. In addition to its very advanced Force-assisted jumps and movements, Form VII tactics overwhelm opponents with seemingly unconnected staccato sequences of attacks, feints, and movements. making the Form highly unpredictable in battle. This trait makes for a much more difficult execution than the graceful, linked move sequences of Form IV. Form VII requires the intensity of Form V, but much greater energy since that focus is wielded more broadly. Form VII draws upon a deeper well of emotion than even Form V, yet masters it more fully. The outward bearing of a Form VII practitioner is one of calm, but the inner pressure verges on explosion. Form VII is still under development since so few can achieve the mastery to advance the art. Also, this spiritually dangerous regimen cuts perilously close to the Sith intensity of focus on physical combat ability and emotion, channeling one’s anger and darkness into the attack. Mace Windu was one of the only practitioners of the Vapaad variant of Form VII.

Lightsaber Lingo

All Jedi Forms involve the same "marks of contact," target objectives organized by categories of damage lightsaber wielders can inflict upon their opponents.

In the name of these marks, the language of the earliest Jedi sages has come down unaltered to us today. The ancient traditional marks of contact help focus a Jedi's attacks and defenses on a few clear categories rather than diffusing awareness across an infinite number of possibilities. Most of the marks of contact can be seen in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, though this pattern appears throughout the entire Star Wars saga.

Damage or Destroy Weapon - sun djem ("sun jem")
Sun djem (disarming) was a goal of early Form I masters, since destroying an opponent's lightsaber could win victory without causing injury- always a Jedi aspiration (one the Dark Jedi only would use in order to capture or disable an opponent). However, the advances of Form II soon made sun djem nearly impossible, since combatants trained studiously against having their weapons taken or damaged.

Wound - shiim ("she-eem")
Any kind of wound with the edge of a lightsaber is shiim. An inconclusive mark of contact, shiim is considered inferior to other marks that decisively end a battle. Its appearance thus expresses struggle with a powerful opponent. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi suffers shiim to his arm during his fight with Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones.

Stab - shiak ("she-ack")
Jedi tradition considers shiak — stabbing - an honorable method of inflicting serious injury since it causes the least visible injury to the opponent's body. Shiak can thus express Jedi respect for an opponent and the living Force even as it delivers a potentially fatal strike. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi suffers shiak to his leg during his fight with Count Dooku during Attack of the Clones.

Cut off Weapon Hand - cho mai ("cho my")/> Cho mai instantly ends an opponents ability to use a weapon but does not kill, making cho mai a preferred Jedi move. The precision of cutting off only a hand is considered the mark of a superior lightsaber master. For example, Darth Vader executes cho mai on Luke Skywalker in the Empire Strikes Back. Skywalker returns the gesture in Return of the Jedi, like Vader stopping at this mark of contact because he does not wish to kill his opponent.

Cut off Weapon Arm - cho sun ("cho sun")
Cho sun — or dismembering — is a move that cuts off an opponent's entire weapon arm; it is a move lacking the precision and elegance of cho mai, but cho sun is a move most often necessary under difficult combat conditions or where no chances can be taken. In essence cho sun is a serious but non-lethal defensive move against an aggressive assailant, typical of the Form III lightsaber style.

For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi performed cho sun on the female bounty hunter Zam Wessel in the bar scene in Attack of the Clones.

Otherwise Maim - cho mok ("cho mock")
Cho mok (maim) describes the cutting off an opponent's leg or (in the case of non-humans) other limb or appendage such as a lekku (head-tails).

Behead - sai cha ("sigh cha")
Sai cha, from the ancient words for "separate" and "head," describes the chilling Jedi ability to behead an opponent in the flash of the lightsaber. Jedi commit sai cha only when battle is at its most deadly serious and threatening, or when an opponent is considered extremely dangerous even to a fully trained Jedi. For example, Jedi Master Mace Windu performed sai cha against Jango Fett during the Battle of Genosis.

Cut Body in Half - sai tok ("sai tock")
Jedi consider the bisection of a living opponent's body a form of butchery, a desecration to be avoided if possible. Dark Jedi however do not have this weakness and will gladly perform sai tok against a Jedi opponent. The savage extreme of sai tok is thus normally used only against battle droids. We see Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi deliver sai tok to many battle droids in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Sai tok to the Jedi represents a Sith-like desire to destroy one's enemy, whereas the Jedi goal even in combat is an inner focus on defeating the danger of opponents rather than hating them and wishing utter destruction upon them. Sai tok can be best seen at the end of The Phantom Menace when Obi-Wan Kenobi performs a sai tok maneuver against Darth Maul, cutting him in half.

Jedi Combat Moves

• Jung: a 180-degree turn.
• Jung Ma: a 360-degree spin to gain power for an attack.
• Sai: a force-assisted jump to evade an attack to the legs.
• Shun: a One-handed grip, spinning a lightsaber 360 degrees to gain speed for an attack.
  Note: remember a two handed grip on a lightsaber gives its user the best control of the energy weapon.

Velocities

To develop lightning reflexes and tight control, Jedi face each other in drills called velocities. The tenth velocity sequence takes each opponent through a series of attacks and parries and is repeated in turn at ever greater speed until one opponent is felled or yields with the declaration, "Solah." That is, Jedi in training run lightsaber velocities endlessly to increase their key skills and physical stamina.

Building on these basics, Jedi can go beyond what is physically possible, allowing the force to flow through them. A Padawan practices for the trials of passage using dulon, or solo sequences of moves in which the opponents are only envisioned. The patterns of velocities and dulon prepare a Jedi for the unpredictable realm of combat.

Credits:

Jedi Lightsaber combat from Star Wars Insider issue 62 by David West Reynolds.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones- The Visual Dictionary by David West Reynolds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber_combat
Created by Abel Malik. Heavy Revisions by Farrin Xies.