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Seven Forms Of Lightsaber Combat: A Discourse

By Craig Page


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Foreword
- This work is dedicated to the men and women (and those
who refuse to clarify) of the various Lightsaber, Jedi, and Star
Wars Groups Out There. Especially New York and Long Island Jedi.
Thank you for letting me in on the madness.
- Special Thanks go to Brandon Hughes and Mike Merin, who
helped me in writing these articles and editing them down
Disclaimer
This work is the personal commentary of Craig J Page, and does
not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of New York Jedi,
SaberWars.com, LucasArts, or any groups or individuals within or
without of the Star Wars Fan Community.

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Introduction
"This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as random or as clumsy
as a blaster, but an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ther e i s a cer t ai n appeal t o Li ght saber s. I t i s an al l
cut t i ng weapon, no mat t er what par t of t he bl ade you t ouch i t i s
goi ng t o cut somet hi ng ( at l east , i n t he movi es) . The onl y
peopl e who can use t hese weapons ef f ect i vel y ar e t hose who ar e
st r ong enough wi t h The For ce. I t ' s an i t emof mar t i al pr owess;
you ar e ski l l ed enough t o wi el d a weapon onl y a f r act i on of t he
Gal axy coul d use.
And t hat i s what a l i ght saber i s, a weapon; i t i s an i t em
desi gned t o ki l l ot her peopl e. I t i s usual l y desi gned t o
r esembl e a swor d, al t hough t her e ar e sever al di f f er ent
var i at i ons on i t whi ch I may ver y wel l go i nt o dur i ng t he
dur at i on of t hese ar t i cl es. Li ke wi t h r eal l i f e weaponr y, t her e
ar e di f f er i ng vi ews and desi gns on how t o use t hemef f ect i vel y.
Thi s i s compounded by t he f act t hat t he saber i s def i ned most l y
by i t s hi l t , whi ch i s cust ommade by t he per son t hat i s usi ng
i t . So, i t goes wi t hout sayi ng t hat t her e ar e a f ew di f f er ent
phi l osophi es on how t o use a l i ght saber .
I n t he St ar War s Uni ver se, t her e ar e Seven Mai n For ms of
Li ght saber Combat . Each one has i t s own phi l osophy, st r engt hs,
and weaknesses. Each one seemi ngl y bui l t t o addr ess or
compl i ment t he st r engt hs and weaknesses of t he ones bef or e i t .
They ar e as f ol l ows:
Form I: Shii Cho, al so known as t he Det er mi nat i on For m. Roughl y
ever y For ce User was t aught t hi s For mwhen f i r st handed a
l i ght saber .
Form II: Makashi, al so known as t he Cont ent i on For m. I t ' s desi gn
i s based on Li ght saber vs. Li ght saber Combat .
Form III: Soresu, al so known as t he Resi l i ence For m. I t s desi gn
was based on pur e Def ense wi t h ei t her r anged or Mel ee at t acks.
Form IV: Ataru, al so known as t he Aggr essi on For m. I t s desi gn i s
based ar ound hi gh ener gy at t acks and def enses.
Form V: Shien/ Djem So, al so known as t he Per sever ance For m.
Thei r desi gn i s based on mani pul at i ng an opponent ' s at t ack.
Form VI: Niman, al so known as The Moder at i on For m. I t s desi gn i s
a congl omer at i on of t he pr ecedi ng For ms.

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Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad, al so known as t he Fer oci t y For m. Thei r
desi gn i s based on Pur e At t ack, No Def ense.
The pur pose of t hese ar t i cl es wi l l be t o exami ne each of
t he Seven For ms, t o under st and t hei r phi l osophy, t hei r hi st or y,
and t hei r cont ext i n t er ms t hat t he St ar War s Canon has
est abl i shed t hemas. I t i s al so an at t empt t o under st and what
t hei r st r engt hs and weaknesses ar e. I al so wi l l t r y and
det er mi ne what aspect s of r eal l i f e mar t i al ar t s or st age combat
( as t her e i s some over l ap) compl y wi t h t hese concept s. Al so I
wi l l at t empt t o dr aw exampl es t o t hose i n t he St ar War s Uni ver se
as wel l as our own Communi t y who empl oy a r espect i ve For m.
My mai n sour ce of i nf or mat i on wi l l come f r omWooki epedi a,
as i t i s a col l ect i on of ot her sour ces combi ned i n one pl ace.
Whi l e many wi sh t o emul at e t he movi es, I do not bel i eve t hat
t hey ar e chor eogr aphed wi t h t he For ms exact l y i n mi nd. I n my
concl udi ng ar t i cl e, I wi l l go i nt o f ur t her det ai l on t he mat t er ,
but what we ar e seei ng i n l i ght saber combat i n f i l mand t he
shows ar e Mast er s of sever al f or ms who ar e empl oyi ng t hei r own
per sonal bl end. Whi l e I wi l l dr aw exampl es f r omt he Fi l ms and TV
Shows, my i nt ent i ons ar e t o di scuss t he f or ms i n essence.
Many member s of t he communi t y have t r i ed t o devel op t hei r
i nt er pr et at i ons of t he For ms; many ar e good, ot her s ar e good
at t empt s. I t i s my hope t hat t hese ar t i cl es wi l l hel p i n f ur t her
devel opment and hel p make our per f or mances and our ar t al l t he
mor e di st i nct i ve whi l e payi ng homage t o t he Uni ver se t hat we ar e
al l pl ayi ng i n.
Whi l e wr i t i ng t hi s paper The Jedi Path: A Manual for
Students of the Force, wr i t t en by Dani el Wal l ace, was r el eased.
The Jedi Path cont ai ns many enl i ght eni ng i nf or mat i on on sever al
aspect s of l i ght saber use. I t speaks on Mar ks of Cont act ,
speci f i c ar eas of at t ack. I t al so di scusses t he sever al
var i et i es of l i ght saber s t hat exi st ed. Fi nal l y, i t ment i ons a
r at her popul ar t opi c i n t he Saber Communi t y: Mat er i al s t hat ar e
r esi st ant t o Li ght saber s. We wi l l go i nt o t hese aspect s i n t hei r
own sect i ons.


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Marks of Contact
"Every feint, every dodge, every block is a trap to the unwary."
- Tenet of Lightsaber Combat
The Mar ks of Cont act ar e ar eas of an opponent ' s body whi ch
wer e consi der ed pr i me t ar get s t o end t he duel . These ar eas
r anged f r omt he di sabl i ng, t o t he mai mi ng, t o t he ki l l i ng bl ows.
The J edi st r ongl y st r essed usi ng t hese mar ks of cont act wi t h
i nt ent , and t o not use t he ki l l i ng mar ks unl ess deemed
absol ut el y necessar y.
As wi t h al l mar t i al ar t s. Di f f er ent For ms f avor di f f er ent
ar eas. Ther e ar e al so sever al exampl es t hr oughout t he movi es. I
wi l l al so ment i on t he phi l osophi cal l eani ngs of t he J edi and
Si t h i n t hese r egar ds as wel l as usi ng t hemf or t he st age.
Shiim, a gr azi ng bl ow on t he body. Used mor e t o di sabl e. Count
Dooku used Shi i mon Obi - Wan dur i ng t hei r f i r st duel ,
i mmobi l i zi ng hi mand t aki ng hi mout of t he duel .
Shiak, Thi s i s usi ng t he t i p of t he bl ade t o pi er ce t he body.
Thi s was t he pr emi er e mar k f or Makashi user s. Dar t h Maul used
shi ak on Qui - Gon J i nn on Naboo, ki l l i ng hi m. The J edi Or der
pr ef er r ed t hi s as a means of honor abl y ki l l i ng an opponent .
These t wo Mar ks ar e consi der ed t he most f undament al i n
l i ght saber combat . The l i ght saber bl ade i s wei ght l ess, maki ng
cont r ol mor e di f f cul t , especi al l y f or non For ce Sensi t i ves. To
be abl e t o st op t he edge of t he bl ade, or di r ect t he t i p of t he
bl ade t o pr eci se poi nt s wi t hout maki ng a mess shoul d be
consi der ed a si gn of cont r ol .
Sun Djem, t ar get s t he opponent s weapon wi t h t he i nt ent t o di sar m
t hem. Thi s can be done by cut t i ng t he weapon, t her eby dest r oyi ng
i t . Sun Dj emcan al so be used by si mpl y physi cal l y at t acki ng t he
opponent . Any met hod t hat r emoves r ender s t he opponent unar med
i s consi der ed under t hi s mar k. Sun Dj emwas a pr ef er r ed mar k f or
Shi i Cho user s. Makashi user s wer e t r ai ned t o pr ot ect agai nst
t hi s mar k.
Cho Mai, sever i ng t he opponent s domi nant hand. Thi s i s one of
t he most wi del y seen mar ks used i n l i ght saber combat . The most
f amous exampl e bei ng Vader cut t i ng Luke' s hand of f dur i ng t hei r
duel on Bespi n.
Cho Sun, sever i ng t he domi nant ar m. A modi f i cat i on on of Cho
Mai , t hi s was t he r emoval of t he opponent s ar mat t he el bow.
Cho Mok, sever i ng a non domi nant l i mb. Thi s i s move was onl y
suggest ed as a l ast di t ch move i n a duel .

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Mou Kei, means " To Di smember " . Thi s i s t he sever i ng of sever al
l i mbs at once. I t i s a f or bi dden move by t he J edi . I t was used
on Vader by Obi - Wan Kenobi on Must af ar , cut t i ng of f hi s ot her
ar mand bot h of hi s l egs. I t i s one of t he pr i me r easons Vader
was f or ced t o wear hi s l i f e suppor t sui t .
Sai Cha, sever i ng t he opponent s head. Whi l e t he J edi Or der
f r owned down upon ki l l i ng, t hey f ound t hi s t o be an honor abl e
end i n a duel . Use by Mace Wi ndu on J ango Fet t on Geonosi s and
by Luke t o t he Phant omVader dur i ng hi s t r ai ni ng on Dagobah.
Sai Tok, sl i ci ng t he body i n hal f . Consi der ed a Dar k Si de move
f or i t s bar bar i sm. Never t hel ess, i t ' s mai n exampl e i s Obi - Wan
usi ng i t agai nst Dar t h Maul on Naboo, ki l l i ng hi m.
Usi ng t hese Mar ks i n St age Combat i s i nt er est i ng. A l ot of
t hemr evol ve ar ound t he pr act i ce of di smember i ng an opponent ' s
body. That ki nda l i mi t s t he f i el d of what can and can' t be done.
However , moves l i ke Shiim ( gr azi ng cut s) and Shiak ( st abs) ar e
hi ghl y popul ar and easy t o use.
Sun Djem i s an i nt er est i ng move, i n t hat i t r equi r es
r emovi ng t he opponent s weapon f r omt hem. One of t he most common
t r i cks i s si mpl y mi mi ng a f or ce pul l , and t he opponent s saber
" f l i es" i nt o your hands or ont o t he f l oor . One exampl e I saw had
one opponent wi t h usi ng a pr op bl ast er shoot i ng agai nst a J edi .
The J edi , J oga ( A sor esu user , mi nd you) bl ocks t he shot s and
swi pes acr oss t he saber . The gunman t akes ai mone mor e t i me, but
t he gun f al l s apar t , cut i n hal f by t he saber . That i s Sun Djem.
The J edi Communi t y uses a basi c f or mof t he Mar ks of
Cont act . The Al phabet Syst emRevol ves ar ound at t acki ng sever al
key poi nt s, gi vi ng t he illusion ( KEY WORD) t hat cont act i s
i mpl i ed and i nt ended. Ther e ar e si x mar ks: The head, t he
shoul der s, t he hi ps, and t he gr oi n, wi t h t hr ust s t o t he body.
Some member s i ncl ude st r i kes t o t he t hi ghs as wel l , i mpl yi ng
cut s t o t he f emor al ar t er i es.
The onl y way I can see usi ng most of t he Mar ks of Cont act
i n St age Combat , shor t of r i ggi ng f al l i ng body par t s ( A l a Mont y
Pyt hon' s Bl ack Kni ght ) i s t he way i t i s depi ct ed i n samur ai
f i l ms. Ki l l i ng bl ows ar e gener al l y i mpl i ed, wi t h some except i ons
i n t he gor i er movi es. Cut t i ng a l i mb, or sever i ng t he body, can
be i mpl i ed si mpl y by wher e you st r i ke. The audi ence wi l l get
t hat you have st r uck. Beheadi ng can be done si mpl y by angl i ng
t he execut i on i n a way t hat t he per son can t uck t hei r head t o
t hei r chest , obscur i ng i t f r omt he audi ences vi ew.

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The Mar ks of Cont act hel p us i n under st andi ng t he r ol es of
t he Seven For ms, especi al l y t hose of t he f i r st f our . Shiim
r equi r es gr eat cont r ol of t he saber , t o t he poi nt wher e one
coul d j ust use t he edge t o gr aze a l i mb. For mI ' s goal was t o
t each t hi s cont r ol . Shiak i s t he pr eci si on st ab of a l i mb.
Makashi f ocus i s on pr eci si on wor k, and i s not ed f or i t s st abs.
These ar e t he t wo f undament al Mar ks of Cont act .
The ot her For ms ar e appl i cat i ons of t he Mar ks, wi t h For ms
I I I and I V bei ng t he basi s f or t he ot her s. For mI I I i s t he
def ense of t hese Mar ks, onl y st r i ki ng when an openi ng/ Mar k i s
avai l abl e t o end f i ght . For mI V was t he r api d at t acki ng of
openi ngs, hopef ul l y i n t he at t empt t o cat ch t he opponent bef or e
t hey coul d r espond. The ot her t hr ee f or ms ar e composi t es, and
mi x and mat ch t he concept s of t hese f our t o sui t i t ' s needs.
I woul d l i ke t o ment i on at t hi s poi nt t hat t her e ar e
sever al t act i cs t hat coul d be empl oyed dur i ng Li ght saber Combat .
These t echni ques wer e i ndependent of t he Seven For ms, but coul d
cl ear l y be i n conj unct i on wi t h t hem. They wer e used t o gi ve t he
advant age, and wer e not necessar i l y f i ght wi nner s. I n bat t l e,
t her e ar e no guar ant ees These ar e t he mor e popul ar t act i cs.
Sokan: Use of t he envi r onment t o your advant age. Thi s can be
usi ng a f l aw i n t he st r uct ur e, l i ke t he suppor t s of a bui l di ng
or t he st r engt h of t he i ce you st and on. I t can al so be si mpl e
as havi ng t he hi gh gr ound. Can be used ei t her wi t h t he saber ,
t he For ce or manual l y. The mai n way t o count er i s bot h
si mpl i st i c and pr obl emat i c: El i mi nat e t he sur r oundi ngs ar ound
you.
Trkata: One of t he cl assi c abi l i t i es of t he l i ght saber i s i t s
f unct i on as a hi l t wi t h an ext endi ng bl ade. Thi s wor ks bot h
ways. By dr awi ng i n your bl ade mi d- bat t l e, you can conf use or
unbal ance your opponent l ong enough t o t ake an oppor t uni t y.
Si mi l ar i n someways t o t he Samur ai ' s Bat t ou- J ut su. Favor ed by
t he J edi f or i t s pr act i cal i t y.
Dun Mch: Mor e psychol ogi cal t han physi cal . Dun Mch i s t he
t aunt i ng of t he opponent , goadi ng t hemi nt o anger and maki ng
t hemf or get t hei r t act i cs. Can backf i r e, and bol st er t he
opponent s ef f or t s. The r ever se i s used by t he J edi t o st op and
r edeemt hei r dar k si de opponent .
Form Zero: I r oni cal l y, t he f i r st f or mof l i ght saber combat
ment i oned i s t he most sensi bl e For mZer o f ocuses on di f f use
at t acks usi ng peacef ul negot i at i ons and The For ce. The
l i ght saber i s not used, maki ng i t mor e of a symbol t han weapon.
" The best bl ades ar e kept i n t hei r sheat hs" .

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Form I: Shii Cho
"The beginning is a very delicate time..." - Frank Herbert
Shi i Cho i s t he Fi r st For m. I n Canon i t i s r ef er r ed t o as
t he Det er mi nat i on For m, or t he Way of t he Sar l aac. I t f ocuses on
si mpl i st i c, al bei t r el ent l ess, t act i cs.
I n St ar War s hi st or y, Shi i Cho was devel oped as For ce User s
began t o t r ansi t i on f r omr egul ar swor ds t o Li ght saber s as means
of mel ee combat ( at t hi s poi nt , Li ght saber s wer e bul ky Si ege
weapons) . As such, i t s f oundat i ons ar e t he basi cs of al l swor d
f i ght i ng, i ncl udi ng st r i ke zones, par r i es and bl ocks. I t was a
t wo handed f or m, r el yi ng on br oad, sweepi ng mot i ons. Mast er s of
Shi i Cho wer e not ed as havi ng a di st i nct , wat er y f l ow.
Ever y J edi , and ar guabl y ever y Si t h ( as t her e i s over l ap
bet ween t he t wo school s) had t o l ear n Shi i Cho when t hey began
t r ai ni ng. I n A New Hope, when Obi - Wan has Luke t r ai ni ng on t he
Mi l l enni umFal con wi t h t he Remot e, t hat i s a Shi i Cho pr act i ce
( i t get s mi r r or ed wi t h t he Youngl i ng t r ai ni ng i n Epi sode I I ) . I t
t eaches body movement , wher e t o st r i ke, whi l e get t i ng used t o
t he f eel i ng of t he weapon. At t he end of t he scene i n A New
Hope, wher e Luke i s bl i ndf ol ded, i t al so t eaches what separ at es
wi el di ng a l i ght saber f r omhol di ng a bl ade: Tr ust i n t he For ce.
Shi i Cho was used f or cr owd cont r ol . I t s wi de, angul ar
mot i ons wer e i deal f or deal i ng wi t h gr oups as i t was const ant l y
movi ng f or war d, l i ke a bul l dozer . I n t hi s r egar d, t he l i ght saber
st i l l mai nt ai ns i t s use as a Si ege weapon. I n t er ms of combat ,
i t has ver y st r ong si mi l ar i t i es wi t h Ni man, i n t hat i t cover s
most of i t s bases. However , i n t hi s r egar d, i t i s meant as a
t eachi ng t ool .
Unf or t unat el y, as Shi i Cho i s t he f i r st f or m, i t i s al l one
of t he f or ms pl aced under t he har sher cr i t i ci sm. As Li ght saber s
became i n popul ar use Amongst ot her For ce Usi ng gr oups, duel s
wer e expect ed. Whi l e t her e ar e some duel i st s who used mai nl y
Shi i Cho, many f ound t he f or ml acki ng i n si ngl e combat , and
t her ef or e cr eat ed Makashi i n r esponse.
Phi l osophi cal l y, Shi i Cho f ol l ows t he pr i nci pl e of " Keep i t
si mpl e, st upi d. " I t s movement s ar e br oad and del i ber at e, made
danger ous i n a const ant , ever advanci ng bar r age. I n t er ms of
moder n war f ar e, Shi i Cho can be l i kened t o a shot gun bl ast :
Power f ul , can cl ear a space i n a hear t beat , and compl et el y
devoi d of any subt l et y. I t di dn' t have al l t he answer s, but
ser ves as a st abl e gr oundwor k f or pot ent i al wor k.

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I n t er ms of an act ual , r eal l i f e Mar t i al Ar t anal og, i t i s
har d t o pi n t hi s one down. I t i s al r eady admi t t ed t o be based
f r omt he basi cs of swor dpl ay. Wi t h f ew except i ons, al l basi c
swor dpl ay i s r el at i vel y t he same; i t ' s onl y when you st ar t
l ear ni ng t he det ai l s of a speci f i c school do you get t he
di f f er ences. I t makes sense t hat Shi i Cho woul d be a Doubl e
Handed f or m, as i t ' s easi er t o l ear n Cont r ol of t he bl ade wi t h
t wo hands bef or e you st ar t r el yi ng on onl y one.
I wi l l say, t hat i n st udyi ng aspect s l i ke t he Mar ks of
Cont act , I f i nd Shi i Cho t o l ean t owar ds Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu,
swor d st yl es t hat f ocus on usi ng t he katana, or some var i at i on
t her eof ( bokken, shi nai , et c) . I n t r ai ni ng, t he swor d posi t i ons
must be exact , t o t he most ext r eme degr ee. Angl es of t he bl ade
wor k, f oot i ng, body mechani cs. Al l must be per f ect t o t he
mi l l i met er . The t r ai ni ng wi t h a l i ght saber , a weapon t hat can
cut wi t hout a second t hough, shoul d be t aught si mi l ar l y. Thi s
makes sense, as t he l i ght saber was meant t o be an homage t o t he
myt hi cal aspect s of t he kat ana j ust as t he J edi and Si t h
r epr esent ed t he dual aspect s of t he Samur ai who wi el ded t hem.
Shi i Cho i s t he begi nni ng For m, and t her ef or e i s t he f i r st
t o i nt r oduce t he Mar ks of Cont act . Sun Djem, t he di sar mi ng of an
opponent by ei t her dest r oyi ng or ot her wi se r emovi ng t he weapon
f r omt he opponent . Shi i Cho was al l about under st andi ng and
cont r ol l i ng t he bl ade. Bei ng abl e t o use t he Shiim t o gr aze a
l i mb i nst ead of cut t i ng i t whol e woul d seemt o me t o show
mast er y i n cont r ol l i ng t he bl ade.
I n t he J edi Communi t y, t her e i s a Shi i Cho Gr oup For m. I t
was devel oped by Damon Honeycut t , al so known by hi s J edi handl e
of Gener al Sun. He i s a Gr andmast er of Monkey St yl e Kung Fu and
has t aught sever al of t he New Yor k member s. Hi s 3 par t f or mi s
i nar guabl y t he most wi del y accept ed i nt er pr et at i on of any of t he
Seven For ms. I t t r ul y does ser ve as a l ear ni ng t ool : i t t eaches
member s t o use t hei r shoul der s, el bows and wr i st i n concer t wi t h
one anot her , and i t t eaches peopl e how t o use t he saber f l ui dl y
and r esponsi bl y. Most member s of t he communi t y ar e t aught t o use
at l east t he f i r st par t of t he f or m. Some however have mast er ed
al l t hr ee par t s, and have i ncor por at ed many of i t s mot i ons i nt o
t hei r over al l swor d wor k.




10
Form II: Makashi
"Eloquence belongs to the Conqueror" - System of a Down
The Second For mof Li ght saber Combat i s Makashi . I n Canon,
i t i s r ef er r ed t o as t he Cont ent i on For m, or t he Way of t he
Ysal ami r i . Thi s i s an appr opr i at e name, as t he Ysal ami r i i n t he
St ar War s Uni ver se have t he abi l i t y t o nul l i f y t he For ce.
Af t er Li ght saber s became t he nor mi n a For ce- User ' s l i f e,
i t was onl y a mat t er of t i me bef or e t hey deci ded t o t ur n t he
weapon on each ot her . Thi s came ar ound t he same t i me as t he
ar r i val of Dar k J edi . Makashi was t he answer . I t uses pr eci si on
cut s, t hr ust s, par r i es and f ei nt s, and i t r el i ed on a l i near
( back and f or t h) mode of f oot wor k. Wher e Shi i Cho was doubl e
handed, br oad, bl at ant and r el i ed on t he whol e ar mand f or war d
mot i on, Makashi i s one handed, pr eci se, subt l e, and r el i ed on
wr i st cont r ol and body movement whi ch bor der ed on danci ng.
The Mai n, and r eal l y onl y, exampl e of Makashi i n t he St ar
War s movi es i s i n t he f or mof Count Dooku, f or mer J edi Mast er
and Si t h Lor d. He i s t he over al l t empl at e f or what For mI I use
i s. He uses cl ean movement s wi t hout t he usual el abor at i on t hat
i s i nher ent i n t he f i ght i ng st yl es of hi s opponent s. When
someone at t acks hi gh, he bl ocks hi gh. When t hey at t ack l ow, he
bl ocks l ow. However , i t shoul d be not ed t hat whi l e Dooku i s t he
Pr i me Exampl e of For mI I , not ever y move he does shoul d be
consi der ed Makashi . As a r ul e, user s of t he For mwer e encour aged
t o t ake f r omt he ot her f or ms t o make up f or di sadvant ages as
wel l as t o negat e pr edi ct abi l i t y.
Makashi i s i nar guabl y The Duel i st ' s f or m. Li ke Shi i Cho, i t
f ol l ows i t pr i nci pl es of " Keep I t Si mpl e" . I t doesn' t go f or
f l ash, and i sn' t one f or f l our i shi ng i n combat . I t ' s qui ck,
cont r ol l ed mot i ons however can be conf used f or f l our i shi ng. I t
pr ot ect ed t he mai n body i n r api d ar cs and body mot i ons. I n f or ms
wher e a per son' s physi cal at t r i but es wer e key, t hi s f or mi s made
mor e danger ous by t he peopl e usi ng i t . I t r equi r ed a per son of
Keen I nt el l ect wi t h a sense of t i mi ng t o make t hi s a t r ul y
monst r ous f or m. Ther e ar e many who bel i eve t hat user s of t hi s
f or mwoul d be t he cl ear vi ct or s of any duel agai nst anot her f or m
( such as Shi i Cho) . Makashi i s not a game br eaker , but i t
def i ni t el y has t he advant age i n t hi s f i el d.
However , For mI I doesn' t come wi t hout i t s own hang- ups. I t
was f ocused st r ongl y on one opponent , and t he mor e opponent s
t hat ar e on t he f i el d, t he mor e di f f i cul t i t coul d become. Thi s
can be f i xed by modi f yi ng t he f or m, but as seen i n t he f i ght s
wi t h Dooku, he i s of t en f or ced t o el i mi nat e one opponent bef or e

11
he can make a dent . Af t er t he Bat t l e of Russan, wher e t he Si t h
wer e al l but dest r oyed ( wi t h t he except i on of Two) , t he need f or
l i ght saber combat passed. Bl ast er s wer e now becomi ng t he
pr omi nent weapon i n t he Gal axy and For mI I was not devel oped t o
deal wi t h r anged at t acks. Thi s weakness i s addr essed i n For m
I I I : Sor esu.
Phi l osophi cal l y, Makashi i s a ver y i nt er est i ng For m. I t
t el l s you somet hi ng about t he way l i ght saber duel s wer e t r eat ed
i n t he t i me. Ther e wer e st andar di zed sal ut es, and t he ent i r e
f or mi s bui l t ar ound t he concept of one on one duel i ng. I f t hi s
i s t he case ( I have not r ead st or i es f r omt he Ol d Republ i c er a,
so I don' t know) , t hen bat t l es i n t he Ol d Republ i c coul d have
been Champi on War f ar e, wher e one speci f i c member hel d sway i n
bat t l e, or t he war was deci ded by sever al speci f i c f i ght er s. The
mai n exampl e of t hi s i s i n t he I l i ad, and ot her i t er at i ons of
t he Tr oj an War .
Anot her key f act or i n t hi s f or mwas t he User s t hemsel ves.
Thi s was a st yl e t hat pr omot ed modi f i cat i ons based on t he
per sonal l i mi t at i ons of t he User . Many of t he For mI I user s had
a conf i dence t hat bor der ed on ar i st ocr at i c ar r ogance, and some
of t he user s ar e f ar past t hat bor der . Thi s f or mwas al so a
speci al i st f or mi n t he sense t hat i t was meant f or one t hi ng
onl y: t aki ng on ot her For ce User s. Thi s makes J edi who use t hem
a speci al br eed, and f i t s i nt o t he combat i ve nat ur e of Dar k J edi
and Si t h.
I t makes sense t hat t hi s f or mwoul d come i mmedi at el y af t er
Shi i Cho. For mI f ocused on cont r ol l i ng t he bl ade, under st andi ng
t he l i ght saber s movement s and bei ng abl e t o move wi t h i t .
Makashi i s t he r ef i nement of t hat . Now t hat you know how t o
wi el d t he bl ade, you can now r ef i ne t hat cont r ol . Thi s i s seen
i n t he Mar ks of Cont act Shiim and Shiak ( Gr azi ng and St abbi ng,
r espect i vel y) . Shiim i s a gr azi ng mot i on, and r equi r es knowi ng
how t o st op t he bl ade and not mai m. Cont r ol l i ke t hat i s what
Shi i Cho t eaches. Shiak i s bei ng abl e t o st ab pr eci sel y anywher e
on t he body, whi ch i s per f ect l y i n l i ne wi t h Makashi ' s bl ade
wor k. You need t o l ear n one t o under st and t he ot her , and
t oget her , t hey wer e i nst r ument al i n mast er i ng bl ade wor k.
Fr omever y si ngl e descr i pt i on, i t i s cl ear t hat Makashi i s
based on Fenci ng. I t s f ocus on si ngl e handed at t acks, back and
f or t h mot i ons, f i nesse, el egance, economy of mot i on and i t s
pr ef er ence i n duel i ng, al l l ean t owar ds t hi s f or mof mar t i al
ar t . The mai n quest i on t hat cr ops up i n t he communi t y i s whi ch
ver si on of f enci ng woul d f i t most l y? I s i t Ol ympi c Fenci ng
( Foi l , Epee, and Saber ) , wi t h i t s cont r ol l ed mot i ons and l i near

12
movement s? I s i t Recr eat i oni st Fenci ng ( as seen i n Renai ssance
Fai r es) wi t h i t s mor e f l ui d, mor e nat ur al l y and gr acef ul l y
combat i ve appr oach? I s i t somet hi ng el se ent i r el y?
The answer I came up wi t h i s, wel l , " yes" . I f t he basi s of
al l saber use ( Shi i Cho) i s f r omt he amal gamat ed basi cs of swor d
use, t hen t he basi s of swor d agai nst swor d combat shoul d be t he
amal gamat ed basi cs of duel i ng f or ms. I t has t he st r uct ur e of
Ol ympi c Fenci ng wi t h i t s l i near cadence, as wel l as a f ocus on
at t acki ng t he body cor e whi l e i t keeps t he combat i ve nat ur e of
r ecr eat i oni st Fenci ng. Recr eat i oni st Fenci ng and Saber Fenci ng
al so t ake i nt o account cut t i ng. A l i ght saber i s a cut t i ng
weapon, i t woul d be i mpr act i cal t o deny t hat use. Anot her good
anal ogue i s t he use of t he jian or Chi nese St r ai ght Swor d. I t i s
mor e f l our i shy t han t he f enci ng f or ms, but i t ' s at t acks st i l l
keep wi t h t he over al l f eel of Makashi .
A syst emt hat l ends i t sel f ni cel y t o pr oduci ng t he ef f ect
of Fenci ng i s t he Let t er s syst em. The Let t er s f ocus on sever al
speci f i c poi nt s of t he body: shoul der , hi ps, head, gr oi n and
t hr ust i ng ar eas i n t he body' s cor e. The l et t er s f or ma sor t of
at t ack pat t er n on each. Havi ng l ear ned t hi s syst emf r omi t s
st r ongest suppor t er s i n t he communi t y, I know t hat i t i s at t he
l east a t ool t o l ear n qui ck movement s t hat ar e pr eci sel y ai med
at t he t ar get . Ther e ar e no gener al ar ea at t acks; i f you' r e t o
at t ack ( St age Combat at t ack, not r eal l i f e at t ack) t he shoul der
t hen you wi l l at t ack t he shoul der , not t he ar mbel ow i t or t he
neck above i t . Thi s syst emwas t aught by a f encer and i s used i n
many of t he di f f er ent br anches of t he communi t y as wel l as
sever al r ecr eat i oni st / Ren Fai r e gr oups.
Ther e ar e qui t e a f ew f encer s i n t he Saber Communi t y, many
of t hemar e Mast er s and Teacher s wi t hi n t he communi t y. Chi ef
among t hemar e J ust i n Tausi g ( known by hi s J edi handl e Raphael ) ,
Wor l d Cl ass Ol ympi c Fencer ; TJ Gl enn ( Mast er Mar t i nez) , vet er an
Fi ght Coor di nat or , wr i t er , and Act or ; Scot Fer r a ( Cyr an Oghma) ,
f enci ng and st age combat t eacher ( he gave us t he Let t er Syst em) ,
as wel l as Eskr i mador ; Al f i e Supan ( Ecar i s) , pr of essi onal bal l et
dancer ; Br i an van Kui k ( Taomoon) and Mar i a Nowak ( Azur e Dr agon)
who ar e t he Founder s of Long I sl and J edi ; and Dani el Rei ser
( Magni us) who t eaches Hi st or i cal Fenci ng and per f or ms i n Ren
Fai r es.
Ot her f encer s i ncl ude Br andon Hughes ( Gl ee/ Spi ke) ; J oseph
Shumaker ( Zander ) ; Dant e Cl ose ( Dor r en Nagal ) and I r shad Must af a
( Dar t h Shaddi ous) . Al l of t hese member s can easi l y be put as
Makashi user s. Ther e i s cur r ent l y no Compl et e For m/ Kat a f or
Makashi .

13
Form III: Soresu
"If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the body of
your enemy float by" - Japanese Proverb
The Thi r d For mof Li ght saber Combat i s Sor esu. I n Canon, i t
i s r ef er r ed t o as The Resi l i ence For mand t he way of t he Mynock,
a bat - l i ke cr eat ur e t hat can sur vi ve i n t he dar k vacuumof
space.
As t he War bet ween t he J edi and t he Dar k Si de came t o a
cl ose i n t he Days of t he Ol d Republ i c, so t oo di d t he need f or
Li ght saber duel i ng. The J edi ' s began t o f or mi nt o t he Or der we
ar e so f ami l i ar wi t h. The J edi wer e Peacekeeper s, Def ender s of
t he Republ i c, Di f f user s of Conf l i ct . I t was al so dur i ng t hi s
t i me t hat Bl ast er s became wi de- spr ead t hr oughout t he Gal axy, t o
whi ch Makashi and Shi i Cho wer e not whol l y adept i n deal i ng
wi t h. I t i s her e t hat Sor esu, a whol l y def ensi ve For m, was bor n.
Sor esu i s a st ar k cont r ast of t he pr evi ous t wo For ms. Wher e
Shi i Cho and Makashi r el i ed on br oad bl ade use and l i near
f oot wor k, Sor esu r el i ed on keepi ng t he bl ade cl ose t o t he body
and usi ng br oad f oot wor k t o move ar ound t he pl ayi ng f i el d. Any
sweepi ng mot i ons wer e kept shor t and never l ef t t he mai n cor e of
t he body, st i l l pr ot ect i ng i t as a shi el d. A Sor esu user onl y
at t acks when i t i s necessar y, and onl y when t he opponent
pr ovi des an openi ng.
However , i t i s not wholly passi ve. Remember , a l i ght saber
i s an al l cut t i ng weapon. Yes, i t can r epel ot her l aser based
weaponr y, but i t can st i l l cut. Sor esu User s wer e equat ed t o t he
Eye of a St or m. They wer e Cal mat ser ene, whi l e al l ar ound t hem
was vi ol ence and movement . The same i s t r ue f or peopl e engagi ng
a Sor esu User . Movi ng t owar ds a Sor esu User i s l i ke f l yi ng i nt o
t he Pat h of a Cycl one or Hur r i cane; i t i s not hi ng shor t of
sui ci de or desper at i on.
Sor esu i s t he pr edomi nant For mof Obi - Wan Kenobi . Kenobi
i s, i nar guabl y, t he consummat e J edi i n t he f i l ms. He i s t he one
we l ook at i n t he Or i gi nal Tr i l ogy and go: " t hi s i s a J edi " .
That he woul d use Sor esu, whi ch r el i es on pat i ence and cunni ng
r at her t han br ut e st r engt h and vi ol ence, t el l s you somet hi ng not
onl y of t he mi ndset of Kenobi , but of t he J edi at t hei r cor e. I t
shoul d be not ed, however , t hat Kenobi was al so a user of For m
I V, At ar u, as wel l as bei ng t aught Shi i Cho al ong wi t h ever yone
el se i n t he J edi Or der . Thi s means t hat not ever yt hi ng you see
hi muse i n any of t he f i l ms i s whol l y Sor esu.
Sor esu i s t he ul t i mat e Def ensi ve For m. Ranged at t acks,
Mel ee At t acks, Si ngl e or Mul t i pl e Opponent s, Sor esu coul d adapt

14
t o al l of t hese si t uat i ons. Kenobi , a mast er of Sor esu, was sai d
t o be abl e t o bl ock any st r i ke and was abl e t o move l ess t han 20
st r i kes per second. The For mwas good f or smal l i ncur si ons. I t
was best ut i l i zed by peopl e wi t h hi gh concent r at i on of Focus,
Pat i ence and Obser vat i onal ski l l s.
Whi l e Sor esu i s t he ul t i mat e Def ense, t hat i s ul t i mat el y
i t s weakness. Sor esu can bl ock a bl ade or bl ast er r ound bet t er
t han any of t he ot her For ms. However , t hat i s al l i t does.
Sor esu r el i es on t he chance t hat one' s opponent ( s) wi l l gr ow
t i r ed and cr eat e an openi ng. Ther e i s no such t hi ng as
I ni t i at i ve i n wi el di ng Sor esu. I f a For mI I I User f i nds
t hemsel ves i n a pr ot r act ed bat t l e agai nst massi ve number s, or
agai nst one hi ghl y aggr essi vel y over whel mi ng at t acker , t hen t hey
wi l l become t he ones most l i kel y t o t i r e and cr eat e openi ngs f or
at t ack. Li ke ever yt hi ng t hat pr omot es St asi s and Saf et y, i t r uns
t he r i sk of St agnat i on. I t i s not sur pr i si ng t hat many of t he
r emai ni ng For ms wer e devel oped ei t her as a cont r ast or t o answer
t he weaknesses i n Sor esu.
Sor esu mar ks anot her pr ogr essi on i n Saber Combat . Whi l e
For ms I and I I hel ped t each Cont r ol and Pr eci si on, For mI I I now
f ocuses on appl yi ng t hat t o def ense. Sor esu pr ot ect s t he body,
i ncl udi ng t he Mar ks of Cont act . Thi s def ense cont i nues unt i l t he
user i s abl e t o " Di f f use" t he si t uat i on. Thi s of t en means t hat
t he t ar get of f ew st r i kes t hat Sor esu user s wi el d f ocus on t he
Mar ks of Cont act t o st op t he conf l i ct .
Tr yi ng t o f i nd a good anal ogue f or Sor esu i s pr obl emat i c.
I ' mhar d pr essed t o f i nd a Mar t i al Ar t t hat i s pur el y def ensi ve.
I t ' s my bel i ef t hat , l i ke Shi i Cho and Makashi bef or e i t , t hat
Sor esu i s an amal gamat i on of sever al di f f er ent weapon def ense
pr i nci pl es. I f I had t o be f or ced t o make a deci si on on any
mar t i al ar t or weapon use t hat mat ches Sor esu, I woul d have t o
pi ck t he Chi nese Br oadswor d, or Dao. The bl ade wor k i s f ast , and
kept cl ose t o t he body. The User does sever al r api d f l our i shes
f or def l ect i on. They at t ack spor adi cal l y. I t al so empl oys
nonl i near f oot wor k t hat i s par amount i n Sor esu.
Anot her syst emt hat wor ks wel l wi t h t he pr i nci pl es of
Sor esu i s t he Def ense si de of t he Al phabet syst emused i n St age
Combat . Wher e at t acks i n t he Al phabet pr omot e t he pr eci si on and
di r ect ness of Makashi , t he def ensi ve movement s ar e st at i c.
They' r e f l at , 180 degr ee bl ocks t hat bl ock t he vi t al por t i ons of
t he body ( head, gr oi n, shoul der s and hi ps) . Thi s al l ows f or
at t acks t o bounce of f or r i cochet , t her e ar e no def l ect i ons. Any
at t acks t hat come f r omt hi s ei t her come f r omt he def ender
expl oi t i ng an openi ng i n t he at t ack.

15
I nt er est i ngl y enough, a sour ce f or Bl ast er - or i ent ed Sor esu
comes f r omanot her at hl et i c endeavor . Ther e ar e many i n t he
communi t y who f i nd Tenni s t o be a cl ose anal ogue t o Sor esu.
Sever al of t he gr oups have been known t o use t r ai ni ng exer ci ses
i n bl ock Ner f bal l s wi t h t hei r saber s. Havi ng under gone some of
t hese dr i l l s, I can say t hat i t r equi r es pat i ence and f ocus- t wo
mai n aspect s of Sor esu- ar e r equi r ed t o r eact and def l ect t he
pr oj ect i l e accur at el y.
Sor esu i s t he second of t he Canon f or ms t o have a
cor r espondi ng Gr oup For mi n t he Saber communi t y. I t was
devel oped by Mi ke Zhang ( Ebon Wi ng) . Mi ke has been t r ai ned i n
sever al mar t i al ar t s i ncl udi ng Wushu, and has a degr ee i n
per f or mance ar t . The gr oup f or mof Sor esu was devel oped f r om
Mi ke' s per sonal Kat a, and sever al el ement s have been l essened
f or mass consumpt i on. I t i s based on Dao movement s wi t h sever al
st at i c bl ocks.
As i t i s t he most passi ve For m, i t has t he l east number of
dedi cat ed user s i n t he Saber Combat Communi t y. However ,
al ongsi de Mi ke Zhang, one of t he f ounder s of NY J edi , t her e ar e
a f ew member s who use t he For ms. St eve Cohen ( as J oga
Cr osswi nd) uses Sor esu as hi s base f or mand suppl ement s wi t h
At ar u and Vaapad. St ephani e Li ndqui st ( Li n- Tes Qui n) , head of
Connect i cut J edi , al so wi el ds Sor esu.


16
Form IV: Ataru
"Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough
knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who
can master both....and surpass the result. " - Tien T'ai
The Four t h For mof Li ght saber Combat i s At ar u. I n Canon, i t
i s r ef er r ed t o as The Aggr essi on For mand t he Way of t he Hawk-
Bat . The Hawk- Bat i s a r apt avi an ( r ept i l e and bi r d hybr i d)
cr eat ur e t hat i s commonl y f ound i n ur ban ar eas and i s
not or i ousl y aggr essi ve as i t was gr acef ul , as such i s At ar u.
At ar u was devel oped somet i me af t er Sor esu. J edi wer e t asked
wi t h bei ng peacekeeper s t hr oughout t he gal axy. Whi l e many
f avor ed For mI I I t o di f f use si t uat i ons wi t h as l i t t l e bl oodshed
as possi bl e, t he Or der r eal i zed t hat somet i mes vi ol ence was t he
onl y answer . Such t i mes i ncl uded t he r i si ng conf l i ct s wi t h t he
Mandal or i ans, t he f i er ce war r i or cul t ur e t hat ser ved t o be j ust
as much a t hr eat t o t he J edi as t he Si t h bef or e t hem.
At ar u i s mar ked as t he second most ki net i cal l y act i ve f or m,
asi de f r omFor mVI I . I t r el i ed on speed, acr obat i cs and power .
I t i s al so t he f or mt hat most heavi l y r el i ed on t he For ce t o
augment t hese at t r i but es. Thi s use of t he For ce al l owed an even
pl ayi ng f i el d f or For ce Sensi t i ves wi t h pot ent i al di sadvant ages
i n combat , such as si ze, l ack of mobi l i t y and age. I t s at t acks
ar e wer e wi de and f ast f r omal l angl es whi l e f l owi ng i nt o one
anot her , cr eat i ng cont i nui t y. I t was t he of f ensi ve ver si on of
i t s si st er f or m: Sor esu. Bot h r el i ed on Speed, The For ce, a
nonl i near move set as wel l as mi ndset i n i t s appl i cat i ons.
For mI V i s t he most pr edomi nant of t he For ms i n t he movi es.
Near l y ever y maj or J edi char act er we meet has had some
exper i ence i n At ar u. Thi s i s t he For mof Qui - Gon J i nn and Obi -
Wan i n Phant omMenace. Af t er t he duel wi t h Dar t h Maul and t he
deat h of Qui Gon, Obi - Wan moved t o For mI I I , however , t he hi gh
ener gy of At ar u i s st i l l evi dent t hr oughout t he Cl one War s.
Anaki n st udi ed At ar u, and empl oyed i t wi t h hi s For mV i n hi s
ear l y year s, whi ch he woul d l at er abandon wi t h t he l oss of hi s
l i mbs and hi s abi l i t y t o augment t hemwi t h t he For ce.
The most pr ol i f i c user of t he For mi s Gr and Mast er Yoda,
al l t wo f eet of hi m. Hi s ver si on of At ar u r equi r es hi gh
acr obat i cs and spi nni ng t o compensat e f or hi s shor t st at ur e.
However , t he ot her maj or user i s t he af or ement i oned J i nn, who
was over si x f oot t al l . Qui Gon uses a var i at i on on t he For m
t hat uses mor e physi cal at t acks and l ess acr obat i cs. Whi l e many
consi der t he Yoda ver si on t o be t he " Tr ue" exampl e of At ar u, t he
Qui Gon ver si on shows t hat t her e i s some var i abi l i t y i n t he

17
For m. The Ul t i mat e poi nt seems t o be a compl et e and t ot al use of
one' s body i n t he at t ack
At ar u i s a bar r age of ener gy. The f or mwas par t i cul ar l y
st r ong agai nst a si ngl e opponent i n wi de spaces. I t was
ef f ect i ve i n i t s abi l i t y t o at t ack f r omany gi ven angl e and i n
i t s f ast r eact i on t i me. Thi s made i t a hi ghl y adapt i ve f or mt hat
coul d be ut i l i zed i n mul t i pl e scenar i os.
Unf or t unat el y, t he f or mhad i t s f ai r shar e of weaknesses.
I t was not par t i cul ar l y good wi t h mul t i pl e opponent s and wasn' t
good wi t h deal i ng wi t h bl ast er s. As st at ed, t he For mr equi r ed a
l ar ge f i el d of pl ay, an At ar u user woul d be l i mi t ed i n t hei r
movement s i n conf i ned spaces. I t s ot her mai n weakness was t hat ,
l i ke Sor esu, one coul d not keep t o For mi ndef i ni t el y.
Event ual l y, f at i gue woul d set i n. I t i s bel i eved t hat t hese t wo
f act or s ar e what ul t i mat el y l ead t o Qui - Gon' s deat h at t he Hands
of Maul . Even Yoda, who i s one of t he most pr ol i f i c For ce User s
on r ecor d, i s seen t i r ed af t er hi s duel wi t h Dooku.
Ther e i s somet hi ng t hat shoul d be sai d wi t h At ar u: Whi l e
Sor esu was consi der ed t o be t he most commonl y used of t he seven
For ms, At ar u i s t he one we most commonl y see t hr ough one f or mor
anot her . Thi s may be because i n t he f i l ms, we ar e wat chi ng J edi
i n aggr essi ve si t uat i ons t hat cal l on at t acks. Al so, i t may be
because dr amat i cal l y, havi ng t he J edi do not hi ng but def end
woul d get dul l af t er a whi l e. Thi s i s i n par t due t o t he f act
t hat t he For ms wer e t hought of dur i ng t he pr equel s i nst ead of
bef or e, and many of t he For ms and st ances wer e t agged as t hi s or
t hat . I wi l l go i nt o f ur t her di scussi on of t hi s i n a l at er
sect i on.
Wi t hi n Saber Combat , At ar u mar ks t he f i nal basi c st ep. For m
I , I I and I I I r el y on Cont r ol , Pr eci si on and Def ense
r espect i vel y. For mI V f ocuses on at t acki ng wi t h gr eat speed and
agi l i t y. The i dea i s t o end t he conf l i ct by st r i ki ng a Mar k of
Cont act bef or e t he opponent can accur at el y def end and r espond.
Af t er t hi s, t he next t hr ee f or ms use t he concept s of i t s f our
pr edecessor s i n ways t o sui t t hei r phi l osophy.
I n speaki ng of Mar t i al Ar t s t er ms, At ar u i s cl ear l y a Har d
For m. By t hi s, we mean t hat i t i s hi gh on of f ense. I t f ocuses on
st r i ki ng t he opponent i n a bar r age of at t acks. Wi t h t hat i n
mi nd, t her e ar e a wi de r ange of mar t i al ar t s t o consi der . The
f i r st woul d be Chi nese Mar t i al Ar t s i n Gener al . I n t hi s I mean
anyt hi ng t hat goes under t he bl anket t er ms " Kung/ Gung Fu" and
" Wushu" . I say t hi s because bot h f or ms use t he ent i r e body i n
t hei r mot i ons, cr eat i ng an al most dance- l i ke t or nado. Speci al

18
consi der at i on goes t o t he use of t he Jian and Dao used i n Wushu,
whi ch r equi r es f ast movement s and f l our i shes. Bot h jian and Dao
wer e ment i oned i n Makashi and Sor esu, r espect i vel y. What
separ at es t hei r use now as opposed i n ot her cases i s t hat
acr obat i cs can be empl oyed wi t h t hem, mat chi ng At ar u' s l ook and
f eel .
Ot her consi der at i ons i ncl ude Kar at e, whi ch i s t he
qui nt essent i al Har d For m. Ot her st yl es t hat shoul d be consi der ed
i s Capoei r a, whi ch uses dance l i ke moves t o empl oy st r i ki ng and
even gr appl i ng, and Par kour , whi ch uses body mechani cs t o adapt
t o obst acl es. The ul t i mat e poi nt i s usi ng t he body t o i t s f ul l
pot ent i al whi l e at t acki ng.
I n t he J edi Communi t y, At ar u i s easi l y one of t he mor e
popul ar For ms and t her e ar e many who empl oy i t . Many ei t her use
a speci f i c mar t i al ar t or mer el y physi cal di sci pl i ne i n t hei r
t r i cks. Most of t he user s ar e Mast er s i n t he Communi t y. They
i ncl ude Gl enn DeVecchi s ( J i n- Ke) , who st udi es and t eaches Wushu;
Omar Hol mes ( Ti er ) , who devel oped an At ar u Kat a based on Jian
swor d wor k; Ri char d Zak ( Zak- Ri Di coo) who uses gymnast i cs i n
hi s t echni que. Speci al ment i ons i ncl ude J ohn Loobi e ( Lybr o) who
uses Capoei r a and Demet r i us Fel der ( Ver dant Vendet t a) who uses
Par kour i n hi s t echni ques. Ot her member s i ncl ude Roy Kai ser ( as
Car st Nagana) and Mi ke Mer i n ( Dar t h K' Sheen) .

19
Form V: Shien/Djem So
"If someone ever tries to kill you, you try and kill them right
back!" - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds
The Fi f t h For mof Li ght saber Combat i s i n f act Two For ms.
Shi en and Dj emSo. Bot h ar e consi der ed par t of t he Per sever ance
For m, or t he Way of The Kr ayt Dr agon. The Kr ayt Dr agon was a
f i er ce and power f ul r ept i l e t hat was nat i ve t o t he Deser t Pl anet
of Tat ooi ne. Thi s has some si gni f i cance as t hi s i s t he
Li ght saber For mmost associ at ed wi t h The Skywal ker s.
Shi en was t he f i r st of t he t wo t o be devel oped and was
cr eat ed dur i ng t he same t i me as At ar u. For mV was i n di r ect
r esponse t o Sor esu as some J edi f el t t hat t he Absol ut e Def ense
ment al i t y of Sor esu pr ol onged bat t l e. I nst ead of def l ect i ng
bl ast er r ounds wi t h t he bl ade f or si mpl e pr ot ect i on, Shi en
f ocused on r edi r ect i ng t he bl ast er r ound back t o t he at t acker or
at t acker s. I nst ead of wai t i ng f or an openi ng, For mV cr eat ed t he
openi ng. Shi en was a combi nat i on of For mI I and For mI I I , al so
maki ng i t adept i n mel ee combat . I t ' s count er par t , Dj emSo, was
devel oped l at er on. I t f ocuses pr i mar i l y on Saber Duel i ng. Li ke
i t s t wi n, i t f ocuses on r edi r ect i ng and count er i ng t he opponent s
at t ack, but f ocuses mor e on br ut e st r engt h and over power i ng t he
opponent wi t h br oad, wi de power st r okes.
As st at ed bef or e, For mV i s t he For mmost associ at ed wi t h
t he Skywal ker s. Anaki n was an accompl i shed Mast er of Shi en and
Dj emSo, wi t h hi s mai n f ocus bei ng on Dj emSo. Anaki n woul d use
For mV as hi s base f or mwhi l e addi ng ot her For ms i nt o t he mi x.
Anaki n i s t he onl y one on r ecor d of havi ng used al l Seven For ms
at one poi nt or anot her dur i ng hi s l i f et i me. At t he begi nni ng,
he empl oyed a mor e At ar u- cent r i c of Dj emSo. As Vader , he
empl oyed Makashi and J uyo wi t h hi s Dj emSo. Hi s Son, Luke,
i nst i nct i vel y mi r r or s hi s f at her ' s For m. On t he f l i p si de, bot h
of Anaki n' s appr ent i ces, Ahsoka Tano and Gal en Mar ek ( known by
hi s codename: St ar ki l l er ) , empl oyed Shi en, usi ng t he under handed
st yl e. Anaki n t r i es t o br eak Ahsoka of t he t r ai t t o f avor t he
st andar d gr i p and Gal en onl y uses under handed as an openi ng
at t ack, swi t chi ng t o st andar d i mmedi at el y af t er war ds.
One quest i on t hat needs t o be addr essed wi t h For mV i s
t hi s: What i s t he di f f er ence bet ween Shi en and Dj emSo? Yes,
Shi en i s made f or bl ast er s and Dj emSo f or Li ght saber s, but
t her e i s mor e t o i t t han t hat ; Shi en coul d be used as a mel ee
f or mand Dj emSo coul d be used t o bl ock r anged at t acks as wel l .
So, wher e i s t he l i ne dr awn? Wel l , l ook at i t s par ent For ms;
For mV was devel oped by mi xi ng Makashi and Sor esu. As t hese
ar t i cl es have shown, t hese t wo f or ms seemopposed t o each ot her

20
i n ever y way possi bl e. A combat i ve f or mwi t h l i near movement and
a def ensi ve f or mt hat empl oys 360 degr ees of mobi l i t y.
Shi en cl ear l y f avor s i t s Sor esu r oot s: I t val ues bl ocki ng
bl ast er r ounds. Wi t h t hi s i n mi nd, Shi en must val ue speed and
mobi l i t y t o compensat e f or t he r api df i r e r anged weapons.
Of f ensi vel y, at t acks woul d be qui ck, r el yi ng mor e on speed t han
power . Thi s i s seen i n i t s pot ent i al at empl oyi ng an under handed
appr oach, wher e under hand bl ocks ar e cl ose t o t he body or r el y
on def l ect i on f ol l owed by qui ck st r okes. Due t o t he st r uct ur e of
t he ar m, Under handed doesn' t have t he st r engt h t hat someone
empl oyi ng Dj emSo woul d need. The at t acks wer e shar p and pr eci se
and moved wher ever an openi ng coul d be made bef or e t he at t acker
knew what hi t hi m. I t shoul d be not ed t hat Shi en could be used
as an under handed st yl e, not t hat Shi en was an under handed
st yl e.
Dj emSo f avor s i t ' s Makashi si de, however , i t eschews t he
f i nesse and gr ace of For mI I and r el i es on over power i ng and
manhandl i ng t he opponent . I t shar es t he poi nt / count er poi nt
ment al i t y of Makashi , and can be empl oyed ei t her one handed or
t wo. Dj emSo' s goal i s t o ul t i mat el y r emove t he f i ght out of t he
f i ght er , wi t h some of t he at t acks even f ocusi ng pr i mar i l y on t he
opponent ' s bl ade i t sel f . I t al so shar es Makashi ' s l i near
movement , al most t o t he poi nt of bei ng det r i ment al .
The pur pose of For mV i s r et al i at i on. I f you ar e bei ng
at t acked, you r et ur n t he at t ack i n ki nd. The mi ndset i s t o
domi nat e your opponent , maki ng t hei r at t ack a par t of your own.
The J edi wer e l eer y of t hi s ment al i t y, f eel i ng i t was f ar t oo
aggr essi ve f or t hei r t ast es. Thi s may have l ead t o a mor e
cont r ol l ed bl endi ng i n t he next For m, Ni man.
Despi t e t hi s bei ng a mar r i age of t wo power f ul For ms, For mV
i s not wi t hout i t s weaknesses. Wher e Shi en was st r ong agai nst
mul t i pl e at t acks, r el yi ng mor e on bl ast er f i r e and mobi l i t y t o
t ake car e of opposi t i on, i t was not st r ong agai nst a si ngl e
opponent . Dj emSo' s mai n weakness was i t s l ack of mobi l i t y, as
Dj emSo user s di d not cover much gr ound, and r el i ed most l y on
pr essi ng t he at t ack. Thi s i s pr obabl y why Anaki n empl oyed ot her ,
mor e mobi l e For ms, as a means of compensat i on.
Ther e ar e sever al l evel s of t r yi ng t o f i nd an appr opr i at e
anal ogue ( or anal ogues) f or For mV. Ther e ar e what t he For m
sounds l i ke, what was used t o devel op i t , and what we have t o
wor k wi t h i n our communi t y. Ther e i s some over l ap, but i t cover s
a wi de f i el d.

21
The over al l phi l osophy of For mV r esembl es t hat of a Sof t
For mof Mar t i al Ar t . By Sof t For m, I do not mean weak. I am
i nst ead r ef er r i ng t o t he mar t i al ar t s r el i ance mor e on
mani pul at i ng t he opponent r at her t han dest r oyi ng t hem. Let me
gi ve you an exampl e: Kar at e i s a Har d For m, as i s Tae Kwon Do,
Kung Fu and Wushu. These ar e al l di sci pl i nes t hat r el y on
st r i ki ng and t aki ng t he of f ensi ve t o t he opponent . Sof t For ms or
mor e passi ve, and r el y on gr appl i ng and knowl edge of body
mechani cs t o r emove an at t acki ng opponent af t er he at t acks.
Sever al Sof t For ms ar e J i uJ i t su, Ai ki do, Tai Chi , Ba Gua,
Syst ema, and a number of ot her s. Ther e i s some over l ap i n t he
st yl es of cour se: Kung Fu uses t he f l ui d movement s of a Sof t
For mf or Har d For mat t acks.
I ' ve seen sever al swor d f or ms f r omt he Shaol i n Kung Fu
di sci pl i ne, and I woul d per sonal l y consi der t he di sci pl i ne a
per f ect candi dat e f or Shi en. The moves ar e qui ck, agi l e and
i mpl ement many bl ocks, par r i es and count er poi nt s. Whi l e I ' mnot
sur e i f i t coul d be i mpl ement ed t owar ds bl ocki ng bl ast er f i r e
( t he peopl e I ' ve seen do i t pr obabl y coul d) , i t f unct i ons as a
good anal og t o Shi en as a mel ee combat ar t .
I t ' s my bel i ef t hat Dj emSo i s a spi r i t ual anal ogue t o
J i uJ i t su. J i uJ i t su i s a mar t i al ar t t hat f ocuses on r espondi ng
t o an at t ack and usi ng power t o mani pul at e, di sar m, and cr eat e
an openi ng i n t he at t acker ' s def ense t o i ncapaci t at e t hem. Thi s
i s t he same cr i t er i a f or Dj emSo, whi ch r equi r es power t o
mani pul at e and cr eat e an openi ng i n t he at t acker . I t al so shar es
Dj emSo' s weakness and does not empl oy any r eal mobi l i t y.
However , J i uJ i t su i s an unar med f or mof combat , and t her ef or e
has no equi val ent i n r egar ds t o swor dwor k. I t shoul d al so be
not ed t hat J i uJ i t su, l i ke Shaol i n Kung Fu, ar e bot h Mar t i al Ar t s
based on Buddhi st t eachi ngs.
Anot her anal ogue f or Dj emSo woul d be Longswor d combat .
Longswor ds wer e used pr i mar i l y as hewi ng and sl i ci ng weapons.
Longswor d combat al so empl oyed cat chi ng and t r appi ng t he
opponent ' s bl ade usi ng t he hi l t or changi ng f r omt he edge t o
f l at of t he bl ade. Thi s br i ngs me ul t i mat el y t o t he st age aspect
of t he For ms. Pet er Di amond was t he St unt Coor di nat or and Fi ght
Coor di nat or f or t he Or i gi nal Tr i l ogy. He i s cr edi t ed f or bei ng
t he one t o devel op t he f i ght i ng st yl e used i n t hose f i l ms, whi ch
he had used el ement s of Kendo and Longswor d i n i t . As Dj emSo i s
used i n al l of t hose f i ght s, he i s i nar guabl y t he cr eat or of
Dj emSo ( Wooki epedi a' s ar t i cl e f or hi msays as much, as wel l as
cr eat i ng Sor esu) .

22
As we' r e a communi t y t hat i s f ocused on Li ght saber vs.
Li ght saber Combat , we ar e nat ur al l y i ncl i ned t o f ocus on Dj em
So. Ther e i s a syst emwe use t hat al r eady sui t s t he needs t o
empl oy Dj emSo: The Al phabet Syst em. As For mV i s a bl endi ng of
For m' s I I and I I I , i t makes sense t hat we woul d use a syst em
t hat empl oys t he pr eci si on of Makashi and t he Def ense of Sor esu.
The ul t i mat e quest i on i s enhanci ng what we know.
For t he at t acks, one must make i t appear t hat t hey ar e
appl yi ng power i nt o t he st r i kes, t hough not act ual l y doi ng i t .
Remember , we deal i n t he illusion of combat . Thi s can be done
si mpl y by appl yi ng power and ai mi ng i t si x i nches away f r omt he
t ar get , t hi s gi ves t he audi ence t he per cept i on you' r e haul i ng
i nt o your par t ner whi l e gi vi ng your par t ner enough r oomt o
r espond saf el y. As f or Def ense, i t ' s a si mpl e mat t er of changi ng
t he bl ocks f r omSt at i c t o Act i ve. I nst ead of j ust bl ocki ng t he
at t acki ng saber t o your si des and above and bel ow you, you have
t o addr ess t he bl ade di r ect l y, ei t her t hr ough par r i es and bl ade
mani pul at i on, or by ( as t hey di d i n t he Or i gi nal Tr i l ogy) at t ack
t he bl ade i t sel f .
Ther e ar e cur r ent l y Four mai n member s of t he Communi t y who
empl oy For mV i n some f or mor anot her , t hr ee of whomar e
Mast er s. Damon Honeycut t ( Gener al Sun) , Kung Fu Gr andmast er and
devel oper of Shi i Cho; Br i an van Kui k ( Taomoon Ni ght st ar ) co-
f ounder and headmast er of Long I sl and J edi , wi el ds a si ngl e
handed var i at i on of Dj emSo; Mar i a Nowak ( Azur e Dr agon/ Cr i mson
Fi nyx) , co- f ounder and headmi st r ess of Long J edi , al so uses a
si ngl e handed ver si on of Dj emSo. The ot her user i s Cr ai g Page
( Rave) , who i s a bl ack bel t i n J i uJ i t su. Anot her possi bl e user
i s J esse Bar ni ck ( J ' ai A' r ehal ) , a pr act i t i oner of sever al
Mar t i al Ar t s, i ncl udi ng Syst ema. Ti mMcDonal d ( The Emer al d
J edi / Dar t h Mageddon) , an exper t i n Medi eval Br oadswor d, coul d
al so be consi der ed a Dj emSo user
I t shoul d al so be not ed t hat Long I sl and J edi i s t aught by
Br i an and Mar i a, as wel l as addi t i onal i nst r uct i on f r oma Mast er
of Shaol i n Kung Fu. Thi s ar guabl y makes t hemal l For mV user s i n
one way or anot her . Ther e ar e cur r ent l y t wo swor d f or ms f or Dj em
So: a ( as of t hi s ar t i cl e) non- document ed f or mby Damon
Honeycut t and one by Cr ai g Page, usi ng t he phi l osophy of J i u
J i t su and appl yi ng i t t o t he ABC syst em.

23
Form VI: Niman
"Learn the principle, abide by the principle, and dissolve the
principle. In short, enter a mold without being caged in it.
Obey the principle without being bound by it. LEARN, MASTER AND
ACHIEVE!!!" - Bruce Lee
The Si xt h For mof Li ght saber Combat i s Ni man. I t i s known
as t he Moder at i on For m, The Di pl omat ' s For m, or t he Way of The
Rancor . The Rancor was a pr edat or y cr eat ur e t hat was massi ve i n
si ze, wi t h ski n t ough enough t o r esi st bl ast er bol t s, but wi t h
smal l l i mbs, maki ng i t a cr eat ur e of bal ance. I t s st at us as
sent i ent and i nt el l i gent seems t o be based on t he speci f i c
br eed, and somet i mes one an i ndi vi dual basi s.
Ni man was or i gi nal l y a non- l i ght saber swor d f or mt hat
ut i l i zed t wo swor ds. I t was adopt ed by Dar k Si der s, and was
l at er made i t s way t o t he J edi and Si t h. Dur i ng t hi s t r ansi t i on,
Ni man became t r ansl at ed t o a si ngl e l i ght saber f or m, whi l e i t s
or i gi nal dual wi el di ng ver si on l at er became known as J ar ' Kai .
Thi s ar t i cl e wi l l di scuss bot h.
Ni man' s mai n di st i nct i on i s t hat i t t r i es t o combi ne t he
t act i cs and swor d wor k of t he ol der For ms. I t bl ended t hese
For ms down i nt o a uni f or mst yl e, l i ke mel t i ng down base met al s
and maki ng an al l oy. As Ni man cover ed al l bases, i t r el i ed
st r ongl y on t he pr ef er ences, i nt ui t i on, i mpr ovi sat i onal ski l l s
and use of t he For ce f r omt he wi el der r at her t han r ot e and
r het or i c of t he ot her f or ms. Whi l e al l f i ve f or ms i n Ni man,
Sor esu' s def ensi ve nat ur e i s consi der ed i t ' s base f or m.
I t woul d best be consi der ed a mor e phi l osophi cal f or m, i n
t hat i t r el i ed mor e on t he ment al i t y of t he user i nst ead of t he
weapon i n hi s hand. User s wer e descr i bed as bei ng a Leaf r i di ng
t he cur r ent s of t he For ce. They wer e cal mand col l ect ed on t he
i nsi de and r eact ed when necessar y. I t i s t hi s peace and ser eni t y
t hat shoul d be not ed, because t hi s was not a combat f or m. By t he
End of The Ol d Republ i c, Ni man had become t he pr ef er r ed For mof
t he J edi , who wer e expect ed t o be Di pl omat s, Ambassador s, and
not combat ant s.
I t was not , by any means, an easy f or m. Keep i n mi nd,
st udent s had t o l ear n at l east f our of t he l ast f i ve f or ms,
under st and t hemand t hei r appl i cat i ons. Then t hey must l ear n t he
ser ene phi l osophy and di sci pl i ne of Ni man. Thi s meant you
essent i al l y had t o mast er sever al f oms, t hen Mast er t he concept
of Ni man. I t was sai d t hat Ni man woul d t ake Ten Year s t o Mast er .
Thi s f or mdemanded ment al di sci pl i ne and commi t ment .

24
I of t en wonder why Ni man came t o be. My best guess i s as
f ol l ows: The ot her Fi ve For ms had been ar ound f or Mi l l eni a. Li ke
al l di sci pl i nes, some pr ef er r ed one over t he ot her . Soon, peopl e
woul d begi n t o ar gue over whi ch f or mwas bet t er , mor e deser vi ng
of bei ng used by t he J edi over al l . Thi s sor t of di sput e has been
goi ng on f or mi l l eni a i n r eal l i f e. Member s of di f f er ent mar t i al
school s chal l enge ot her school s si mpl y because t hey f eel t hei r
f or mi s super i or . I coul d see Ni man as an answer , cr eat i ng a
f or mt hat per mi t t ed al l of t hese f or ms at t he di scr et i on and
i magi nat i on of t he user , al ong wi t h a st r ong phi l osophi cal
backgr ound. I n shor t , Ni man' s mai n t enet i s most l i kel y " Not hi ng
i s Tr ue, Ever yt hi ng i s Per mi t t ed" . Ni man al so mar ks a cl osi ng of
t he ci r cl e, i n a ways. I t i s si mi l ar t o t he f i r st For m: Shi i - Cho
i n t hat t hey cover al l bases. Bot h shar e a si mpl i st i c nat ur e,
but i t s mai n di f f er ence i s t hat whi l e Shi i Cho moves
si mpl i st i cal l y and mai nt ai ns a base at t i t ude, Ni man keeps i t
si mpl e whi l e t aki ng al l of t he knowl edge acqui r ed f r omt he ot her
For ms wi t h i t .
Thi s makes a cer t ai n sense when one consi der s t he
combi nat i on of J ar ' Kai . Usi ng one swor d i s di f f i cul t enough;
usi ng t wo r equi r es a hi gh l evel of ment al di sci pl i ne and a deep
under st andi ng of bl adewor k. Ther e wer e sever al di f f er ent ways t o
empl oy t wo bl ades, but one had t o be acut el y awar e of wher e each
bl ade was at al l t i mes.
Ther e i s r eal l y no one i n t he f i l ms who i s an exact exampl e
of Ni man. Dar t h Maul was known t o have used i t , and Obi - Wan used
sever al Ni man st ances. The mai n user of t he For mi s Ci n Dr al l i g,
who was t he Bat t l emast er of t he J edi Or der . He was t he pr e-
emi nent Li ght saber Combat I nst r uct or t o al l of t he J edi dur i ng
t he l ast days of t he Ol d Republ i c. He knew al l of t he f i r st Si x
For ms enough t o t each t hem, and i t woul d make sense t hat he
woul d be a Mast er of t he For mt hat empl oys most i f not al l of
t hem( Some sour ces say he used Makashi i n hi s Ni man, l eadi ng t o
t he af or ement i oned di scr epancy) . Ci n Dr al l i g i s based on, and
per f or med by, Ni ck Gi l l ar d, t he st unt and f i ght coor di nat or f or
t he Pr equel Tr i l ogi es. Wher e Pet er Di amond i s cr edi t ed as
cr eat i ng For ms I I I and V, Gi l l ar d i s cr edi t ed as devel opi ng t he
ot her s. As f or J ar ' Kai , Anaki n i s seen usi ng i t i n hi s i ni t i al
duel wi t h Dooku; He i s usi ng an At ar u var i at i on, empl oyi ng
spi ns. However , si nce he di d not have a f ami l i ar knowl edge of
t he bl adewor k, he was r educed t o goi ng back t o si ngl e bl ade. The
exempl ar f or J ar ' Kai i s Asaj j Vent r ess, Dar k J edi dur i ng t he
Cl one War s. She used a Makashi i nspi r ed var i at i on of J ar ' Kai i n
ser vi ce of her Teacher , Dooku.

25
Ni man i s a wel l bal anced f or m, and doesn' t have any
speci f i c weakness. I f anyt hi ng, i t ' s weakness i s t hat i t doesn' t
have any dr amat i c st r engt hs. Thi s i s seen i n t he bat t l e of
Geonosi s i n Epi sode I I . Ever y si ngl e Ni man user was ki l l ed i n
t he heat ed f i r e f i ght , wher eas user s of ot her For ms appl i ed
t hei r r espect i ve st r engt hs t o cut t hr ough t he opposi t i on. Thi s
has l ead For mVI t o bei ng consi der ed t oo demandi ng of a For m. I t
shoul d be not ed t hat many who used Ni man f ol l owed t he di pl omat ' s
pat h and not t he pat h of a war r i or , hence l eadi ng t o a di f f er ent
mi ndset i n combat , whi ch was what Ni man st r essed. Ni man shoul d
be l i kened mor e t o a Sel f Def ense For mr at her t han one f or Open
Combat . Thi s vi ew i s suppor t ed by i t s base i n Sor esu. J ar ' Kai
had t he advant age of havi ng t wo weapons i n bat t l e, however t he
weakness was havi ng t o f ocus and cont r ol t he l ocat i on and act i on
of bot h weapons.
Bef or e hi s deat h, Mar t i al Ar t s Legend Br uce Lee had
devel oped a " Mar t i al Concept " cal l ed J eet Kune Do ( Way of t he
I nt er cept i ng Fi st ) . I t was hi s bel i ef t hat peopl e became t oo
hung up on pat t er ns, f or ms and st yl es t hat t hey wer e mi ssi ng t he
poi nt ent i r el y. He devel oped t he Tao of J eet Kune Do as hi s
bel i ef , t el l i ng peopl e t o l ear n f r omdi f f er ent Mar t i al Ar t s,
t aki ng wi t h t hemwhat wor ked f or t hemand di scar di ng what
di f f er ent . Al l t he whi l e, t he pr act i t i oner shoul d mai nt ai n a
f l ui d f or mof t hi nki ng and awar eness.
Thi s i s exact l y t he same t hi nki ng as Ni man. The onl y
except i on i s t hat Br uce Lee acknowl edged t hat peopl e had nat ur al
st r engt hs and t al ent s, and t o empl oy t hat whi ch enhanced and
compensat ed f or t hose. I n Lee' s case, he used el ement s of
Fenci ng and Boxi ng on t op of Wi ng Chun, t he st yl e he had st ar t ed
of f wi t h. These al l f ocus on Lee' s nat ur al i ncl i nat i ons t owar ds
speed and r each. Ni man seems t o pl ace ever yone at t he same keel ,
whi ch per haps l essens t he ext ent .
For J ar ' Kai , many swor d st yl es have a var i at i on t hat empl oy
t wo swor ds. Dual Kat ana, Br oadswor ds, kni ves, Rapi er and Dagger ,
et c. I n t he Saber Communi t y, J ar ' Kai i s most associ at ed wi t h
Escr i ma, a Fi l i pi no mar t i al ar t t hat f ocuses on dual wi el di ng
st i cks ( most l y bamboo or r at t an) or kni ves. I t was i nt r oduced t o
t he communi t y by Scot t Fer r a, known al so as Cyr han Ogma. He was
al so t he one t o i nt r oduce t he Al phabet Syst emt o t he communi t y
as wel l . Ot her dual wi el di ng f or ms of not e i s Rapi er and Dagger ,
usi ng t he Dagger ( or i n t he case of saber s, a Shot o) as a
def ensi ve weapon whi l e usi ng t he mai n saber as t he at t ack.
Anot her i s t he Fl or ent i ne St yl e, ot her wi se known as Case of
Rapi er s, or j ust Case. I t i s t he use of t wo Rapi er s i n Tandem,

26
and i s i n keepi ng i n st yl e wi t h Asaj j Vent r ess' Makashi i nspi r ed
J ar ' Kai .
One of t he pr i me hi st or i cal exampl es of usi ng t wo swor ds
t oget her i s Mi yamot o Musashi . Musashi , consi der ed t he Hi gh Mar k
i n t he Samur ai I deal , spent hi s ent i r e l i f e st udyi ng t he ar t of
f i ght i ng. He per f ect ed hi s ar t agai nst opponent s f r omvar i ous
backgr ounds, who used var i ous f or ms of weaponr y. Event ual l y, he
came t o devel op Ni t en I chi - r yu ( the school of the strategy of
two heavens as one) . Musashi consi der ed t hi s f or m, whi ch used a
kat ana ( l ongswor d) and a waki zashi ( shor t swor d) as t he ul t i mat e
f or mof swor d use. Thi s use of a l ong and shor t swor d i s not
unl i ke t he use of st andar d and shot o saber s.
Ther e ar e f ew member s of t he communi t y t hat use Ni man.
Al f i e Supan ( Ecar i s) , a bal l et dancer and mar t i al ar t i st has
devel oped a Ni man Kat a; Mi ke Mer i n ( Dar t h K' Sheen) i s cur r ent l y
i n t he pr ocess of devel opi ng a gr oup f or mvar i at i on of Ni man.
J ar ' Kai user s i ncl ude Scot t Fer r a ( Cyr an Oghma) st age combat
i nst r uct or and Eskr i mador ; Mar i a Nowak ( Azur e Dr agon/ Cr i mson
Fi nyx) co- f ounder of LI J edi , who uses bot h Escr i ma and Sai
based Li ght saber s i n some of her f i ght s; Tony Fer r adi no
( Ar ki mus) , a member of LI J ed, i s devel opi ng a saber f or musi ng
a saber hel d st andar d i n one hand and Assassi n st yl e
( under handed) i n t he ot her ; Mel i ssa Koval ( Ti ndome Ur uva) and
her appr ent i ce Scot t Li nd ( as Nar mo Tel epsa) ar e al so J ar ' Kai
user s. I r shad Must af a ( Dar t h Shaddi ous) uses dual cur ved saber s
i n hi s use of J ar ' Kai .




27
Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad
"Six there were for generations of Jedi. The seventh, is not
well-known." Yoda
Li ke For mV, For mVI I i s spl i t i nt o t wo par t s, J uyo and
Vaapad. They ar e known as t he Fer oci t y For mand t he Way of The
Vor nskr . The Vor nskr was a vi ci ous, pr edat or y ani mal t hat was
abl e t o det ect and hunt For ce- Sensi t i ve cr eat ur es. Thei r
f avor i t e pr ey was t he Ysal ami r , t he ani mal Symbol i zi ng For mI I .
Thi s vi ci ousness and f ocus on For ce- User s i s key i n
under st andi ng For mVI I .
The hi st or y of J uyo i s har d t o pl ace. I t f i r st appear ed
about a mi l l eni a bef or e t he Ri se of t he Gal act i c Empi r e, ar ound
t he t i me when t he J edi and Si t h wer e i n a st at e of Ci vi l War
amongst each ot her . Each move was a const ant f or mof at t ack, and
l ef t no space f or def ense. J uyo at t acks wer e bol d and di r ect ,
movi ng i n a ser i es of seemi ngl y unconnect ed movement s. I t was
t he most most ki net i c f or m, r equi r i ng a const ant st at e of
movement . However , i t was not as acr obat i cal l y i ncl i ned as
At ar u. I t s mai n st r engt h came f r omt he user r el yi ng on a wel l of
emot i on, al most t o t he poi nt wher e t hey had t o enj oy t he combat .
Thi s l ast aspect i s why J uyo was event ual l y l ooked at wi t h
a caut i ous eye by t he J edi . Enj oyi ng t he bat t l e, t he t hr i l l of
t he f i ght , l ead t o t he Dar k Si de of t he For ce. Event ual l y, t he
J edi Or der r est r i ct ed t he t eachi ngs of J uyo, wi t h onl y t he
hi ghest r anked Mast er s bei ng abl e t o st udy i t . J uyo was per f ect
phi l osophi cal l y f or t he Si t h, whose mai n t enet s wer e t o gi ve
i nt o desi r e and anger t o r el i sh i n t he combat . Thi s has l ed many
t o bel i eve t hat J uyo was f or Si t h onl y, whi l e t her e wer e st i l l
some J edi ( t hough f ew) who used i t . Despi t e what si de used i t ,
i t was wi del y consi der ed t he most danger ous of t he For ms.
Vaapad i s t he youngest of t he Seven For ms, havi ng been
devel oped i n t he l ast f ew decades of t he Ol d Republ i c. I t was
devel oped by Mace " BMF" Wi ndu as a means of channel i ng hi s
t endenci es t owar ds t he Dar k Si de. I t was devel oped al ongsi de
Li ght saber Combat i nst r uct or Sor a Bul q. Asi de f r omMace and
Sor a, t he onl y per son t o know Vaapad was Mace' s Padawan, Depa
Bi l l aba. Unf or t unat el y, bot h Sor a and Depa f el l t o t he Dar k
Si de, maki ng Mace t he onl y Mast er of t he For m. Mace had si nce
r est r i ct ed use of t he For m, so much as hal t i ng a spar r i ng mat ch
wi t h a f r i end and demandi ng he never use t hose t echni ques agai n
f or f ear he woul d sl i p t o t he Dar k Si de.
Whi l e Vaapad was ever y bi t Mace' s For m, J uyo was
exempl i f i ed by Dar t h Maul . Maul was Emper or Pal pat i ne/ Dar t h

28
Si di ous' f i r st known appr ent i ce, and a mast er of t he saber st af f .
I n hi s f i ght wi t h Obi - Wan and Qui - Gon J i n, he i s movi ng wi t h
near l y r eckl ess abandon. He i s put t i ng al l of hi msel f , not j ust
hi s body and hi s mi nd, but hi s emot i onal bei ng i nt o ever y
st r oke. You can see i n some cl ose ups t hat he i s enj oyi ng t hi s.
Hi s movement s agai nst Obi - Wan ar e shar p, goi ng f r omone move t o
t he next wi t hout hesi t at i on and pr eambl e, not gi vi ng t he young
padawan much t i me t o r eact .
For mVI I i s, i n many ways, si mi l ar t o Ni man as bot h
r equi r ed t he pr act i t i oner t o have mast er ed sever al of t he ot her
For ms. Thi s t ook t i me, at l east t en year s i f one i s st udyi ng i t
t he same way one di d Ni man. That meant t hat a J uyo/ Vapaad User
had t o not onl y use t hese f or m, but under st and t hemat t hei r
cor e, t o know and acknowl edge what each meant . They t hen had t o
l ear n t he pr i nci pl e of J uyo, t o gi ve i n t o t hei r emot i ons and
i mpul ses and t o never gi ve up t he of f ensi ve. Whi l e For mVI
f ocused on commi t ment t o def ense, For mVI I r el i es on f ul l
commi t ment t o t he at t ack.
I n a sense, J uyo i s t he cul mi nat i on of Li ght saber Combat as
a whol e. Li ght saber Combat began wi t h t he si mpl i st i c st yl e of
Shi i Cho and cul mi nat ed i n Ni man, combi ni ng i t and t he f i ve
f or ms bef or e i t i nt o a cent r al f ocus and di sci pl i ne. Ni man was
t he cl osi ng of t he Ci r cl e. J uyo and Vaapad ar e out si de of t hat
ci r cl e, r el yi ng on t he user ' s emot i onal cor e and per sonal
f eel i ngs above and beyond some doct r i ne. For mVI I i s, wi t h no
doubt i n my mi nd, t he Anar chi st For m.
So t he quest i on becomes, what i s t he ul t i mat e di f f er ence
bet ween J uyo and Vaapad? Ul t i mat el y, i t boi l ed down t o
phi l osophy. J uyo r el i ed on emot i on- pur e, unbr i dl ed emot i on-
f uel i ng t he f i r e of t he at t ack; i t was unr est r ai ned i nsi de t he
user whi l e t he out si de r emai ned cal m. Whi l e J uyo was t he
I nf er no, Vaapad at t empt s t o channel t hat f i r e, gi vi ng mor e f ocus
and cont r ol wi t hout succumbi ng t o i t . Thi nk of a st eam
l ocomot i ve: al l t hat f i r e, heat and coal bur ni ng hot and keepi ng
t he engi ne goi ng, wi t h onl y t he conduct or maki ng sur e i t doesn' t
j ump of f t he r ai l s.
For mVI I ' s st r engt h l i es wi t hi n i t s unpr edi ct abi l i t y and i n
i t s t enaci t y. The opponent i s not sur e what move wi l l be comi ng
next , or f r omwher e. Li ke Ni man, t he movement s wer e at t he
di scr et i on, i magi nat i on and i mpr ovi sat i on of t he user , whi ch
meant t he use of ei t her f or mwas onl y as good as t he qui ck
t hi nki ng of t he per son usi ng i t . Anot her concer n was becomi ng
t oo engul f ed by t he heat of t he moment , and t her ef or e l osi ng
si ght and f ocus of t hei r goal and/ or t hei r sur r oundi ngs.

29
Fi nal l y, For mVI I ' s r el i ance on pur e at t acks l ef t i t no def ense.
Whi l e t hi s can be compensat ed f or wi t h cr eat i ve at t acks, i t was
a par t i cul ar bl i nd spot .
I n f i ndi ng a mar t i al ar t f or For mVI I , I st i l l amdr awn t o
t he t eachi ngs of Br uce Lee and J eet Kune Do. Br uce Lee st udi ed
sever al di f f er ent ar t s, many of whi ch appeal ed t o hi s st r engt hs
and hi s pr ef er ences as a f i ght er . He had made hi s mar t i al ar t a
per sonal t hi ng, not bound by r ot e or dogma. He had become a
f i ght er t hat r eact ed on r ef l ex, t o t he poi nt wher e he was
i nt er cept i ng t he opponent s at t ack bef or e t hey coul d f ul l y engage
( hence " The Way Of The I nt er cept i ng Fi st " ) . Anot her t hi ng t o
l ook at i s t he now i nf amous t r ai ni ng scene i n Lee' s Fi l mEnter
The Dragon, wher e he t el l s hi s st udent t hat f i ght i ng i sn' t j ust
f or show. One must use emotional content i n t hei r at t ack.
Per haps t o t he chagr i n of t he Si t h, he snapped at hi s st udent
when he empl oyed anger i n hi s at t ack.
Anot her Mar t i al Ar t t hat mat ches t he over al l f eel and vi be
wi t h For mVI I i s Kenpo. I t r el i es on f ast st r i kes, bot h
of f ensi vel y and def ensi vel y. As a Kenpo pr act i t i oner descr i bed
i t t o me, " The i dea i sn' t t o j ust bl ock t he punch, i t ' s t o make
i t as uncomf or t abl e as possi bl e" . The pr act i t i oner at t acks t he
at t acker s ar m, pushi ng i t out of t he way and l eavi ng t hemopen
t o f ol l ow up at t acks. The at t acks seemr andom, but i t i s onl y
due t o t he r api d successi on of bl ows goi ng up t he ar mand t o
ot her vi t al or open spot s.
Ther e shoul d be somet hi ng sai d i n t er ms of t he movi es. J uyo
was based on t he per f or mance of Ray Par k as Dar t h Maul i n
Epi sode I . Par k i s a champi on Wushu user , and used sever al
t echni ques i n t he f i ght . Whi l e I di d say t hat At ar u empl oyed
some Wushu t echni ques, t her e i s some gr ound f or over l ap. I t can
al so be ar gued i n Canon t hat Maul may have pr ef er r ed usi ng At ar u
st yl e t echni ques i n hi s at t acks.
I n t er ms of St age combat , t he J edi Communi t y has t he
Number s Syst em. The Number s Syst emi s a pat t er n of at t acks.
Unl i ke t he Al phabet Syst em, t hey f ocus mor e on r api d hi gh and
l ow at t acks i n a number of exchanges ( hence t he name) . The
di st i nct ness of t he number s i s t hat bot h char act er s f i ght i ng ar e
at t acki ng, t he bl ades cl ashi ng i n mi d ai r . Ther e' s some
di scr epancy i n i t s usage on st age, some pr ef er r i ng i t above t he
ot her s whi l e ot her s f eel t hat i t ' s f l ashy and t akes away f r om
t he " st or y of combat " , meani ng t hat t her e i s no cl ear i mage of
who i s t he at t acker or def ender i n t he exchange. I f eel t hat t he
number s wor k as a br i dge, a moment i n t he f i ght wher e t he
char act er s ar e evenl y mat ched and ar e t r yi ng t o f i nd a chi nk i n

30
t he ot her s def enses. I per sonal l y use i t t o t r ansi t i on f r omone
maj or exchange t o anot her , or whi l e speaki ng l i nes. Regar dl ess,
i t does mat ch t he f ast and shar p appr oach of For mVI I .
Not sur pr i si ngl y, For mVI I i s a f avor i t e among t he
communi t y. Even l ess sur pr i si ng i s i t s popul ar i t y amongst
Si t h/ Dar k/ Rogue char act er s. Not abl e J uyo user s i ncl ude Roy
Kai ser ( as Dar t h Mal i ce) , NY J edi Mast er and Foundi ng member of
New J edi Or der ; " T" Hanni gan ( Si t h' ar i Dr a' Kaz) , a ni nj i t su
pr act i t i oner who empl oys t he f or mwi t h a saber st af f . Ot her user s
i ncl ude Br ad Wor r el ( Ar ' vage) anot her co- f oundi ng member of NJ O,
he wi el ds a f i ve f oot l ong Cl aymor e Saber ; Mel i ssa Koval
( Ti ndome Ur uva) devel oped a sol o f or mbased on Tr i spzest , whi ch
i s f l yi ng J uyo ( Ti ndome i s a Bat - Humanoi d and can f l y) ; Ot her
user s i ncl ude Chr i s Abr ams ( Xeo Xeni r o) ; J ohn Loobi e ( J ai ' ko
Lybr o) ; and Mi ke Mer i n ( Dar t h K' Sheen) ' s st af f wor k. Vaapad
user s i ncl ude Fl ynn ( Tal ek) , f ounder of New Yor k J edi ; J ess
Mer mel st ei n ( Tar ynn Fi r esi de) , st age combat ant and di r ect or ; and
St eve Cohen ( J oga Cr osswi nd) .




31
Lightsaber Variations
"This weapon is your life!" - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Li ght saber s ar e weapons t hat wer e cr eat ed per sonal l y by
t hei r wi el der s. They wer e t asked wi t h seeki ng out component s
t hat " cal l ed out " t o t hemwi t h t he For ce. They wer e desi gned t o
mat ch t hei r user s, and whi l e some may r esembl e ot her s, no t wo
wer e ever al i ke. A l i ght saber i s a per sonal weapon, wi t h t he
var i ous peopl e out t her e, sur el y t her e ar e mor e t han one ki nd of
l i ght saber .
Whi l e Li ght saber s ar e f amousl y depi ct ed as bei ng hi l t s
bei ng depl oyed as swor ds, t hese ar e t he st andar d var i at i ons of
hi l t s. However , t he desi gn i s r el at i vel y si mpl i st i c and coul d be
empl oyed i n a var i ous di f f er ent f or ms. Some f avor ed speci f i c
f or ms and some r equi r ed r ar e mat er i al s t o be used. Ther e ar e
al so sever al non- canon weapons t hat wer e devel oped by t he saber
communi t y t hat ar e uni que t o t hemsel ves. Her e i s a l i st of some
of t he mor e popul ar var i at i ons:
Curved Hilt Sabers: The Hi l t i s cur ved ei t her at t he emi t t er ,
pommel and/ or t he mi ddl e of t he hi l t . I t ' s mai n f ocus i s t hat
t he cur vat ur e al l ows f or a shi f t i n bal ance, al l owi ng f or
di f f er i ng angl es of at t ack. I t al so accent uat ed t he power i n
at t acks. Thi s makes i t a good weapon f or For mI I and V, and as
such i t i s r ef er r ed t o as a duel i ng saber . Most f amous exampl e
i s Count Dooku' s saber .
Shoto: Al so known as " t he shor t saber " . The hi l t and bl ade ar e
smal l er t han t he st andar d saber . I t i s of t en used as a
def ensi ve, or " of f - hand" weapon. I t i s al so f avor ed by For ce
User s of di mi nut i ve si ze.
I n t he f an gr oups, t her e i s some di scr epancy bet ween what
woul d make a good " Makashi Li ght saber " . Due t o t he f i l ms, many
peopl e bel i eve t hat i t i s t he cur ved hi l t . However , many of t he
f encer s i n t he gr oup, who ar e t he most i ncl i ned t owar ds For mI I ,
say t hat i t i s t he Shot o. The l engt h of t he hi l t al l ows f or
t i ght cont r ol and asi de f r oma l ack of basket or handguar d i s
t he cl osest t o an act ual r api er hi l t .
A cur ved hi l t i s consi der ed a duel i st ' s hi l t i n t hat i t
al l ows f or di f f er ent angl es. I t al so makes moves l i ke Sun Dj em
di f f i cul t t o per f or mdue t o t he desi gn and way cur ved hi l t had
t o be hel d, whi ch i s par t of Makashi ' s t echni ques.
Guard Shoto: A var i at i on of t he Shot o. I t i s model ed af t er t he
J apanese tonfa, a shor t handl ed weapon wi t h a per pendi cul ar
gr i p. The weapon i s used under handed, and i s good f or t r appi ng,

32
sl ashi ng and st abbi ng, maki ng i t a good For mV weapon. Not as
good i n at t acki ng. Requi r ed consi der abl e ski l l and t r ai ni ng.
Dual Phase: The Li ght saber i s a weapon ut i l i zi ng an ext endi ng
bl ade. A Dual Phase Li ght saber ext ends t he bl ade out f ur t her
t han t he st andar d. Somewhat si mi l ar t o t he myt hi cal ext endi ng
st af f of Sun Wukong i n Journey to the West.
Light Club: The opposi t e of t he Shot o, i n t hat i t i s a massi ve
hi l t t hat i s meant f or For ce User s of Massi ve Si ze.
Double-Bladed Saber: A st af f - based hi l t t hat pr oduces t wo bl ades
on ei t her si de. Wi del y r egar ded as a Si t h weapon, especi al l y as
i t i s t he weapon of Dar t h Maul . Cover s 4 t i mes t he ar ea as a
r egul ar saber . Ut i l i zes br oad, ci r cul ar mot i ons i n at t acki ng and
def endi ng. Ther e i s a var i at i on wher e bot h ends ar e cur ved. The
use of t he cur ved st af f r equi r es i nt ense f ocus, as movi ng t he
saber moves t he bal ance poi nt on t he st af f .
Saber Pike: A St af f - based hi l t t hat has a smal l er bl ade at t he
t op. The st af f i s pr edomi nant l y made of some l i ght saber
r esi st ant mat er i al . Good on r ange, and seems t o pr ef er shiak
st r i kes. A var i et y of t hi s i s t he Long Handl e Saber , whose hi l t
was sever al t i mes l onger t han a st andar d hi l t , but not as l ong
as a st af f .
Light whip: a Li ght saber whose beami s not r est r i ct ed i n a
st at i c posi t i on and i s capabl e of movi ng. Hi ghl y unpr edi ct abl e,
and was j ust as much a r i sk t o t he wi el der as t he opponent . One
had t o know how t o use a r egul ar whi p bef or e usi ng a weapon. The
most f amous user was Lumi ya, who used a l i ght whi p t hat al so had
cor t osi s st r ands, maki ng i t an ener gy and physi cal based weapon.
Whi l e t he many i n t he Saber Communi t y have kept t o
emul at i ng t he what St ar War s has gi ven t hemi n ways of
var i at i on, sever al member s have devel oped ot her var i at i ons of
t he l i ght saber .
Light Pu-Dao: Based on t he t r adi t i onal Pu Dao i n Chi nese Mar t i al
Ar t s. I t ' s r oughl y a cr oss bet ween a Saber Pi ke and a Long
Handl ed l i ght saber , wi t h t he bl ade bei ng j ust l onger t han t he
handl e. Gl enn Devecchi s ( J i n Ke) , and The Ankhou use Pu Dao
Saber s.
Light Sai: Shot o- l i ke weapons based on t he t r adi t i onal J apanese
Sai . As a l i ght saber , t he bl ades ar e smal l er , and t he r est of
t he hi l t ( especi al l y t he pr ongs) ar e most l i kel y made of some
f or mof l i ght saber r esi st ant mat er i al . The onl y pai r t hat exi st

33
bel ong t o Mar i a Nowak ( as Cr i mson Fi nyx) and wer e desi gned and
bui l t by Chr i s Cox ( Gener al I ng Chao)
LightShield: Essent i al l y a hand hel d For ce Fi el d bui l t t o
r ef l ect at t acks. Bui l t by Br i an Van Kui k ( Taomoon Ni ght st ar )
whi ch uses a cl ear , ci r cul ar r i ot shi el d wr apped i n EL wi r e and
usi ng a pr essur e sensor t o r egi st er hi t s, maki ng t he sur f ace
gl ow br i ght er .
Light Shivs: Shot o based saber s. t he hi l t s ar e pal msi zed and
t he bl ades ar e al most equal i n l engt h. Used as a kni f e. Bui l t by
J uan Lei va ( Yogen Hi mashi ) .
The r eason f or t hese var i at i ons l i es i n t he uni f or mdesi gn
of t he saber . At i t s most basi c, i t i s a cyl i ndr i cal t ube. The
ver y nat ur e of desi gni ng one as a per sonal t ouch br ed di f f er ent
desi gns and t ouches on basi c hi l t s, l et al one di f f er ent hi l t s
al t oget her . Thi s i s one of t he mor e popul ar aspect s of t he Saber
Communi t y.
Many i n t he communi t y wi l l nor mal l y buy t hei r f i r st saber s
f r omUl t r asaber s. com. Thi s si t e makes basi c hi l t s wi t h no r eal
ador nment s. Thi s can be consi der ed si mi l ar t o a l i ght saber hi l t
at i t s most basi c f or m. I t ' s up t o t he user t o modi f y t he
ext er i or t o sui t t hei r pur poses, whet her i t be per sonal or
per f or mance.
My per sonal f avor i t e i s The Cust omSaber Shop. You buy t he
pi eces of t he saber you have desi gned. The par t s ar e shi pped t o
you and you bui l d i t your sel f . Shor t of machi ni ng t he par t s
your sel f , t hi s i s t he cl osest t o maki ng your own, per sonal
saber .
And f i nal l y, and by no means t he l east , we have t he Saber s
f r omAdvanced Li ght Weaponr y. These saber s ar e made f r omscr at ch
out of st eel , and ar e meant t o l ast . They ar e desi gned by t he
i nst r uct i ons of t he buyer , and no t wo wi l l ever be exact l y
al i ke. These ar e f unct i onal pi eces of ar t , a t r ue expr essi on of
t he per son wi el di ng i t , whi ch i s what a l i ght saber was.


34
Lightsaber Resistant Materials
The only things that can block a lightsaber blade is another
lightsaber blade; some very, very rare materials; and...those
handrails in Cloud City - Craig Page
I t i s a wi del y hel d bel i ef t hat Li ght saber s ar e capabl e of
cut t i ng t hr ough anyt hi ng and anyone. Thi s i s wr ong. Ther e ar e i n
t he St ar War s Uni ver se some mat er i al s t hat cannot be easi l y cut ,
and i n some cases ar e out r i ght i mper vi ous t o, l i ght saber beams.
As one can i magi ne, t hese mat er i al s woul d be hi ghl y sought af t er
by al l t hose who use Li ght saber s or wi shed t o l evel t he pl ayi ng
f i el d agai nst Li ght saber user s. They ar e as f ol l ows
Water: I t shoul d be not ed t hat l i ght saber bl ades coul d not
f unct i on when i mmer sed i n wat er . Even i n heavy r ai ns, t he bl ade
wi l l begi n t o si zzl e. Saber s coul d be modi f i ed t o over come t hi s
obst acl e t hough, and many aquat i c based J edi and Si t h wer e
i nst r uct ed t o do so.
Cortosis: By f ar , t he most common of t he l i ght saber r esi st ant
mat er i al s. Pur i f i ed Cor t osi s had t he abi l i t y t o shor t our
l i ght saber bl ades f or a t i me. Cor t osi s Al l oy had t he abi l i t y t o
def l ect bl ades. Not e, t he r aw or e f or Cor t osi s was I oni zed, and
was l et hal t o t he hol der .
Phrik: Met al l i c or e, i t was popul ar i n t he cr eat i on of weapons
such as el ect r o st af f s and vi br o bl ades. I t was al so used at
t i mes i n t he const r uct i on of l i ght saber s l i ke t he Saber Pi ke and
Guar d Shot os. These weapons r equi r ed t he use of t he " hi l t " as
par t of t he weapon and at t ack, so a LSM was pr ef er r ed i n i t ' s
const r uct i on
Armorweave: Rei nf or ced cl ot h t hat gave l i mi t ed r esi st ance t o
bl ast er bol t s and l i ght saber s.
Ultrachrome: Used f r omever yt hi ng f r omshi p hul l s t o per sonal
shi el ds and ar mor . Ul t r achr ome coul d def l ect bl ast er s,
pr oj ect i l e weapons and Li ght saber Bl ades by di f f usi ng t he ener gy
acr oss i t ' s super conduct i ve sur f ace. However , i f enough ener gy
i s appl i ed, t he out er l ayer of t he shi el d can mel t and war p.
Mandalorian Iron: Known i n t he Mandal or i an t ongue as Beskar. By
f ar t he most power f ul Li ght saber Resi st ant Mat er i al i n t he
Gal axy. Combi nat i on of st r ong met al and exqui si t e met al l ur gy,
Mandal or i an I r on i s f ol ded t o pr ovi de l i ght wei ght pr ot ect i on.
Br eaki ng t he ar mor , wi t h a l i ght saber i n gener al , i s cl ose t o
i mpossi bl e. I t ' s manuf act ur e has pr ecedence i n Real Li f e, as t he
maki ng of Samur ai Swor ds i nvol ves or e wi t h above aver age i r on

35
cont ent and a f or gi ng t echni que t hat f ol ds t he met al down i nt o
sever al t housand l ayer s.
Life-Forms: Ther e ar e sever al l i f e- f or ms whose bodi es ar e so
ar mor ed t hat t hey r ef l ect l i ght saber bl ades. Some of t hese
cr eat ur es ar e sought f or t o make ar mor t o f i ght agai nst saber
user s, or ar e br eed as pr ot ect or s and guar di ans.
The Force: Usi ng For ce Techni ques have been known t o bl ock a
l i ght saber , even t he wei ght l ess bl ade. Al so, swor ds and weaponr y
t hat have been i nf used wi t h t he For ce can al so be ef f ect i ve.
I n t he saber communi t y, t her e i s some di scussi on as t o t he
use of LRM i n our f i ght s and st or i es. What i s appr opr i at e and
what i sn' t . Li ght saber Resi st ance i sn' t r eal l y seen i n t he
movi es and t he shows. Asi de f r omt he bl ast door Qui Gon t r i es
cut t i ng t hr ough i n Epi sode I ( and near l y mel t ed) and t he
r ai l i ngs i n Cl oud Ci t y dur i ng Epi sode V. LRMs ar e Expanded
Uni ver se mat er i al s, t hey appear ei t her i n t he var i ous novel s and
comi cs or i n t he vi deo games.
Thi s br i ngs Canon t o t he di scussi on. Ther e ar e sever al
l ayer s of Canon f or t he St ar War s Uni ver se, r angi ng f r omNon-
Canon, t o Canon- unt i l - st at ed- ot her wi se, t o G- Canon. G- Canon i s
al l t he mat er i al s t hat Geor ge Lucas has si gned on and has used
i n t he movi es ( and now, t he Cl one War s TV Show) . G- Canon t r umps
al l of t he ot her l evel s. As of t he wr i t i ng of t hi s paper , none
of t he LRMs have been ment i oned i n t he movi es or t he t el evi si on
ser i es. Lucas bel i eves t hat a l i ght saber is an al l cut t i ng
weapon.
An exampl e of t hi s i s f r omt he Cl one War s. Dur i ng t he
second season, Obi - Wan i s t aki ng on a Mandal or i an. The
Mandal or i an was or i gi nal l y goi ng t o use a vi br oswor d made of
Beskar . Geor ge Lucas cr eat ed a weapon cal l ed a Dar ksaber . A
l i ght saber wi t h a bl ack, f l at bl ade t hat r esembl ed a t r adi t i onal
kat ana.
Thi s l ack of i nf or mat i on now put s us i n an i nt er est i ng
posi t i on. Whi l e Lucas never says t hat LRMs don' t exi st , he has
kept i t squar el y a par t of t he Expanded Uni ver se. When
per f or mi ng, i t shoul d al ways be assumed t hat peopl e have onl y
seen t he movi es. Ther e have been pl ent y of t i mes, even when
per f or mi ng wi t h f r i ends and col l eagues i n t he communi t y, wher e
someone wi l l cr y f oul because a per son shoul d not be abl e t o
bl ock a bl ade wi t h t hei r ar ms.
Per sonal l y, I t ake a war y st ance on usi ng LRMs on t he
st age, and use i t pr i mar i l y t he way i t ' s used i n St ar War s: as a

36
l i t er ar y devi ce t o gi ve t he ot her wi se power f ul J edi and Si t h a
chal l enge. Usi ng i t bl at ant l y per f or mance- wi se may seema cheat .
However , t her e ar e some exampl es of i t wor ki ng r i ght .
Dave Har ol d, a vet er an i n New Yor k J edi , pl ays t he Si t h
Lor d Dar t h Vi ci ous. Vi ci ous i s an ei ght f oot t al l , Genet i cal l y
Engi neer ed Li f e For m( or GELF) . Hi s r ace was cr eat ed t o mi ne
Phr i k i n deep space. Af t er an acci dent t hat ki l l ed most of hi s
peopl e, he f ound t he phr i k had bonded wi t h hi mon bi ol ogi cal
l evel . He became l i ght saber r esi st ant . Thi s, wi t h hi s si ze and
ani mal l i ke nat ur e, made hi mper f ect t o be a Si t h.
Now, on t he whol e, most audi ences wi l l never hear t hat
backgr ound st or y. However , Dave pl ays t hi s char act er l i ke an
unst oppabl e monst er . Many l i ken Vi ci ous t o a ver si on of DC
Comi cs' Doomsday, wi t h bones ( or i n Vi ci ous' case, phr i k)
pr ot r udi ng out of hi s ski n. He por t r ays hi msel f as t he
unst oppabl e beast . Even i f you don' t know why he can, you can
under st and t hat t hi s i s a Monst er , and t her ef or e does not r un on
t he same r ul es as ever yone el se.
AmI sayi ng " Don' t use Li ght saber Resi st ant Mat er i al s f or
per f or mances" ? No. I ' mnot . I ' mmer el y sayi ng t hat you shoul d,
as al l t hi ngs st age combat , be mi ndf ul of what you' r e doi ng and
why. I t has t o be cl ear t o t he audi ence what i s goi ng on. Even
i f t hey don' t under st and t he why and how, t hey need t o know t he
what.

37
In Conclusion
"Remember... you are expressing the technique, not doing the
technique" - Bruce Lee
Ther e i s a cer t ai n appeal t o t he l i ght saber . I t i s a
f i ct i onal weapon, yes, but t her e i s somet hi ng about i t s desi gn
t hat makes i t so popul ar . I t s desi gn i s si mpl e. I t can be used
i n a myr i ad number of ways and can be modi f i ed i n sever al
di f f er ent f or ms whi l e st i l l mai nt ai ni ng i t s basi c shape and
f unct i on.
Whi l e i t i s si mpl e, i t i s i t s ver y nat ur e t hat makes i t
st and out : A beamof pur e ener gy t hat can cut t hr ough ( near l y)
ever yt hi ng. Thi s makes i t a di f f i cul t weapon t o use, maki ng t he
ones who can use i t a ver y r ar e br eed. Ther e i s al so somet hi ng
t o be sai d about t he symbol ogy of t he weapon. Obi - Wan st at es
t hat t he l i ght saber was a weapon f r oma mor e el egant t i me. Ever y
t i me i t i s empl oyed, i t symbol i zes a hi gher i deal of how
Sent i ent Bei ngs wer e t o handl e vi ol ence: Wi t h Honor and Di gni t y,
not wi t h t he r andomness and casual cal l ousness of r anged weapon.
The For ms ar e mer el y di f f er ent expr essi ons of t hi s
at t i t ude. How best t o use a weapon t hat can onl y be used by a
speci al br eed of peopl e? Of cour se, wi t h each per son, t her e ar e
di f f er ent i deas, wi t h di f f er ent i deas come di f f er ent ways of
physi cal l y expr essi ng t he use of t he weapon, hence, t he For ms.
I al so bel i eve t hat t her e i s a st or y bei ng t ol d by t he
Li ght saber For ms. That i s t he st or y of t he J edi bef or e t he Fal l
of t he Ol d Republ i c. The Weapon begi ns as a si ege weapon, but i n
t he hands of a r ag t ag gr oup of war r i or pr i est s, i t becomes a
per sonal weapon usi ng t hei r at t unement t o t he For ce and basi c
swor d t echni ques ( Shi i Cho) . Once t hey began t o under st and how
t o use t he weapon, i t became a mat t er of t i me bef or e t he var i ous
f act i ons st ar t ed usi ng i t on each ot her and per f ect i ng t hei r
means of combat ( Makashi ) .
Once t he f i ght i ng st opped and t he f act i ons wer e t hi nned
out , t he J edi ( and t he Si t h) t hen had t o cont end wi t h t he vast
maj or i t y of t he Gal axy and t hei r use of i nel egant , yet hi ghl y
ef f ect i ve bl ast er s ( Sor esu and At ar u) . Event ual l y, t hey began t o
t hi nk about how t hey empl oyed t he For ms, and deci ded t o i mpr ove
on t he ol d concept s ( Shi en and Dj emSo) . Fi nal l y, t hey began t o
move beyond t he concept of For ms, and began t o go by an i deal ,
and a Code ( Ni man) . Some even went f ur t her , r el yi ng on pur e
emot i on and i mpul se ( J uyo and Vaapad) . When i t r eached t hi s
poi nt t hat went beyond t he J edi ' s phi l osophy, change was
i nevi t abl e.

38
These f or ms ar e, l i ke t he weapon t hey wer e made f or , whol l y
f i ct i t i ous. They ar e based on const r uct s and i deas t hat at once
seemf ami l i ar t o us an audi ence, yet al i en by vi r t ue of t he
weapon used. As such, we wi sh t o emul at e what we see i n t he
f i l ms; t o t ap i nt o t he beaut i f ul vi ol ence t hat st r uck us and
count l ess ot her s wi t h awe. Thi s i s t he mai n goal of al l of t he
Saber Gr oups out t her e. Per f or mer s; Act or s; Dancer s; Mar t i al
Ar t i st s; Theat er Geeks; Geeks i n Gener al , Phot ogr apher s; Peopl e
who enj oy t he Phi l osophy of t he St ar War s Uni ver se; or any
combi nat i on t her ei n, we ar e al l her e because we want t o t ouch
t he l evel of under st andi ng of what i t was l i ke t o use t hi s
magni f i cent weapon.
Nat ur al l y, t hat l eads t o want i ng t o emul at e what we see i n
t he movi es and t he For ms. However , t he quest i on becomes: How do
we do t hat ? Many j ust f eel t hat what t hey see i n t he movi e ar e
t he For ms, no quest i ons asked. However , l et us l ook at t hi s f r om
a Mar t i al Per spect i ve: Her e we ar e, wat chi ng a gr oup of
swor dsmen, or swor dsmen i n t r ai ni ng, many of t hemhad st udi ed
sever al of t he For ms and empl oyed t hemt oget her i nt o one
bl ended, per sonal f or m.
Let ' s l ook at t he t wo mai n char act er s of t he Pr equel s: Obi -
Wan and Anaki n. Obi - Wan, when we f i r st see hi m, empl oys t he
acr obat i c At ar u l i ke hi s Mast er . Af t er Qui - Gon' s deat h, Obi - Wan
t akes on t he mor e def ensi ve For mof Sor esu. Thi s doesn' t mean he
has eschewed al l of hi s At ar u, as he st i l l mai nt ai ns t he f ast
f l our i shes he di d i n hi s yout h. Anaki n i s t he wor st per pet r at or
i n t hi s r egar d. Hi s mai n For mi s For mV, however , he i s on
r ecor d i n empl oyi ng al l t he For ms at one poi nt or anot her as
suppl ement s t o t he shor t comi ngs of Dj emSo. You can see t he
At ar u of hi s Mast er and hi s Her o ( Qui - Gon) seep i n dur i ng hi s
yout h, but t hen when he become Vader , t he mor e aggr essi ve,
combat i ve Makashi and J uyo become mor e pr eval ent . Al so keep i n
mi nd, t hat ever y J edi ( and ar guabl y ever y Si t h; t he t wo wer e
connect ed by t hei r weapons) wer e t aught Shi i Cho f r omt he ver y
st ar t .
Then you have t he ot her User s who r el y on For ms t hat pr i ze
adapt abi l i t y and co- mi ngl i ng wi t h ot her For ms. Dooku' s For mI I
made i t a poi nt of adapt i ng t o sui t t he user ' s needs. Maul ' s use
of For mVI and VI I al l r equi r ed mast er y of sever al of t he For ms,
i f not al l of t hem, and t he abi l i t y t o deci de when t o use what
wher e i n spl i t second deci si ons. The Gr eat est of t hemAl l was
Si di ous, who i s est i mat ed t o have Mast er all Seven For ms.
So, i t ' s sad t o say, one cannot l ook t o any speci f i c
char act er i n t he movi es and say " Thi s i s t hat For m" . I n

39
devel opi ng t hese For ms, we have t o wor k backwar ds: We need t o
l ook at t he sour ce mat er i al , t he concept and t he i deas of t he
For ms, and wor k our ways up. Thi s means Wooki epedi a and t he
var i ous st or i es and novel s f or descr i pt i ons. When you have
devel oped somet hi ng, and you l ook at t he movi es and you can see
t he si mi l ar i t i es ( t hough not necessar i l y t he exact same moves)
t hen you have achi eved somet hi ng.
Af t er l ooki ng back at t hi s col l ect i on of paper s, I shoul d
make some t hi ngs cl ear when I say somet hi ng l i ke " Kat a" or
" Gr oup For m" . When I mean Kat a, I amsayi ng t hat i t i s an
i ndi vi dual member s expr essi on of t hei r swor d wor k. We i n t he
Communi t y r ef er t o t hemas Sol o For ms. A Gr oup For m, on t he
ot her hand, i s meant t o t each speci f i c t echni ques t o t he gr oup.
The Shi i Cho t hat Damon Honeycut t devel oped was a Gr oup For m,
meant as an i nst r uct i onal t ool t hat showed t he t echni que and
cor e bel i ef s of what he f el t was For mI . On t he ot her hand, Mi ke
Zhang' s Sor esu Gr oup For mcomes f r omhi s per sonal Kat a or Sol o
For m. Sever al aspect s wer e l essened f or gener al consumpt i on. The
di f f er ence l i es i n what t he pur pose of t he demonst r at i on i s:
per f or mance or i nst r uct i on. The quot e at t he begi nni ng of t hi s
sect i on l ays i t out st r ai ght , i n t he end, you ar e expr essi ng t he
t echni que, not doi ng i t . A sol o f or mi s meant t o expr ess, a
gr oup f or mi s meant t o do and l ear n.
The one t hi ng t hat I f eel many do not consi der i n t hei r
devel opment i s t he weaknesses and l i mi t at i ons of each For m. I t
i s count er i nt ui t i ve t o bui l d a For mwi t h a weakness i n mi nd. We
al l want t o bui l d a per f ect For m. However , i t i s t he
i mper f ect i ons t hat def i ne a t hi ng, not t he per f ect i ons. These
wi l l st op f r omFor ms bl eedi ng i nt o each ot her and cr eat i ng one
gi ant mess. Or , i f we' r e ver y, very l ucky, a ver si on of Ni man or
J uyo.
Ther e i s one f i nal t hi ng t o keep i n mi nd; I sai d i t
ear l i er , t hese For ms ar e not r eal . They ar e concept s,
phi l osophi es, i deas al l r evol vi ng ar ound a weapon t hat i s i t sel f
not r eal . Ever yone who r eads t hese descr i pt i ons on Wooki epedi a,
on some communi t y boar d, or t he r avi ngs of t hi s paper ar e goi ng
t o see somet hi ng di f f er ent t han someone el se. We f i l l i n new
i nf or mat i on wi t h t he i nf or mat i on we al r eady have, and bui l d f r om
t her e. The For ms t hat exi st t oday ar e not wr i t t en i n st one, even
t he ones most of us agr ee upon. Your mi l eage may var y, your
i magi nat i on i s i n t he dr i ver seat , and- above al l el se- enj oy t he
r i de.
- Craig Page