Post by lord hitsugaya on Sept 6, 2009 10:58:12 GMT -5
Since the birth of the Jedi, seven ways of lightsaber fighting have been developed. Each expressing the personallity of its user. Each of the seven forms, as they are called, has its own respective merits. And they are still all in use.
Damage or destroy weapon (sun djem)
The early Form I users tried to gain victory by destroying the opponents weapon. This way they won without causing injury.When Form II arose, it became almost impossible to destroy the other's weapon, since they trained intensly to against having their weapons taken or damaged.
Wound (shiim)
Any wound caused by the edge of the lightsaber is called shiim. It is considered inferior to othermarks of contact that are more decisive to the battle's end. When it occurs, it is seen as an expression of a struggle against powerfull opponent.
Stab (shiak)
This mark of contact is considered to be an honorable method of inflicting a serious injury, because it is less visible. Thus shiak expresses respect for an opponent and the living Force. Even when it is the fatal blow.
Cut off weapon hand (cho mai)
Chomai immediately makes that the opponent can no longer use his weapon,but does not kill him. It is a preferred Jedi move. The precision of cutting off only a hand is considered the mark of a superior lightsaber master.Many Jedi stop at this mark, not willing to kill their opponent.
Cut off weapon arm (cho sun)
Cutting of an entire weapon arm lacks the precision of a cho mai, but is often necessary when under surpise attack, or when no chances can be taken.
Otherwise maim (cho mok)
This is cutting off an opponents leg or other limb, or by non-humans, an other appendage.
Behead (sai cha)
Derived from the ancient words for "separate" and "head". It is only used by Jedi when the battle is at it's most deadly serious and threatening.
Cut body in half (sai tok)
Jedi see the bisection of a living opponent's body a form of butchery and try to avoid this.They use this extreme form mostly on battle droids.Saitok represents a Sith-like desire to destroy the enemy. The goal of a Jedi in battle is an inner focus on defeating the danger of the opponent, rather than wishing destruction upon them.
Form I:
When lightsabers first replaced the older, traditional swords of metal this form was created. It is based on the ancient sword-fighting traditions and the basics remain much the same. Attack, parry, body target zonesand practice drills, all stay almost exactly the same.
Form I is the first form a Padawan must study. Around the time of the Clone Wars Jedi Master Yoda teached the young clans this first form.
Form II:
With this second form, the art of lightsaber fighting was refined. The precision of blade manipulation was advanced to its finest possible degree. The greatest swords masters in the galaxy were trained in this form.But the form became less current, because fighting an opponent with a lightsaber was not common for a Jedi.On the other hand Sith Knights, who expect to battle the Jedi with their saber, train intensively in this form and find it a powerful technique.
Form III:
Form III is based on the laser blast deflection. When blasters became the most common weapon in the hand of evil doers, Jedi developed new means of defending themself. This form became a refined expression of their non-aggressive philosophy.Form III uses tight, efficient moves, leaving no target areas exposed compared to other, more open forms of wielding a saber.True form III masters are believed almost invincible. But as a side effect, this form isn't useful in attack.
Form IV:
Form IV is the most acrobatic form ever developed. In this form the Jedi uses the Force to go beyond what is physically possible. Jumps, spins and runs.The form is filled with elaborate moves in which the Jedi stands as the center of the blur formed by his lightsaber.
Form V:
This form is a developed by Jedi masters who found form III too passive.They turned the first only-defensive lightsaber moves into block and attack moves.The form focusses on strength and lightsaber moves. It turns the deflecting of a blaster bolt into an attack, by deliberately sending it back to the opponent.To many Jedi it represents the philosophy of "peace through superior firepower", and might seem a worthy discipline, prepared for any threath. Others think it is focussed on dominating other beings.
Form VI:
This form is a combination of form I, III, IV and V. Young Jedi spend their first years studying Form I and after that they learn the other forms in small periods. A true Form VI master studies at least ten years thisform after completing the first one.At the beginning of the Clone Wars, Form VI is the current standard for Jedi. It is the least intensive of all forms. It keeps the balance between true harmony and justice without resorting to the rule of power. It is seen as "the diplomat's form", because it allows Jedi to further develop their skills in perception, political strategy and negotiation.On Geonosis, most of the Form VI users were killed in battle
Form VII:
Only the highest skilled Jedi Masters ever reach form VII. It is the most difficult of all forms, but leads to fantastic skill and power.This form uses wide and open lightsaber moves, combined with Force-assisted jumps and movements. The unrelated, staccato swings make the form highly unpredictable in battle. But this is also what makes it a lot more difficult to execute, than the linked move sequences of Form IV.This form has the intensity of Form V, but uses more energy because of the wider moves. The outward bearing of a Form VII practitioner is calm,but the inner is extremely focussed, drawing upon a deeper well o femotion.This form is at the time of the Clone Wars still under development, as few Jedi have mastered it fully.
Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Sora Bulq developed this style together. It is also known as Vaapad. Named after a predator of Sarapin. This form is rather dangerous, when used by untrained and unfocussed minds. The deep well of emotions can lead to the release of anger. And trigger temptations towards the Dark Side.Jedi Master Depa Billaba was the first ever to master the form under the tutelage of Mace Windu. In the case of Sora Bulq it was the other way around: Vaapad mastered him. He fell to the Dark Side and joined Count Dooku.
Damage or destroy weapon (sun djem)
The early Form I users tried to gain victory by destroying the opponents weapon. This way they won without causing injury.When Form II arose, it became almost impossible to destroy the other's weapon, since they trained intensly to against having their weapons taken or damaged.
Wound (shiim)
Any wound caused by the edge of the lightsaber is called shiim. It is considered inferior to othermarks of contact that are more decisive to the battle's end. When it occurs, it is seen as an expression of a struggle against powerfull opponent.
Stab (shiak)
This mark of contact is considered to be an honorable method of inflicting a serious injury, because it is less visible. Thus shiak expresses respect for an opponent and the living Force. Even when it is the fatal blow.
Cut off weapon hand (cho mai)
Chomai immediately makes that the opponent can no longer use his weapon,but does not kill him. It is a preferred Jedi move. The precision of cutting off only a hand is considered the mark of a superior lightsaber master.Many Jedi stop at this mark, not willing to kill their opponent.
Cut off weapon arm (cho sun)
Cutting of an entire weapon arm lacks the precision of a cho mai, but is often necessary when under surpise attack, or when no chances can be taken.
Otherwise maim (cho mok)
This is cutting off an opponents leg or other limb, or by non-humans, an other appendage.
Behead (sai cha)
Derived from the ancient words for "separate" and "head". It is only used by Jedi when the battle is at it's most deadly serious and threatening.
Cut body in half (sai tok)
Jedi see the bisection of a living opponent's body a form of butchery and try to avoid this.They use this extreme form mostly on battle droids.Saitok represents a Sith-like desire to destroy the enemy. The goal of a Jedi in battle is an inner focus on defeating the danger of the opponent, rather than wishing destruction upon them.
Form I:
When lightsabers first replaced the older, traditional swords of metal this form was created. It is based on the ancient sword-fighting traditions and the basics remain much the same. Attack, parry, body target zonesand practice drills, all stay almost exactly the same.
Form I is the first form a Padawan must study. Around the time of the Clone Wars Jedi Master Yoda teached the young clans this first form.
Form II:
With this second form, the art of lightsaber fighting was refined. The precision of blade manipulation was advanced to its finest possible degree. The greatest swords masters in the galaxy were trained in this form.But the form became less current, because fighting an opponent with a lightsaber was not common for a Jedi.On the other hand Sith Knights, who expect to battle the Jedi with their saber, train intensively in this form and find it a powerful technique.
Form III:
Form III is based on the laser blast deflection. When blasters became the most common weapon in the hand of evil doers, Jedi developed new means of defending themself. This form became a refined expression of their non-aggressive philosophy.Form III uses tight, efficient moves, leaving no target areas exposed compared to other, more open forms of wielding a saber.True form III masters are believed almost invincible. But as a side effect, this form isn't useful in attack.
Form IV:
Form IV is the most acrobatic form ever developed. In this form the Jedi uses the Force to go beyond what is physically possible. Jumps, spins and runs.The form is filled with elaborate moves in which the Jedi stands as the center of the blur formed by his lightsaber.
Form V:
This form is a developed by Jedi masters who found form III too passive.They turned the first only-defensive lightsaber moves into block and attack moves.The form focusses on strength and lightsaber moves. It turns the deflecting of a blaster bolt into an attack, by deliberately sending it back to the opponent.To many Jedi it represents the philosophy of "peace through superior firepower", and might seem a worthy discipline, prepared for any threath. Others think it is focussed on dominating other beings.
Form VI:
This form is a combination of form I, III, IV and V. Young Jedi spend their first years studying Form I and after that they learn the other forms in small periods. A true Form VI master studies at least ten years thisform after completing the first one.At the beginning of the Clone Wars, Form VI is the current standard for Jedi. It is the least intensive of all forms. It keeps the balance between true harmony and justice without resorting to the rule of power. It is seen as "the diplomat's form", because it allows Jedi to further develop their skills in perception, political strategy and negotiation.On Geonosis, most of the Form VI users were killed in battle
Form VII:
Only the highest skilled Jedi Masters ever reach form VII. It is the most difficult of all forms, but leads to fantastic skill and power.This form uses wide and open lightsaber moves, combined with Force-assisted jumps and movements. The unrelated, staccato swings make the form highly unpredictable in battle. But this is also what makes it a lot more difficult to execute, than the linked move sequences of Form IV.This form has the intensity of Form V, but uses more energy because of the wider moves. The outward bearing of a Form VII practitioner is calm,but the inner is extremely focussed, drawing upon a deeper well o femotion.This form is at the time of the Clone Wars still under development, as few Jedi have mastered it fully.
Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Sora Bulq developed this style together. It is also known as Vaapad. Named after a predator of Sarapin. This form is rather dangerous, when used by untrained and unfocussed minds. The deep well of emotions can lead to the release of anger. And trigger temptations towards the Dark Side.Jedi Master Depa Billaba was the first ever to master the form under the tutelage of Mace Windu. In the case of Sora Bulq it was the other way around: Vaapad mastered him. He fell to the Dark Side and joined Count Dooku.