KMC Forums - Lightsaber styles help

quote: (post)
Originally posted by Darth_Nihilus86
All the known styles are:

Shii Cho- Oldest and most ancient form of lightsaber combat.
Makashi- Elegant style of fencing created to combat single force user, Notable User: Count Dooku
Soresu- Primarily a defensive style with emphasis on deflecting blaster bolts a style taught heavily to padawans, Notable User- Obi Wan Kenobi
Ataru- Acrobatic style used to combat a mighty single foe, Notable User: Yoda.
Shien- Style created to combat multiple surrounding enemies, Notable User: Anakin Skywalker.
Niman- A well balanced style good for most situations taught to Jedi master watchmen, Notable User: Ulic Qel Droma.
Juyo- A chaotic lightsaber form that is describes as a complete release to the force. A style which is only known to the highest masters of the order created to combat a lightsaber wielder.
Vaapad- Style created and used only by Mace Windu named after a creature on the moons of Sarapin. A vaapad which is a vicious predator with multiple tentacles that strike at blinding speed is what represents Windu's ferocity and lightsaber style of combat.

A gross simplification that fails to touch on certain points.

Try this:

Shii-Cho (Form I): Derived from ancient swordfighting techniques from before the invention of lightsabers, Shii-Cho is simple in in simplicity is its strength. It focuses on the bare bones of sparring, such as parrying, attack zones, etc. Jedi are taught this form early in their lives, although few aspire to master it (One notable exception being Kit Fisto)

Makashi (Form II): This is the refinement of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat at its pinncale, taking full use of the blade while minimizing effort and overreaching. Masters of Makashi are deadly foes indeed, able to either press the advantage or maintain a steady defense. However, since Makashi predates the widespread use of blasters and rifles, it has little to no emphasis on blaster bolt reflection.

Soresu (Form III): Developed by the Jedi in response to the growing number of blasters available to non-Force using enemies, Soresu relies on efficient movements to deflect blaster bolts while maintaining a solid defense for melee as well. Jedi who follow Soresu throughout their lives maintain that the style is in accord with the Jedi code (being more passive than aggressive) and that it leads to perfection in motion. While Soresu masters are rumored to be near-invincible, they are at a loss for taking the initiative due to their form's limitations.

Ataru (Form IV): A fluid and acrobatic style, Ataru relies on flips, spins, and jump attacks to assailt the enemy with a flurry of blades. This form in particular relies heavily on the Force to aid the movements and strikes of the user, and thus is a very demanding form. Ataru is an aggressive form, where there maxim "The best defense is a strong offense" reigns supreme. However, the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn showed Ataru's prime weakness when his guard was pierced by a swifter opponent. Ataru users must be hard to hit as well as deceptive, as Master Yoda demonstrates on several occassions.

Shien/Djem So (Form V): This form was developed by those who felt Soresu was too passive and Ataru too reckless. The style relies on wide swings, with emphasis on blaster bolt reflection instead of deflection, and of pressing the attack instead of fighting defensively. Overall, Shien is a solid style, but the philosophy behind it seems too aggressive for many older, conservative Jedi.

Niman (Form VI): The so-called "Diplomat's Style", Niman is nothing more than a basic training in all the other styles save for Makashi and Juyo. This was especially practiced in the Pax Republica era following the Battle of Ruusan, when full-scale wars were pretty seldom and the need for heavy lightsaber training was deemed unimportant. Thus, it allowed the jedi more time to focus on diplomacy and meditation and less time on combat training. Niman starts after the regular training in Shii-Cho, and the jedi then practices all the forms (again, except for II and VII) for about a year or two a piece. As a result of this lax training, most if not all the Niman users who fought at Geonosis died in combat with battle droids.

Juyo/Vaapad (Form VII): Juyo in itself was a style practiced by Jedi weaponsmasters of all sorts, since the style itself can only be effectively learned after mastering at least two to three other styles. As a result, Juyo masters were practically unheard of in most cases in the modern era. Juyo in itself relies on open, kinetic movements mixed in with some tight, close and controlled strikes. Overall the form is very unorthodox and wild, with motions connecting but very unpredictable, making Juyo practitioners surprising foes. Vaapad, created due to the efforts of Sora Bulq and Mace Windu, is an added twist to the philosophy behind Juyo itself, and it is said to complete the form, though at a tremendous cost to the user. Vaapad, named for a wild, incredibly fast beast with multiple tentacles, uses the practitioner's supressed emotions to channel untapped energy into the already unpredictable style. Thus a Vaapad user flirts with the darkside in doing so, making it a dangerous style to use, both to practitioners and opponents. A Vaapad user msut be strong of will, and maintain a harmonious mindset at all times or risk falling to the darkside. Sora Bulq and Depa Bilaba, Mace's apprentice, both fell to the darkside through use of Vaapad, and one can argue that Mace's actions on his final day, as he sought to slay Sidious, were more fueled by the darkside than a respect for redemption. A side note here- the misconception is that Vaapad in itself is the ultimate style for saber-to-saber combat. It should be noted that while Juyo/Vaapad users are exceptional at balster bolt deflection and aggressive manuevers, they do not have the refinement of a Makashi master and, of course, fight completely different. Point being, any one of these styles (Except for the shoddy Niman) can be used effectively and to overcome an opponent if used properly against the right foe.