Lightsaber combat is also known as Jedi combat, it refers to different martial arts styles used for fighting with lightsabers, these fighting forms were needed to deal with the unique features of lightsabers like the strange balance of the weapon (all the weight is in the hilt) and the ability to cut in any direction.
The most well-known lightsaber combat styles were the seven forms of the Jedi Order, but other groups also developed their own styles and methods like the Sith-made Dun Möch technique.
The different forms had their own focuses and techniques based on when they were created, for example Makashi was made when lightsaber duels were common, while Soresu was for fighting opponents with blasters instead of lightsabers.
Overview
Mastering the Lightsaber
Over thousands of years since the lightsaber’s creation,” lightsaber combat” developed into seven classic forms and numerous other styles, mastering lightsaber combat was difficult for several reasons, one being that all the weight was in the hilt.
It was said that only a Force-sensitive person could fully master lightsaber combat, though some great non-Force sensitives like Pre Vizsla and General Grievous existed.
All seven traditional lightsaber forms included basic techniques from ancient sword-fighting like defensive postures, overhead strikes, parries and counters. A riposte was a technique where the user struck after deflecting or blocking an attack.
Versatility of the Lightsaber
The lightsaber was very useful because it was so light and could cut in any direction, it could be used with one hand or two hands.
The Jedi were trained to use the Force to connect themselves and their lightsaber, through this Force connection, the blade felt like part of their body moving by instinct. The Jedi’s strong Force abilities gave them better than normal agility and reflexes when they use the lightsaber.
Lightsaber Dueling
Early in the weapon’s history when the Sith were numerous, the art of lightsaber dueling flourished. Later, Jedi rarely faced opponents with weapons capable of deflecting a lightsaber.
Two-handed slashes were common due to the need for momentum to cut through solid objects. A stronger swing allowed the blade to cut faster and more easily.
When two lightsaber blades clashed, the repelling forces made the blades appear solid, the field causing the energy to arc back into the hilt created some gyroscopic effects, easily controlled by trained Force users but problematic for untrained individuals.
Origins of Lightsaber Forms
When lightsabers became viable weapons and standard for the Jedi Order around 7000 BBY, a combat form was needed to account for the weapon’s abilities and weaknesses, even though it shared principles with fencing.
Form I (Shii-Cho) was a simplified style based on old fencing concepts, defining the types of attacks, parries, body zones and practice drills usable with lightsabers.
As Dark Jedi arose, lightsaber duels became routine and Shii-Cho was inadequate for lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat, this led to Form II (Makashi), a precise dueling style, Makashi’s prevalence in this era produced many of the greatest dueling masters ever like Tulak Hord.
Makashi became partially obsolete due to increased blaster usage, so Form III (Soresu) was created emphasizing defensive coverage with tight, efficient moves. A Soresu master was considered invincible by many, though the form was criticized for focusing too much on defense over offense.
To answer Soresu’s weaknesses, Form IV (Ataru) focused on speed and agility, while Form V (Shien) emphasized strength and attack moves exploiting lightsaber deflection of blaster bolts by intentionally deflecting shots towards opponents.
Later, an advanced Form V variant called Djem So was made focused on aggressive lightsaber dueling.
While effective, Forms IV and V were too aggressive for conservative Jedi, So Form VI (Niman) was created balancing the other forms’ focuses with overall moderation, in line with Jedi philosophy. Niman became known as the “diplomat’s form”.
By the First Jedi Purge, Form VII (Juyo) had emerged, an extremely aggressive style requiring mastery of multiple forms, bordering on the Sith intensity of combat focus.
After the Purge, only a few like Jedi Masters Vrook Lamar, Zez-Kai Ell, Kavar and Atris practiced the partially developed Juyo form.
Lightsaber Combat During The Sith Resurgence
New Combat Forms Emerge
With the return of the old Sith Empire during the Great Galactic War, the Jedi once again faced their bitter enemy widely, the Sith Lords maintained full access to the traditional lightsaber forms during this time.
Notable Sith practitioners included the Emperor’s Wrath Scourge, studying Forms VII, IV, and III. The Sith likely also developed new combat styles of their own, though few records exist.
The Jedi responded by refining the lethal Form VII (Juyo) into Juyo-Kos to meet the demands of frequent brutal Jedi-Sith engagements.
Notable Duelists
Impressive duelists of this era included:
- Jaric Kaedan, a Juyo-Kos master
- Orgus Din, highly skilled despite a weak Force aptitude
- Vindican and Malgus, the first Sith to cross blades with Jedi in centuries
- Kas’im, a Twi’lek lightsaber instructor whose students included Darth Bane
Bane considered Kas’im potentially the greatest duelist ever, only defeating him due to superior Force mastery.
Lightsaber Dueling After the Ruusan Reforms
Decline of Duelists
After the Battle of Ruusan defeated most Sith, Jedi lightsaber combat changed radically, dueling styles like Makashi became obsolete due to lack of lightsaber-wielding opponents, double-bladed sabers were also rarely seen in real combat by 32 BBY.
New Grand Masters
However, this period produced greats like:
- Yoda, a master of all 7 forms who specialized in the acrobatic Ataru
- Dooku, stubbornly clinging to Makashi despite its lack of use
- Mace Windu, developing the Vaapad variant of the lethal Juyo
Windu’s Vaapad was extremely dangerous, allowing a Jedi to channel their own fury and the enemy’s aggression in combat.
Among the Sith, Darth Sidious’ apprentice Darth Maul was exceptionally skilled, mastering corrupt Juyo and the double-bladed saber to defeat many Jedi.
Evolution of Lightsaber Combat During the Clone Wars
The Clone Wars brought significant changes to lightsaber combat, the Jedi’s traditional fighting styles were not effective on the battlefield, which led to the development of specialized combat forms, all practitioners of the Niman form perished in the Battle of Geonosis.
Count Dooku “the Sith Lord” recruited skilled duelists like Asajj Ventress and trained the cyborg Grievous in lightsaber combat, Grievous became a notorious Jedi hunter, he defeated many skilled warriors like Shaak Ti and Eeth Koth.
Many great duelists including Sora Bulq and Depa Billaba were killed during the war leaving Mace Windu as the last master of the Vaapad form, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi emerged as exceptional duelists, with Skywalker praised for his Djem So skills and Kenobi recognized as the master of Soresu.
In a confrontation with Darth Sidious (Chancellor Palpatine), Mace Windu’s Vaapad form initially gained the upper hand, but Anakin Skywalker intervened, whuch led to Windu’s death. Skywalker (now Darth Vader) led the attack on the Jedi Temple, he defeated many Jedi including the swordmaster Cin Drallig.
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s mastery of Soresu allowed him to hold his own against Vader’s relentless offense in their iconic duel on Mustafar, ultimately defeating Vader.
Realizing they could not defeat the Sith through combat alone, Kenobi and Yoda went into hiding on Tatooine and Dagobah respectively.
Progress in Lightsaber Combat During The Great Jedi Purge
After the Jedi Order was destroyed, development of new lightsaber combat styles slowed down, the Sith took the lead in this area, though records of the old Jedi forms still survived.
Darth Vader had to adjust his lightsaber technique because of the heavy armor he wore, his fighting style combined elements from different combat forms relying on brute strength and precision rather than acrobatics, this made Vader extremely skilled at killing the remaining Jedi.
Vader’s apprentices like Starkiller and Kharys also became very proficient duelists. Starkiller used reverse grips and could defeat top fighters like Vader himself, though he ultimately failed against Palpatine.
During this era, the Emperor’s Shadow Guards and Saber Guards emerged as elite fighters, favoring weapons like lightsaber pikes and reverse grips. Though formidable, they struggled against true Jedi masters.
Luke Skywalker proved to be a lightsaber prodigy, with minimal training he became highly skilled at deflecting blaster bolts, within months he could beat experienced duelists.
Luke’s style combined his instinctual talents with elements from Vader’s personalized form, as well as Ataru and Soresu teachings from Yoda. Just a year after dueling Vader, Luke defeated his father through the ferocity of his technique.
Jedi Order Rebirth
Rebuilding From Scratch
Luke was helped by Kam Solusar (which was trained by Palpatine’s elite) and Corran Horn (a former CorSec officer) to rebuild the Jedi , with much knowledge lost they had to start over by creating 3 new forms:
- The Strong style: focused on strength and offense
- The Fast style: prioritized speed and deflection
- The Medium style: balanced the other two styles
New Masters Emerge
One of Luke’s finest students, Kyle Katarn, mastered all 3 new styles and the rediscovered Djem So, becoming a Battlemaster.
Over 150 years, the old forms saw few major changes as new masters like the Imperial Knights’ peerless duelists arose, blending teamwork styles with the classics.
Basic Lightsaber Moves and Maneuvers
Body Target Zones
Lightsaber combat basics were established by Form I (Shii-Cho), the first form developed for lightsaber training, attacks and parries target different body zones:
Zone 1: Head
- Vertical chop aiming to bisect the opponent vertically
- Parried by a horizontal block
Zone 2: Right Arm/Side
- Horizontal sideswipe
- Parried by a vertical block
Zone 3: Left Arm/Side
- Same as Zone 2 but reversed for left-hand dominance
Zone 4: Back
- Strikes to the back/midsection are usually fatal
- Parried by an angled downward block behind the back
Zones 5/6: Legs
- Low sideswipes or slashes
- Parried by downward angled blocks
The Three Rings of Defense
Outer Ring
- Long range with wide, powerful strikes
- Four diagonal guard positions
Middle Ring
- For intercepting quicker blows and deflecting blaster shots
- Horizontal and vertical guards
Inner Ring
- Last defense against lunging attacks
- Single guard position covering the navel
- Parries by angling the blade’s tip to deflect strikes
Marks of Contact
These define the objectives and potential outcomes in lightsaber duels:
- Sun djem: Disarming the opponent
- Shiim: Minor wounding
- Cho mai: Amputating hand
- Cho sun: Amputating arm
- Cho mok: Amputating limb
- Shiak: Stabbing
- Sai cha: Decapitation
- Sai tok: Vertically bisecting
- Mou kei: Dismemberment through circular slashes
Ready Stances
Jedi Ready
- Dominant foot back, blade in vertical parry on dominant side
Defensive Neutral
- Feet even, blade in dominant side parry for deflection
Offensive Neutral
- Feet even, blade pointed at opponent
Center of Being
- Lightsaber held horizontally below the chin
Moves and Maneuvers
- Jung: 180 degree turn
- Jung ma: 360 spin to build momentum
- Shun: 360 one-handed spin
- Sai: Leap over low leg attacks
- Flowing Water: Follow opponent’s blade withdraw
- Falling Leaf: Spin and slash behind
- Dulon: Fast slashing attack from hilt position
- Kai-kan: Reenacting prior duels
Form-Specific Techniques
Here are the moves and maneuvers concerning the seven forms of lightsaber combat.
Form I: Shii-Cho
- Disarming Slash
- Sarlacc Sweep
Form II: Makashi
- Contentious Opportunity
- Makashi Riposte
Form III: Soresu
- Circle of Shelter
- Deflecting Slash
Form IV: Ataru
- Hawk-Bat Swoop
- Saber Swarm
Form V: Shien / Djem So
- Barrier of Blades
- Falling Avalanche
- Fluid Riposte
- Shien Deflection
Form VI: Niman
- Draw Closer
- Pushing Slash
Form VII: Juyo / Vaapad
- Assured Strike
- Vornskr’s Ferocity
- Swift Flank
- Tempered Aggression
Sokan
- High Ground Defense
- Unhindered Charge
Jar’Kai
- Twin Strike
- Rising Whirlwind
Tràkata
- Pass The Blade
- Unbalancing Block
- Flash Slash
Trispzest
- Spinning attack
Lightsaber Training Methods
The Jedi Approach
Most lightsaber training regimens were devised by the Jedi Order, with other groups adapting elements, many basics came from Form I (Shii-Cho) used as an introductory tutorial form.
To teach Force-attunement over physical senses, beginning Shii-Cho deflection training used blindfolds, forcing initiates to rely on instincts.
Later stages utilized sequences and velocities and repeated patterns to make moves reflexive.
Training Sequences
Sequences were choreographed series of attacks and parries, flowed together smoothly for applied combat situations.
Each lightsaber form had its own sequences, numbering in the hundreds. Some duelists felt using full sequences was superior to individual techniques, being faster and more fluid.
Sparring
Sparring matches provided novices a chance to test skills against opponents and learn from mistakes. Veteran duelists also sparred frequently to prevent skills from deteriorating.
While typically freeform, some sparring matches followed strict rules to cultivate specific skills like timing or consistency.
Specialized Sparring
- Dulon: Solo training against imagined foes
- Velocities: Accelerating exchange of set sequences
- Twin Suns: Leaping force-powered mid-air clash
- Faalo’s Cadences: Strike ball bearings without touching candles
The Jedi Trials
The Trial of Skill was one of the oldest tests for potential Jedi Knights. It evaluated:
- Lightsaber technique and combat prowess
- Ability to avoid distraction through discipline
Trials could involve acrobatics, levitating objects amid chaos or facing Live/simulated opponents and Sith Lords to test stamina.
Individual Forms Of Lightsaber Combat
Seven Forms Of The Jedi Order
Here are the main points concerning the seven forms of lightsaber combat.
Form I: Shii-Cho
- The first and most basic form
- Wide, sweeping attacks and parries
- Designed to fight multiple opponents
- Encouraged emotional mindset, requiring restraint
Form II: Makashi
- The ultimate dueling form
- Precise fencing/swordsmanship style
- Focused on disarming through blade mastery
- Often used specialized curved-hilt sabers
Form III: Soresu
- Most defensive form
- Tight moves and subtle dodges
- Optimized for ranged blast-deflection
- Prolonged battles of observation and control
Form IV: Ataru
- Aggressive acrobatic form
- Uses Force for amazing athletics and speed
- Incorporating somersaults, cartwheels, spinning attacks
Form V: Shien/Djem So
- Shien focused on blaster-bolt defense
- Djem So for offensive lightsaber dueling
- Powerful strikes and kinetic blows
Form VI: Niman
- The “diplomat’s form”
- Balanced mixture of other styles
- Broad generalization requiring improvisation
Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad
- The most vicious and lethal form
- Seemingly chaotic and unpredictable
- Drawing power from darkness
- Vaapad pushed user toward the Dark Side
Three Forms of the New Jedi Order
Strong Style
The strong style is based on powerful strikes to break through an opponent’s defense, it covers great distance and has unmatched power but it leaves the user open to attacks, this style causes more damage than many other styles, its range and power make it effective against single opponents with melee weapons.
In lightsaber duels, the powerful strikes can break through blocks easily, if a lightsaber lock occurs, the user can usually win by ripping away the opponent’s blade.
The style is weak against blaster fire since the user has to shift the blade a lot to cover their body.
Fast Style
The fast style consists of short and quick motions with the blade that can be chained together indefinitely, it allows for multiple attacks at an extremely fast pace, its advantage is efficiency in one-on-one combat against slower opponents or multiple opponents without melee weapons, especially when combined with Force speed, it provides the best defense against blaster fire among all styles. In lightsaber combat, it is a powerful defensive technique against multiple or single stronger opponents.
However, its fast strikes limit the power of the blows making them easy to parry or overpower, its range is short making it less effective against multiple widespread opponents, its defenses can be broken through if the opponent is much more physically powerful.
Medium Style
The medium style is an intermediate style between the fast and strong styles, it has a balance of speed and power.
It is frequently taught first to new students learning lightsaber combat, its techniques are basic but more advanced and powerful styles can be developed from this foundation.
The simplicity of the medium style is both an advantage and a disadvantage, it provides decent offense and defense capabilities and users can deflect blaster bolts and fend off less-skilled duelists, the downside is that highly skilled gunfighters or talented swordsmen can relatively easily overcome the medium style’s defenses and strike through its attacks.
Other Fighting Forms and Styles
Unorthodox and Hybrid Fighting Methods
There were many fighting styles that existed alongside the classic Jedi forms, adopted by individual Jedi duelists, Jedi were encouraged to develop hybrid fighting forms or study alternate fighting styles to back up their primary style, but some duelists discouraged hybrid methods, they believed that mastering a single form was better than attempting to master multiple forms.
Trispzest
Trispzest combines parts of Form VII lightsaber combat and traditional S’kytri aerial fighting styles, it was created for fighting with a lightsaber while flying or airborne, this allowed users to take advantage of being in the air against opponents on the ground. The sai cha technique of decapitating grounded enemies was heavily emphasized.
However, a major weakness of Trispzest was that users were vulnerable to attacks coming from below them while airborne.
Tràkata
The Tràkata style was based on turning a lightsaber on and off during combat, this allowed users to get past an opponent’s defense or trick them into overextending their attacks, it focused on practical fighting and deception, rather than the determined, straightforward tactics traditionally used by Jedi and Sith.
Sokan
Sokan was a principle of lightsaber combat, rather than a true form, it revolved around using the environment itself to gain a tactical advantage in combat, it was based on out-maneuvering opponents using quick tumbling and jumping movements to close the distance and facilitate swift strokes towards vital areas.
Mounted Lightsaber Combat
In this type of combat, the duelist was limited to fighting one-handed, as the other hand was needed for steering the mount, attacks while mounted typically consisted of low lunges and diagonal slashes and arcs, the advantages were the high vantage-point and speed offered by the mount, but the duelist had to devote effort towards protecting and controlling the mount.
Telekinetic Lightsaber Combat
Telekinetic lightsaber combat was the art of wielding one’s lightsaber with Force-based telekinesis, it was extremely difficult but the primary advantages were that range ceased to be an issue, and the option of wielding numerous lightsabers simultaneously became viable.
Dun Möch
Dun Möch was a traditional Sith tactic based around psychological warfare, the practitioner relied on taunts that exposed an opponent’s inner doubts and weaknesses disrupting their concentration.
“Form Zero”
“Form Zero” was not an actual form of lightsaber combat, but rather an ethical principle, it was the idea that a Jedi should know when to use their lightsaber and when to withhold from resorting to force and instead find an alternative means of solving a problem.
Lus-ma
Lus-ma was an obscure lightsaber technique that Count Dooku trained Grievous and his IG-100 MagnaGuards in. Beyond the fact that one of these initiates used Lus-ma to counter a Soresu move, not much is known about the style.
Su ma
Su ma was the use of rotation in the Jedi Knight’s form of lightsaber combat, it was composed of three forms: ton su ma (the use of somersaults in combat), en su ma (the use of cartwheels in combat) and jung su ma (spinning).
Jar’Kai (Dual-Blade) Combat
The Jar’Kai style was developed by the Yovshin Swordsmen for dual-wielding blades, it allowed for a strong offense as the speed of two blades could overwhelm opponents.
A common tactic was to attack with one blade while using the other for defense or using both blades offensively in a continuous assault, Jar’Kai could be adapted to other styles like Asajj Ventress applying Makashi techniques to her practice of Jar’Kai.
Double-Bladed Lightsaber Combat
The main reason for the double-bladed lightsaber was to allow faster attacks without much movement, the two blades also made for a strong defense with the longer length giving more area to block and deflect attacks.
However, special training was needed because trying to use it without proper skill could lead to injuring oneself, the techniques that could be used were limited as the second blade made many fighting positions and movements impossible or awkward to perform.
Lightsaber Pike Combat
The lightsaber pike allowed for vastly increased range due to the long shaft the lightsaber was mounted on, the shaft provided advantages like improved leverage for powerful strikes and could be used defensively to block strikes.
However, the pike made many positions and movements awkward or impossible to execute and required open space to wield properly.
Lightwhip Combat
The lightwhip was an unusual weapon that most duelists were not familiar with, this gave lightwhip users an advantage of surprise, the lightwhip had a very long reach allowing attacks from far away, its flexible energy strand could bend around an opponent’s blade when they tried to block. If the lightwhip had multiple strands, it could attack from multiple angles and overwhelm the opponent’s defense.
However, the lightwhip blade was hard to control and not as strong as a regular lightsaber blade, and the wielder had to swing the whip in wide arcs to build up force leaving them open to attacks.
Unarmed Combat
As lightsaber combat forms were fully developed martial arts, unarmed combat training was standard, many species and cultures developed their own unarmed martial arts that could be applied with or without a lightsaber, physical attacks were regularly applied in duels to disorient opponents before a finishing attack, fights could degenerate into brawls if both opponents were disarmed, with some fighters augmenting their strength with the Force to unleash devastating blows.
