Form I: Shii-Cho, also known as The Way of the Sarlacc, or The Determination Form, was the first of the seven forms of lightsaber combat.
As the weapons technology of the lightsaber was developed, the need for a form of combat arose. Thus Form I, also called Way of the Sarlacc, was born. Shii-Cho was the most ancient style of lightsaber combat, developed by early Jedi Masters during the transition from metal swords to lightsabers, to incorporate key principles of ancient sword-fighting traditions. Existing as the simplest form even four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, Shii-Cho was among the many forms known to the Jedi, including Kreia and the Jedi Exile. Due to its simplicity, it was often the first form taught, so almost all lightsaber duelists included some aspect of Shii-Cho in their swordplay.
Form I was born thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin, when contained beams of energy replaced metal swords. This fighting form is really an extension of the traditional metal bladed techniques it was created from, with its basics of attacks, parries, body target zones and practice drills, and the principles of blade contact remained essentially the same.
Form I was said to allow focus and a slightly improved chance of connecting with the opponent. Because the ancient Jedi did not have lightsaber-wielding enemies, Form I was not developed with lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat in mind. Nonetheless, because of its few advantages and disadvantages, Shii-Cho was an effective form to fall back on when no other form would do to suit the current combat situation.
Known Moves and Maneuvers
Form I, like its succeeding forms, included the following basic techniques and concepts:
attack, a set of attacks aimed at different body zones
parry, a set of blocks to thwart any attack in the specified body zones
body target zone
(1 - head, 2 - right arm and side, 3 - left arm and side, 4 - back, 5 - right leg, 6 - left leg)
training drills called velocities
Shii-Cho philosophy emphasized victory without injury and as such, the sun djem mark of contact was traditionally employed by Form I Practitioners. Keeping with the use of sun djem, one of the attacks utilized by Form I practitioners was referred to as the "Disarming Slash". This attack consisted of a strike directed towards the opponent's weapon with the intent to rip it out of their grasp. Another of the techniques utilized by Shii-Cho was dubbed the "Sarlacc Sweep", a wide sweeping attack in which the duelist strikes out against multiple enemies
Form II: Makashi, also known as The Way of the Ysalamiri, or The Contention Form, was the second form of the seven forms of lightsaber combat.
After Form I's proliferation as a lightsaber combat technique, Form II came about as a means of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. It was described as being very elegant, powerful, and requiring extreme precision, allowing the user to attack and defend with minimal effort, while his opponents tired themselves out. Practitioners often wielded the blade one-handed for greater range of movement and fluidity. The form relied on parries, thrusts, and small, precise cuts—as opposed to the blocking and slashing of the other forms. Form II countered sun djem, the goal of early Form I masters, by being well trained in prevention of disarming and weapon destruction.
Form II emphasized fluid motion and anticipation of a weapon being swung at its target, and so required very fluid movements of both the blade and the bodyThe footwork of Makashi practitioners followed a single line, front and back, shifting the feet to keep in perfect balance as the practitioner attacked and retreated. Makashi was a style based on balance, on back-and-forth charges, thrusts, and sudden retreats. Elegance, gallantry, enchantment, finesse, artfulness, and economy were the core of Makashi.
Despite its effectiveness, Form II was not without its weaknesses. Among the first of these was the fact that it was somewhat harder to deflect blaster shots with this style. Makashi was developed before blasters had become common place in the galaxy, and Form II training taught its practitioners to defend solely against blades. Skilled users could overcome this obstacle with minimal effort, however.
Another drawback was that Makashi was most potent when used against a single opponent, and therefore was reduced in strength when fighting groups of adversaries. Exceptionally skilled users could still fare very well against multiple foes
The opening stance was a single handed low guard. The saber would be held in the strong hand of the user, and held at his side, the blade pointed down, and the feet would be shoulder width apart. Some faced their opponent side on, so the blade was pointed in their direction. The lightsaber hilt would be held with the thumb pointing down the length of the blade to allow for smaller, tighter, more accurate movements of the saber. The rest of the fingers wrap around the hilt holding it tightly, but not so tight as to limit the fluidity of the movements.
Makashi flourish The flourish consisted of rapidly drawing an 'X' in the air with the tip of the blade. It often followed the Makashi salute.
Makashi salute The salute was not an attack or maneuver but a challenge to an opponent. The saber was held in one hand, brought up vertical directly in front of the practitioner's face, then swung down in a Makashi flourish.
Contentious Opportunity A tactic based upon recognizing and exploiting an opening in the opponent's defense before swiftly moving to strike the exposed enemy.
Makashi Riposte A defensive technique where the duelist slightly alters the angle of an opponent's attack before quickly retaliating with a counter strike.
