Lightsaber combat/Legends

Lightsaber combat was the preferred style of fighting used by Jedi and Sith.

The seven forms of lightsaber combat
Each Jedi chose the style of lightsaber combat that best suited him or her. For example, Master Yoda used the Ataru form to compensate for his lack of reach and height; Mace Windu used Vaapad to tap into his anger and employ it constructively (albeit without giving himself over to the dark side); Count Dooku's practice of the Makashi form fit first of all his intention to frequently engage in lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat, and second his emphasis on class and elegance as well as precision. The Jedi Exile was a practitioner of all of these forms, but only excelled to the point of mastery in a few of them.


 * Form I: Shii-Cho
 * Form II: Makashi
 * Form III: Soresu
 * Form IV: Ataru
 * Form V: Shien / Djem So
 * Form VI: Niman
 * Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad

Other forms of lightsaber combat
These forms were not considered a part of the seven main forms, and they may not necessarily be official. They were mostly based on other forms, with the exception of Form Zero, which emphasized avoiding conflict whenever possible.


 * Form VIII: Sokan
 * Form IX: Shien
 * Form X: Niman / Jar'Kai
 * Form "Zero"
 * Dun Möch
 * Saber Throw
 * Tràkata
 * The Flowing Water Cut
 * Trispzest
 * Mounted lightsaber combat
 * Double-bladed lightsaber combat

The unorthodox
Several techniques fell outside the traditional and practiced forms of the Jedi. General Grievous could employ more varied movements. His attacks were intended to misdirect and confuse traditionally trained sword fighters. Grievous was exceptionally capable of this due to the flexibility of his joints, robotic reflexes, and his many limbs. Only the most experienced and talented Jedi could withstand his attacks. For example, Grievous could hold one lightsaber in each of his four hands, spinning two of them very rapidly in front of him as a shield. Grievous used this against Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau, but Obi-Wan managed to overcome this by biding his attack and finally timing his strike through the whirling lightsaber shield.

Another unique lightsaber style was that of Adi Gallia (a victim of Grievous), who held her saber with a one-handed reverse grip (backhand style). This was a personal variation of Form IX, much as Vaapad was Mace Windu's personal variation of Form VII.

Dark Jedi Boc's combat style was an unorthodox mixture of the dual saber based Form X and highly aggressive jumping attacks directed straight at his opponent. He used this against Kyle Katarn in a duel on Ruusan, but&mdash;with some help from his friend Jan Ors and the Force&mdash;Katarn was able to defeat Boc.

Maneuvers and marks of contact
All seven forms of lightsaber combat utilized these ancient terms used by the Jedi for describing the objectives, maneuvers to use, and the various outcomes that could arise out of a fight involving lightsabers as weapons.

Chio mai
A chio mai was the act of cutting off an opponent's weapon hand. This move showed that the Jedi using it had the honor to cause the opponent minimal physical damage; it also showed the skill and mastery of the Jedi performing the move to the opponent. A famous example is when Darth Vader cut off the sword hand of Luke Skywalker at the end of their duel in Cloud City.

Cho mak
A cho mak was the act of cutting off an opponent's limb, such as a humanoid's leg. This was performed by Count Dooku on Anakin Skywalker where he cut off his arm at the elbow in Attack of the Clones.

Cho sun
A cho sun was the act of cutting off an opponent's weapon arm. Count Dooku did this to Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones.

Sai cha
A sai cha was the rare instance when a Jedi beheaded his or her opponent. This was often reserved for the most dangerous of enemies&mdash;the ones a Jedi could not afford to keep alive.

Sai tok
A sai tok, frowned upon by the Jedi because of its Sith-like nature, was the act of cutting an opponent in half, usually separating his or her legs from the torso at the waist. It was performed by Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi to defeat Darth Maul in his duel against the Sith Lord during the Battle of Naboo.

Shiak
A shiak was the honorable act of stabbing an opponent, although it was used differently by Darth Maul when he stabbed Qui-Gon Jinn during their duel on Naboo.

Shiim
A shiim was a more minute wound to an opponent by the edge of a lightsaber's blade. It was considered inferior and a sign of desperation or struggle against a potent enemy.

Sun djem
A sun djem was an attack used by Jedi that disarmed the weapon of an opponent, the objective usually being not to physically harm the opponent.

Mou kei
A mou kei was an attack used by Sith and some brave Jedi that dismembered an opponent through a circular motion of the lightsaber, aimed at the major limbs. The objective was to finish a dangerous opponent. A mou kei strike was used by Obi-Wan Kenobi against Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader during their showdown on Mustafar.

Jung
A jung in lightsaber combat was a 180-degree turn.

Jung ma
A jung ma was a maneuver used by Jedi to perform a 360-degree spin in which power was gained for an imminent attack on the opponent.

Kai-kan
Not a maneuver per se, the kai-kan was a re-enactment of a famous, usually ancient, very dangerous, lightsaber or even sword battle, which only very well trained Jedi attempted to perform.

Sai
A sai was a jump used by Jedi to evade an attack directed at the legs. The Force was the main backbone of the strength, height, and speed at which the jump was executed. The Jedi could then strike downwards, using the fall as a fulcrum for more power.

Shun
A shun was a 360-degree turn performed with just a one-handed grip, thus gaining speed for an attack.