Form II/Legends

"He is a fencer. Leverage, position, advantage&mdash;they are as natural to him as breathing."

- Qui-Gon Jinn's spirit to Yoda on Count Dooku

Form II: Makashi, also known as The Way of the Ysalamiri, or The Contention Form, was the second of the seven classic forms of lightsaber combat.

Description
"Form II, also called Makashi, represents the ultimate refinement of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat."

- Cin Drallig on Form II



Makashi was the most dueling-centric of the seven forms, developed during an era where engagements with Darksiders and rogue Jedi became an almost routine activity. Form II's primary purpose was to serve as a counter to the first form; Shii-Cho, relying on precision swordplay to counter Form I's sweeping movements, and a heavy focus on avoiding disarmament, the primary goal of Form I. The early levels of Makashi were devised to provide a defense against an opponent's blade, allowing an initiate in the style to defend himself with minimal effort, but needing to be paired with a more offensive style to score a winning blow.

The higher levels of the form proved considerably more effective. Form II bladework encouraged precision and effeciency over power, using jabs, parries and light cuts rather than slashes, blocks and chops. The blade manipulation required for this form was very refined, requiring intense focus, and was described as elegant, powerful and precise, relying on feints to confuse and trap opponents. All of this was to allow the user to attack and defend with minimal effort, while opponents simply tired themselves out. Makashi also placed considerable emphasis on footwork, using it to maintain a proper distance from the opponent during defense and when moving in for an attack. The footwork of Makashi practitioners commonly 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.

Form II emphasized fluid movement and anticipation of a weapon being swung at its target, and so required very smooth motion of both the blade and the body, and practitioners often wielded the blade one-handed for a greater range of movement. Timing and accuracy were relied-upon to defeat one's opponent, rather than strength. With a skilled practitioner, the results were deadly. As befit Dooku's personality, Makashi practitioners often demonstrated calm temperaments, behaving elegantly and precise, though also showing confidence to the point of arrogance, especially in regards to their chances for victory. In fact, they often looked so relaxed when fighting that they appeared to be dancing. Makashi duelists also trained themselves to avoid enslavement to form, as such devotion opened the practitioner to defeat by unpredictable tactics; what Dooku dubbed the unforeseen.



However, for all it's effectiveness, Form II was not without its weaknesses. As it was designed to combat enemy duelists rather than enemy gunmen, it provided poor blast-deflect training and skills. While this was ultimately the reason for the style's decline and eventually obsolence, it could be overcome through skill and practice. Also, Makashi was most potent when used against a single opponent, and therefore was reduced in strength when fighting groups of adversaries. However, skilled practitioners could still fare very well against multiple foes; Dooku could engage up to four opponents with little difficulty, relying on his footwork to outmaneuver them and take them one at a time; while Asajj Ventress compensated by wielded multiple blades.

However, the greatest flaw of the Makashi system of combat was its lack of kinetic force; the focus on precision and blade control hampered the ability to generate momentum in both its offensive and defensive maneuvers, leaving the attacks easily shunted aside and its parries easily battered aside. This lack of physical energy left Makashi practitioners vulnerable to duelists utilizing more recently developed forms, which emphasize power and brute force.

Known moves and maneuvers
"Masters of Form II develop unique offenses and defenses, and trained studiously against having their weapon taken or damaged."

- Cin Drallig on Form II



Opening stance: 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.

Makashi Weapon Specifications


"It feels strange."

- Darth Bane referring to a curved-lightsaber, a weapon heavily favored by Makashi practitioners.

Due to Form II's emphasis on blade manipulation, and its many fluid one-handed moves, Makashi practitioners often wielded lightsabers that were specialized for such use. The most prominent weapon for this purpose was the curved-hilted lightsaber. These weapons were used because the curved hilt fit better into the palm, granting better blade control and allowing for greater precision and strength. In addition to this, wielders often created highly decorated weapons, and occasionally included blade-guards, as shown with Dooku's lightsaber. The other, considerably rarer, weapon type was the Lightfoil, a specialized type of lightsaber used by the Mecrosa Order. Original lightfoils were built with small handles for exclusively one-handed usage, and were much better balanced than typical lightsabers, allowing for greater precision.

However, curved lightsabers and lightfoils were not the only weapons that Makashi could be effectively utilized with; Shaak Ti and Kento Marek both wielded standard lightsaber hilts, and Asajj Ventress proved able to utilize the style with a saberstaff.

Applications
"Finesse. Artfulness. Economy."

- Dooku



Count Dooku was one of the finest practitioners of Makashi in his day, mastering the form at its highest levels. His bladework was elegant and precise, providing an almost effortless and instinctual defense alongside a pin-point accurate and unpredictable offense. He used feints to entrap his opponents, and footwork to outmaneuver. He based himself on balance and mobility, working his way around opponents and deflecting their attacks rather than trying to meet them head-to-head. Dooku personally emphasized emotional levelheadedness and tactical know-how over a rage-fuelled frenzy, and faulted many duelists for this; examples including Anakin Skywalker and Grievous. His skill with the style marked him out as one of the greatest swordmasters produced by the Jedi Order, and the Form's rarity provided him with an edge against most duelists, who simply were not prepared for the finesse and precise movements of a form bred for lightsaber dueling.

Dooku's practical applications of the form were exemplary; his skills being dwarfed only by Yoda, and only Mace Windu being credited as Dooku's equal. On Geonosis, Dooku demonstrated many of his skills against his opponents. When taking Kenobi, his efficient defensive maneuvers left the Jedi's swift slashes looking exaggerated and overdone, while the Count's precise ripostes and unpredictable feints left Kenobi struggling to catch up; many of his parries and blocks missing Dooku's blade completely, forcing him to retreat. Kenobi was ultimately brought down by light, though damaging cuts across his left arm and thigh. However, despite Dooku's absolute mastery of Form II, he was still prone to one of the style's weaknesses; the lack of kinetic power. Perhaps the most notable demonstration of this was during Dooku's fateful duel with Anakin Skywalker; Dooku was simply unable to generate the necessary power to evenly match Skywalker's preferred form, Djem So. The sheer, raw power of Form V wore down Dooku's defenses, physically exhausting him and draining his reserves of Force power.



Another Form II practitioner active at this time was Asajj Ventress, having developed her skills under Dooku's tutelage. Eventually, her prowess as a duelist allowed her to hold her own against up to three adversaries with little difficulty, as she demonstrated during her mission to Ruul. Her skills even advanced to the point where she was able to battle and defeat, or at least hold her own against, Jedi Council masters, an accomplishment that few of her contemporaries could match.

However, she was no master, and while her bladework demonstrated speed and elegance, reinforced by her adept footwork, her form lacked refinement. Rather than practice emotional levelheadedness as Dooku did, she instead grew impassioned and fought with animal rage. This angry onslaught enabled her to engage and even defeat some of the best Jedi duelists, such as Kit Fisto or Luminara Unduli, but it also blinded her and left her tactless. Also, during her earlier years, she lacked the major levels of physical strength to compensate for the inherent weaknesses of both Makashi and dual-blade combat; her blows and manuevers lacked power, as shown by Dooku's casual defensive moves during their bout on Rattatak; and her retreat before Anakin Skywalker's frenzy of power attacks during their duel on Yavin IV. However, she eventually developed the physical strength necessary to compensate for this weakness, demonstrating the ability to hold up simultaneous bladelocks with multiple duelists at a time. Ventress was also heavily reliant on her extra blade, and was left at a disadvantage if deprived of it.

Practitioners
"Even with my vision clouded, I recognize the fighting style of Count Dooku."

- Luminara Unduli analyzing Asajj Ventress' bladework.



Form II's primary niche was among Jedi duelists who engaged Darksiders, or conversely, Darksiders who engaged Jedi. Examples of such combatants include Kreia who later taught the Jedi Exile the basics of the form. The Sith apprentice Fohargh, who was trained by the Sith Blademaster Kas'im. However, following the final battle of Ruusan, Makashi was left obsolete, as the dueling-centric form lacked proper blast-deflect disipline and the number of active Darksiders to engage was practically nil.

By the time of the Clone Wars, few other than Dooku practiced the form. Dooku himself trained both Asajj Ventress and Grievous in the form, with Grievous going on to train his IG-100 MagnaGuards in it, along with the other six forms Dooku trained him in. Among the Jedi, both Cin Drallig, the famed lightsaber instructor, and Shaak Ti, one of the Jedi Council members, practiced the Form.

During the Great Jedi Purge, the Sith Lord Darth Vader and the Jedi Knight Kento Marek both included elements of Makashi in their personal fighting styles. Vader's apprentice; Starkiller; was versed in Form II, able to recognize it in his opponent's technique. The Jedi Knight Jax Pavan also received Form II training at some point, applying some basic Makashi moves and tactics against Aurra Sing in combat.

Makashi, like the other six forms, would eventually be rediscovered by the New Jedi Order.

Behind the Scenes
Makashi, along with the other lightsaber forms, appears in Star Wars Galaxies as part of moves and techniques employable by Jedi characters. This has not definitively been clarified to be canonical.



There are also Jedi who are theorized to practise Makashi based on descriptions and comments about their fighting techniques. Examples include Valenthyne Farfalla, whose fighting style was described as elegant and clean, demonstrating perfect form, and Tholme, who was complimented by Dooku for keeping up his dueling skills and favoring the old ways. Another likely practitioner of Makashi is Sora Bulq, based on statements in the official Databank.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * The Cestus Deception
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization
 * Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows
 * The Force Unleashed novel
 * The Force Unleashed novel

Notes and references
Form II ru:Форма II: Макаши Form II