What Lightsaber Form Do You Favor?

[Master Nero Attoru]

Excellent point beans, and a very interesting video.  Definitely what I think of for Djem So, especially considering most Djem So forms draw inspiration from longsword and other medieval combat styles.

Strength isn't the only precept for the form, but the in-universe definition tends to emphasize it.

"Immediately after defending against an opponent's strike, a Djem So stylist followed with an attack of their own, bringing the force of the opponent's own blow against them and seeking to dominate the duel. Djem So placed a heavy focus on brute strength and pure power, with wide, powerful strikes and parries followed immediately by a counterattack."  - Wookieepedia on Djem So

I think the idea is that strength is utilized in order to execute the whole "turning an attack back on the user" idea.  Once again, this is where you get different versions of a Form due to subjectivity... one of my favorite things about the Forms really

[DarthFluffyKitten]

I favour the hit them til they fall over style. Being built like a bear I hit hard and have won several duels with friends by blocking and launching quick, powerful counters. I used to do a bit of kendo at school and the two hand style suits me and my overlord well.

[Guardian Xentai Kaarz]

It' about 35% Ataru, 35% Soresu, 20% Makashi and 10% Shien. The Ataru is because I mostly dodge attacks instead of blocking, and I move around a lot. Soresu because, even though I mostly dodge, I do block a lot also. I also like to study how my opponent fights. Makashi because I like to occasionally use a one-handed grip and I like to do quick jabs and attacks. Shien is mostly because I like to use a reverse-grip. Not sure if that counts but it does to me! Besides, If I were a Jedi I would rather learn all of the forms (or a great range) instead of just Niman. Niman seems kind of like a "cop out" to me.

Oh and one more thing: "Maksoratien" is so much more fun to say than "Niman." 

"Maksoratien" is the exact form that i naturally/instinctivley use.

[kitkenobi1994]

I am a practicer of Vaapad. My friends always said I have more of a aggressive mentality when it comes to dueling and I love the fight, I guess you could call me borderline Sith. Not to mention no one expects a Jedi to attack aggressively and that catches people off guard, one some duels very easily that way.

[B3nny56]

I dont have a solid form per se that I practice, but I prefer the idea of Juyo and Djem So,  as I love swordplay and being very aggressive and prone to counter attacking.

[InverseKnight]

As of right now, I've been leaning towards Soresu. My Level 36 Jedi Guardian has taught me it's merit. Plus, it's nice to know how to block when there's a guy coming at you with a bo-staff and then decides throw the kriffing thing you to go in for a melee assault. Soresu, my friends; the best offense is a good defense. I'm reading this now, because, frankly, I want to study a bit more. Form I (I am still a Padawan...) is on my list, along with Soresu. I want to look into Form II (because I am a man of Honor) and form V (because I'm not an idiot) are also on my list of "to study and adapt to". I'm not acrobatic, agile, or dexterous enough for Form IV, which is detrimental to my using Form VI. I just have no interest in learning Form VII. That might raise an eyebrow or drop a few jaws. The most badass style is not for me. I'm a Mighty Glacier, I need to fight appropriately.

I thank you, very dearly, for coming up with this. An entire group has found it wonderful.

[Master Nero Attoru]

As of right now, I've been leaning towards Soresu. My Level 36 Jedi Guardian has taught me it's merit. Plus, it's nice to know how to block when there's a guy coming at you with a bo-staff and then decides throw the kriffing thing you to go in for a melee assault. Soresu, my friends; the best offense is a good defense. I'm reading this now, because, frankly, I want to study a bit more. Form I (I am still a Padawan...) is on my list, along with Soresu. I want to look into Form II (because I am a man of Honor) and form V (because I'm not an idiot) are also on my list of "to study and adapt to". I'm not acrobatic, agile, or dexterous enough for Form IV, which is detrimental to my using Form VI. I just have no interest in learning Form VII. That might raise an eyebrow or drop a few jaws. The most badass style is not for me. I'm a Mighty Glacier, I need to fight appropriately.

I thank you, very dearly, for coming up with this. An entire group has found it wonderful.

Very cool man.  Soresu is a solid Form, Master Artorius pretty much goes with that as his primary style.  Patience and a tight defense go a long way.

I taught my own Padawan Form I, then went with Form II (mainly because it's my style).  He, like you, felt Soresu was a good fit, so I had Artorius begin teaching him that form.

One more thing, Form V is basically derived from Form III (applied offensively) so you could probably make a pretty cool one-two punch using them in tandem.

[InverseKnight]

Very cool man.  Soresu is a solid Form, Master Artorius pretty much goes with that as his primary style.  Patience and a tight defense go a long way.

I taught my own Padawan Form I, then went with Form II (mainly because it's my style).  He, like you, felt Soresu was a good fit, so I had Artorius begin teaching him that form.

One more thing, Form V is basically derived from Form III (applied offensively) so you could probably make a pretty cool one-two punch using them in tandem.

I'm an almost entirely self-taught Jedi, but my few masters have shown me a few tricks. I know for a fact what my physical strengths and weaknesses are; I'm still working on the skill though. My informal master is teaching me the basics (i.e. Shii-Cho). So, that'll be something. My rudimentary Soresu knowledge, my Shii-Cho training: it should last me a little bit.

The first time I've dueled in a long time was last weekend, I picked up a mock-up Soresu to try and stand up against two opponents that were clearly superior, one that was on par, and teamed with one that was equal. I ranked middle in our list. The one who had actually been trained, and is going to be my Seifu/Sensei, uses what would probably be considered Niman. My equal partner used something like Shien or Ataru; chick was fast but strong: glad she was with me. The other superior I had used an unrefined Juyo. I had to remain on constant defense to last. I was going against a bo-staff using Juyo, managed to overcome with a Jar'Kai variant of Soresu (which I plan to work on). These were actual swords, not lightsabers. We don't have those just yet.

That's my thinking exactly. Form I, first. Form III, next. Then Form V. After that, Form II. I'm going to try and get back into martial arts, solely because of my renewal in swordsmanship. I used to do a little boxing, muay thai, and jui jitsu; any suggestions for what would help get me back into physical condition while I search for both a fencing and kenjutsu/kendo instructor?

[Darth Ravenloft]

While I favour Juyo/Vapaad and I do tend to use an all offensive strategy (as I am 5'6 and about 140lbs) where I use my small stature and agility to my advantage. Much like how I am with fencing, and kendo/iaido, I do try to come up under my opponent's guard at angles that are somewhat harder to block. While I say this I also favour a bit of my own style as well where I use reflective attacks where I take my opponent's own energy and redirect it against him/her. It stems from both my training in kendo/iaido and my martial arts training (do zen chuan/shotokan/aikido/goju-ryu/wadokai/kung fu/judo/etc...). While that doesn't stem from all those styles; I do try to work it in as best I can. From that I sort of have a hybrid of that reflection style and Juyo/Vapaad to which I am rather proud of I must admit.

I may some day post a video to demonstrate if I can either find someone with a saber around here to help, or possibly with my bokkan...and again another person to help demonstrate. If you can get the hang of it, it IS pretty effective.

[Master Nero Attoru]

While I favour Juyo/Vapaad and I do tend to use an all offensive strategy (as I am 5'6 and about 140lbs) where I use my small stature and agility to my advantage. Much like how I am with fencing, and kendo/iaido, I do try to come up under my opponent's guard at angles that are somewhat harder to block. While I say this I also favour a bit of my own style as well where I use reflective attacks where I take my opponent's own energy and redirect it against him/her. It stems from both my training in kendo/iaido and my martial arts training (do zen chuan/shotokan/aikido/goju-ryu/wadokai/kung fu/judo/etc...). While that doesn't stem from all those styles; I do try to work it in as best I can. From that I sort of have a hybrid of that reflection style and Juyo/Vapaad to which I am rather proud of I must admit.

I may some day post a video to demonstrate if I can either find someone with a saber around here to help, or possibly with my bokkan...and again another person to help demonstrate. If you can get the hang of it, it IS pretty effective.

That sounds pretty cool man.  Posting a video would be great too!  I'm always interested in seeing people's interpretations of these Forms.

[Darth Ravenloft]

That sounds pretty cool man.  Posting a video would be great too!  I'm always interested in seeing people's interpretations of these Forms.

Thanks man, yeah a lot of the basic reflective techniques come from one of my teachers, and from that I practiced them and tried to build on those teachings with ones that worked well for me. It is really a simple style to pick up, but perfecting it is where the trick comes in.

[Master Nero Attoru]

Thanks man, yeah a lot of the basic reflective techniques come from one of my teachers, and from that I practiced them and tried to build on those teachings with ones that worked well for me. It is really a simple style to pick up, but perfecting it is where the trick comes in.

Definitely.  Just curious, what weapon did/do you fence?

[Darth Ravenloft]

Definitely.  Just curious, what weapon did/do you fence?

Well I've used everything from a foil to a claymore when it comes to "western" styles of swordplay. But, I favoured mostly the Rapier, it's strength coupled with it's slender and agile movements made it the one I used most. if a sword is sturdy enough I do one technique where I block a downward strike angular-ly and use the force of their strike to act like a snap effect so my blade comes around and can either take the head at the neck or come crashing into the collarbone. Mind you I never go full boar to avoid injuring my opponent, unless of course they have ample protection to keep the from any serious trauma of the impact. In a practical sense it is a devastating technique if pulled off correctly. It works very nicely with a katana or wakazashi which is where I originally began practicing it.

[Master Nero Attoru]

Well I've used everything from a foil to a claymore when it comes to "western" styles of swordplay. But, I favoured mostly the Rapier, it's strength coupled with it's slender and agile movements made it the one I used most. if a sword is sturdy enough I do one technique where I block a downward strike angular-ly and use the force of their strike to act like a snap effect so my blade comes around and can either take the head at the neck or come crashing into the collarbone. Mind you I never go full boar to avoid injuring my opponent, unless of course they have ample protection to keep the from any serious trauma of the impact. In a practical sense it is a devastating technique if pulled off correctly. It works very nicely with a katana or wakazashi which is where I originally began practicing it.

Very interesting.  I know what you're saying with that technique - unprotected dueling definitely takes away from potential actions.  I actually enjoy using styles like Ataru and Djem So, but tend to forego those in sparring as their aggressive nature can be dangerous to a fellow combatant.  It's rather lucky I suppose that Artorius and I tend to utilize Soresu and Makashi respectively as our default Forms... we don't have to have that fear of hurting each other while we spar.  Still, we try to be careful!

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

I need to not be fat so I can streamline my form and show you guys.

M.J. is doing Ballet and getting fit, so in turn she's moving much faster when we duel.