New Saber duelist, old school fighter

[chalion]

From most of my time researching this, most lightsaber combat is touch/release/return, not binding like with swords. More like formal dueling, where the first touch scores, not combat like in medieval combat.

Most lightsaber use NOT in the movies is 2 handed, better control/response from what i've seen. If you watch the prequels, most of the stances start with 1 hand, but rapidly revert to 2 handed combat. Most of the binding you see is for dramatic effect, so the combatants can dialogue. First touch is usually the only touch, since Anakin loses an arm, Obi-wan get tapped into the upper arm and leg and is disabled. In the original movies, the tendency is to lose by limb loss, the hand, but that's also dramatic effect to show how the son paths' like the father does.


Most you tube lightsaber combat i've watched they use stunt sabers. Less to go wrong and easier to repair/replace if damaged. Choreographed fights are mostly the same with stunts, but some do use sound for effects. Pre-filmed combat scenes usually have effects added in later, so probably stunts for the choreography here too. Also, batteries last alot longer without pushing power to drive sounds.

Of course, there are people who stylize 2 lightsabers and some do saberstaffs, like Palpatine's Guards or double bladed sabers, like Mauls' from the movie. The problem i've experienced with these 3 types is that the 2 sabers limits your offensive strength, because your opponent only has to break your concentration to make a touch, with the double bladed sabers your technique becomes predictable and you usually get struck in the middle where the blades don't protect you. Saberstaff is a bit different though, since you're more like a pike or halberd where you have alot of reach, but if you do that and try to be realistic, if there's a hit on the saberstaff, it usually disables the weapon, leaving you defenseless. 

[Master Resolute]

The problem i've experienced with these 3 types is that the 2 sabers limits your offensive strength, because your opponent only has to break your concentration to make a touch

I find through my years of experience that this is the opposite. Two sabers = superior Offense and Defense. Especially against one saber. The most famed Japanese Swordsmen was a dual wielder. 61 duels straight! Officially at least. Makes you wonder how many Musashi cut down total.  ( note: I am not a Japanese sword fighter.....I am a Filipino Sword fighter. )

[chalion]

I find through my years of experience that this is the opposite. Two sabers = superior Offense and Defense. Especially against one saber. The most famed Japanese Swordsmen was a duel wielder. 61 duels straight! Officially at least. Makes you wonder how many Musashi cut down total.  ( note: I am not a Japanese sword fighter.....I am a Filipino Sword fighter. )

Sorry, I should have stated "lightsaber" not saber or bladed saber.  I am in no way a skilled practitioner of any type sword or lightsaber combat/technique though. I'll leave that discussion for more experienced saber enthusiasts.  It's just my take it requires more experience to dual wield than with 1.

[Master Resolute]

I meant lightsaber as well. We spar a lot in the group I run. One thing I will say for sure, everything comes down to personal preference and training time in. Was just my take on it

[SpaceDonny]

Great feedback!

I tried to treat the lightsaber like a baskethilt broadsword. No luck. Then as a messer or arming sword. No luck. One handed just didn’t quite work out.

I’ve picked up a couple books. One is Musashi’s and the other is a beginner guide to Kendo. Hopefully they will help me out.

Do you all use tsubas?

[Master Althalus]

First of all: a lightsaber is a stick. It has no edges, so it cannot bind without sliding, it has no handguard, so you cannot catch a blade there.

You don't need to resort to an Asian method to fight, though, and you definitely don't need a tsuba. You just have to change your game.

When you fight one-handed, you have to rely on double-time play (as you should do with saber or singlestick): parry-riposte. Single-time actions will get your hand hit more often than not.

I've got hit on the hand a lot in the beginning, but by now, those hits become less and less frequent. Mostly they happen, when I misjudge an attack and "parry" with my hand instead of the blade.

One is Musashi’s

Philosophy and common sense will not improve your fighting in a direct way. 

Get yourself a book on Canne the Combat - this will probably help more with one-handed sabering.

Makes you wonder how many Musashi cut down total.

Probably a lot less. Historical records about him are rather scarce and most is myth and legend. When it comes to historical proof, Fiore dei Liberi has more proven duels, I believe.

Most you tube lightsaber combat i've watched they use stunt sabers.

I use a stunt in training, but a saber with sound in sparring.  More fun with sabers clashing and humming.

[Musashi Padawan]

I’ve picked up a couple books. One is Musashi’s and the other is a beginner guide to Kendo. Hopefully they will help me out.

Do you all use tsubas?

As Master A indicated, The Five Rings is more a manual for thinking than a combat tutorial.  Many Kendo concepts are very applicable to light saber combat as the shinai is very similar in length and weight to an ultra saber.  The Kendo basics of footwork, striking, parries, attacks and counters are a great foundation (as are many other sword traditions).  Also as Kendo is not only a traditional martial art but also "sportified", it is relevant to those that participate in scoring clubs/leagues/tournaments (I do not). But as I am sure most will tell you, it is extremely difficult to learn sword fighting techniques from even the best of books. 
I almost always use a tsuba for heavy (two-handed) sparring as I enjoy the continued use of my oppossable thumbs.   

Probably a lot less. Historical records about him are rather scarce and most is myth and legend.

Oh come on! We are using light sabers here, who doesn't want to have a little faith in myth and legend?!?!?!

[SpaceDonny]

First of all: a lightsaber is a stick. It has no edges, so it cannot bind without sliding, it has no handguard, so you cannot catch a blade there.

You don't need to resort to an Asian method to fight, though, and you definitely don't need a tsuba. You just have to change your game.

When you fight one-handed, you have to rely on double-time play (as you should do with saber or singlestick): parry-riposte. Single-time actions will get your hand hit more often than not.

I've got hit on the hand a lot in the beginning, but by now, those hits become less and less frequent. Mostly they happen, when I misjudge an attack and "parry" with my hand instead of the blade.
Philosophy and common sense will not improve your fighting in a direct way. 

Get yourself a book on Canne the Combat - this will probably help more with one-handed sabering.
Probably a lot less. Historical records about him are rather scarce and most is myth and legend. When it comes to historical proof, Fiore dei Liberi has more proven duels, I believe. I use a stunt in training, but a saber with sound in sparring.  More fun with sabers clashing and humming.

Yeah. Not really being able to bind really threw me off. And the balance of the hilt and blade really felt weird when using singlestick techniques. On a much brighter note, this gives me the excuse to own more books about swordsmanship

Any recommendations on Canne de Combat book?

[Master Althalus]

Any recommendations on Canne de Combat book?

Sadly only in French, Italian and German. But there are a lot of tutorial vids out there, which I would recommend, as some of those movements are not really intuitive and really hard to understand from written text.

Oh come on! We are using light sabers here, who doesn't want to have a little faith in myth and legend?!?!?! Smiley

Not when it comes to steel. Sorry, HEMA trainer here. 
That's why I picked up lightsabering - NOT having to think about historical accurateness for once. 

The Kendo basics of footwork, striking, parries, attacks and counters are a great foundation (as are many other sword traditions).

Purely  a matter of taste, but I differ here. Kendô, as it is practiced today, will provide a foundation to lightsaber only, if one strives to fight like Obi-Wan in Ep. IV.  For a more dynamic way of fighting, other methods are preferable, especially those that actively work on creating openings instead of waiting for one to present itself.
And, of course, using only one "edge" on a lightsaber leaves out a lot of possible ways to utilize the weapon. 

I almost always use a tsuba for heavy (two-handed) sparring as I enjoy the continued use of my oppossable thumbs.

Funny, as the primary function of a tsuba is not to protect against incoming cuts, but to stop your hands to slide off the hilt and onto the blade.

[SpaceDonny]

Not when it comes to steel. Sorry, HEMA trainer here. 
That's why I picked up lightsabering - NOT having to think about historical accurateness for once. 

I started because I needed more excuses to compete in tournaments lol The sound of steel colliding and the ability to bind narrowly beats out the hum of a lightsaber. But longswords and Messers do not function as flashlights too. 

Now if only there was a lightsaber equivalent to sword and buckler......

[Master Althalus]

Now if only there was a lightsaber equivalent to sword and buckler......

If you're fighting with the I.33 method, you won't like it, anyway. Without binding, this method just doesn't work. Being a Bolognese fencer, I always love to fight I.33 people - they get so frustrated when I don't let them bind my blade...

[AstraVlad]

My 50 cents to the discussion:
1. I totally agree that lightsabers (at least ones from the real world) are really bad in a bind, to a degree we even teach our students to be ready to disengage rather than to try to fight in a bind, 'cause results are totally unpredictable.
2. With heavy grade blade momentum of inertia of a lightsaber is quite high so most techniques that require you to manipulate your blade really fast are impossible to properly perform. Also, hilts are thick and do not have quillons to put your index finger on that means no proper tramazzone can be done (I may be wrong here but I can not match speed and elegance of the sidesword with a lightsaber). You can perform much better with mig-grade blades but they are prone to failures (I had one blade lost its cap in the middle of a fight).
3. Bolognese fencing works great even without hand protection provided by a sidesword's complex handguard. Of course one should be more cautious when parrying with quardia di faccia for example but for the most part there are no problems at all.
4. My personal style is based on Bolognese techniques with some La Verdadera Destreza mixed in. Taking proper angulo recto stance is a great way to make the opponent think twice about rushing in on you . Circular steps are also quite handy if you want to ruin his offensive plans. After watching some military sabre videos I've also found myself using guardia di testa (in del'Agocchi's interpretation) quite extensively as a defensive stance.
5. As for Asian techniques I switch to kenjutsu when my weapon hand becomes tired. It is obviously easier to manipulate a sword with two hands and jōdan-no-kamae stance when maintained properly lets you give rest to your forearms while at the same time being able to deliver extremely fast cut (and looking menacing as hell that is also quite important ).

[Master Althalus]

(I had one blade lost its cap in the middle of a fight).

Happens also with HG. 

y personal style is based on Bolognese techniques with some La Verdadera Destreza mixed in.

Destreza relies heavily on binding, though. Fighting the spanish guys is harder, though, as they are really good at using angles and slipping...

(I may be wrong here but I can not match speed and elegance of the sidesword with a lightsaber).

Oh, no problem here. But practicing Martinelli's cane helps a lot. 

[Musashi Padawan]

5. As for Asian techniques I switch to kenjutsu when my weapon hand becomes tired. It is obviously easier to manipulate a sword with two hands and jōdan-no-kamae stance when maintained properly lets you give rest to your forearms while at the same time being able to deliver extremely fast cut (and looking menacing as hell that is also quite important ).

As for menacing as hell (which I agree is quite important), I still feel most intimidating in basic Chūdan-no-kamae...

[SpaceDonny]

So what is the best way to find a list of tournaments?