Two handed saber disadvantages?

[Darth Eriber]

Hi, so a while ago I bought my first ultrasaber. One of my friends will be buying one as well very soon. I have been training for maybe 4 months for my first duel. I have a saberstaff (phantom v2) with 32" blades. My friend said that he was going to use his saber with two hands. I was just wondering what are the greatest disadvantages of using a saber with two hands and how can I exploit them to gain the upper hand in a duel? All help is appreciated, thanks!

[Master Lucien Kane]

Both hands are in the same place... That makes for a quick target to end the fight quickly... The other side of that equation is... those two hands are protected by a lot of blade... So getting to them is difficult.

The thing about dueling and martial arts is it's not so much "rock beats scissors" There are some disadvantages, not enough to really note except your reach is slightly hampered if you refuse to use one hand at all, and your range of motion is slightly less. Other than that someone using a two handed grip can do just about everything a person with a one handed grip can do. A two handed grip offers more strength and control, a one handed grip may lend reach, and speed.

That being said... my weaknesses with a two handed grip will likely be completely different from your friend's weaknesses. It's always best to just feel out your opponent and see what they've got.

[Veldryne]

Like lucien said feel him out, maybe play a bit more defensive and toss in the odd thrust or strike, pull them a bit short to see how he reacts, and where his blocks and parries come from. Let him take the offensive for a while to see where and how he tends to strike.

The more you duel the better you are going to get at it, so dont be discouraged if you do get beaten, pretty much only way you can ever get better is by dueling people with skill equal to or greater than your own.

Solo training only goes so far unfortunately.

[Luna]

I find it more difficult to parry low strikes when using two hands, but that might just be me.

[Master Nero Attoru]

I find it more difficult to parry low strikes when using two hands, but that might just be me.

I had the same issue when I first started using two hands, it still feels a bit awkward to me at times.  I'll always be more comfortable with one hand simply because that's the way I learned swordsmanship (via fencing).

As Lucien said, two hands gives you more more control and strength, due to the added leverage.  However, you might be more interested in how he fights, rather than how he holds his weapon.  Does he use tight and controlled movements?  Or is he liable to use sloppy "tree cutter" style attacks?  Both could be done very easily with a two handed grip, but would be approached VERY differently.

[Ander]

Basically, who has the most reach wants to keep the oppenent far, who has the less reach wants to close distance.

I did a bit of Shii-Cho vs Makashi... The only way to survive as Shii-Cho is to move around the Makashi user (Makashi is mostly forwards-backwards, like olympic saber, so by moving around him you force him to move in a direction where he has poor stability) and close the distance inside his guard. If you manage, you'll eat his lunch with your greater leverage and stability; if not, he will eat yours with his superior reach.

With the saber staff I have no experience, but I think the principle is mostly the same: you have more reach, he has less. Also, the central part of your weapon can't parry. My advice therefore is to keep attacking and keep him far. If he gets inside you, you are in serious trouble.

[Master Lucien Kane]

I like to play the reach game with fencers or those who utilize Makashi. I switch between a two handed grip and a one handed grip... sometimes I switch to my off hand sometimes I don't it always just depends on who I'm fighting and how... I have noticed that when sparring unprotected I opt for quick one handed strikes usually by my off hand, that end in taps. When we have foam on the blades or I'm not worried about hurting someone... My style changes significantly.

Against one handed fighters I like to draw them into my reach, which is easy to get do when you're using two hands. They have to come in close to get to you. Then I let them make the first move, often it's to try and use their reach to end the duel quickly... What I do after that usually consists of either an evasive move so I don't have to block, or a block paired with a forward 45 degree body change that gets me well inside their reach.

Videos will likely be coming when I get the chance.

[Ander]

That's exactly what we were taught to do when using Shii-Cho vs Makashi. Let them attack, deflect and get inside their reach. At that point, you can eat their lunch. Not that easy to do in practice vs a skilled opponent, of course.

[Xenex]

One disadvantage of 2 handed saber dueling is the reach (ive found), If youre versing somone dueling one handed that has a saber the same length as yours they are generally a lot more adgile and can put more power into theyre slashes.However 2 handed can be very useful for blocking close to your body as well as (if your fast enough) confusing your one hander opponent by doing mutiple "side to side strikes", that is you hit them on say theyre right side then without following through (or turning) you switch to theyre left. You can alternate thin from a head to a hip/knee strike for maximum effeciveness.Just my 2 cents ;P

[Vex]

I agree with all the above. Keep your distance. Keep your moves fluid and use your leverage. And watch your center as that is all staff wielders weak spot. Do no let him get close to you.

[Xenex]

And if they go for a thrust, deflect and step with a slash ;P works 90% of the time for me XD

[Darth Nonymous]

As one who fights with both one and two handed grips, i have trained both. They each have their advantages/disadvantages but as was touched on earlier, those are situational. Each encounter is unique and has it's own unique set of variables. Two handed grips, one handed grips, and two handed assists are all just variants of technique. There is a use of the two handed grip even fighting with one hand and vise versa. Training both is a good idea when dealing with lightsaber because generally, there is more variation technique possible due to the weapon's configuration.

I would say rather than, worrying about which is better or what specific disadvantages it has, follow everyone's advice and try things out. Learn the parameters of your weapon and how best to use it with your skills and limitations. If you focus on what you are doing, what is happening, and honestly examine what does happen in sparring you will find your way.

Everyone has their own way, we can discuss abstract theory and strategy all day long, but when it comes down to brass tax, anything can happen in a fight. We must strive to know ourselves and our weapon because, in the end, that is all we really know.