Do you actually duell with Lightsaber forms?

[Gulcasa]

Well, Hello every1 firstly!
I've searched youtube for people practising the actual forms with they're sabers and didn't could find alot of them really relying on those abilities.
For example I've looked for people, using Soresu.. All I was able to find were some persons doing actually.. well..
Nothing else as attacking, spinning theyre sabers and tossing them around. (Which really let you open for attacks.. in a resilienced form of saberfight)
So my question is as the Topic asks already.

-Do anyone of you actually practice those forms? Or do you fight just with instinct and to look cool in it?
-What is your prefered form and do you actually use it alot or do you mix it up, to make your own style?
-What you would like to be then? An Jedi or an Sith?

Well.. since I've asked those question, I will as well answer them first!

First.. I dont own a Lightsaber, but I got an unsharp katana (which is way heavier) and practice with dumbbels.. where I attached all weights (actually 20kg) at one side..
Secound.. I practice Soresu alot, since I want to be an master of it! I'm an convinced Jedi.. And the best example of an Soresu Jedi in the movie is Obi Wan, I would like to fight like him!
Third.. Well I'm convinced Jedi.. and I'm always talking about morals and what you shouldn't do or not (thats true.. my brother said to me today: "STOP BEING SUCH A $*!/=?")

I know there are alot of threads about the Lightsaber forms..  but only discussing about the forms and theyre differences..
You don't need to tell the others, what saberform you prefer, if you want to keep it an secret.. till you duel those persons actually!

[Manroon]

Well, I don't really know the forms very well. That is, I'm not 'formally' trained in them. I'm not bad at copying what's seen in the films though. Personally, I tend to lean towards Makashi. The Fencing style. Just because most people I fight are used to lightsabers as a two handed weapon, and they tend to be trained that way. But really, I mix it up alot and use pretty much whatever I can learn. Personally, I am on the side of the Jedi. Not exactly Old Order though. I take the approach of a Jedi that's sort of partially trained, out on his own. Like what you might find during the 'Dark Times' as Obi Wan would put it. It's sort of the theory of: Jedi escaped the purge, and now he trained someone, but not fully, for fear of the worst or because he himself was unable to finish the boys training, and now I'm this half trained kid just out on his own trying to find himself etc. lol

[Kaiden Shardsbane]

Nope.  I don't practice any of the forms.  I just tend to go with whatever I feel like.  And as for which side I lean towards... I don't.  Grey Jedi all the way.

[ShadowKatt]

I...don't, but not because I don't know them. I have a tendacy to focus too much when I'm dueling on "pulling my punches". My favored forms are Shii-cho and Ataru, both very powerful forms. Shii-cho is very deliberate, very powerful, and very capable of dealing a lot of damage. Ataru is as well but with more emphasis on movement. When I duel I do so to have fun not to hurt anyone, so I tend to actually shy away from any forms and just freeform it(Or rely on Niman, I suppose.)

However, I do tend to rely on Makashi to keep myself on the defensive a bit. It's more of a balancing act. Makashi is a less powerful form focusing on more parries and thrusts which tend to work better in a friendly duel than whacking someone upside the head. Plastic blade or not, it still hurts to get smacked with one.

[DandoKhaan]

i dont have a saber yet, but am learning the stuff with my shinai.
I guess my form is Vapaad. i like to do quick effective busts, then pull off and defend for a sec.
I am a sith, but like none seen before. i guess you could call me a sith good guy

[ShadowKatt]

i dont have a saber yet, but am learning the stuff with my shinai.
I guess my form is Vapaad. i like to do quick effective busts, then pull off and defend for a sec.
I am a sith, but like none seen before. i guess you could call me a sith good guy

There's no such thing as a sith good guy. Sith are inherently evil, or if you don't believe they are evil then their ideals are at least evil. The sith pride themselves on strength through subversion, trechary, and betrayal. Deciet is sith strength. And sith always kill each other. Always. It is the sith way.

Don't confuse grey jedi with the sith. While the grey jedi don't always follow the jedi code to a T, they usually act with the better interest of most people in mind. Knowing the living force means understanding that the universe exists in a balance, and for every good done there is an equal evil done. The more you feed the light side, the more you equally feed the dark side. Grey jedi will sometimes ignore those those ask for help in order to maintain the balance of the living force, or sometimes avoid preventing an act of cruelty, but they are  not sith.

And vapaad doesn't make you a sith either. Form VII requires you to channel your emotions, but maintaining your emotions, not succumbing to them, is what makes a jedi.

[SJJedi]

For #1, Ever since I discovered these forums (especially with articles and videos by Caine) I have been practicing with Form V, specifically the Djem So variant.  It was kind of tricky at first because I used to practice Makashi and was more used to European sword combat and fencing, but I'm really liking the two-handed smashy-smashy dynamic that Djem So comes along with. 

I have very little martial arts training, aside from a couple years of Tae Kwon Do, some mixed martial arts, and self-taught fencing.  What I like is that saberplay is really coming into its own as a martial art, especially with the stuff that Caine and Novastar are doing with it, from what I've seen.  So for #2 ,with Djem So there's a lot of good material out there, and it's a very unique, provoking style, so I try and stick to existing reference material and "canon" form stuff.

#3 If I had my choice...Jedi all the way. 

[DandoKhaan]

what about Jacen Solo. he started off with the right idea, he just lost his way. and the sith way is not treachery and deciept, its gaining power. which someone with a strong willpower and the right ideals can use effectively.

[Gchu149]

One can say they duel with forms, for the forms are picked to suit your personal style. Training in one form using katas or epon kumite conditions your mind to react in a certain way in a real duel.

Training in a specific form will lead to you naturally using  those techniques in the heat of combat.

Of course, these moves won't be exactly the same in combat either (even in martial arts, emphasis on technique during training is only to develop muscle memory during sparring).

Personally, because of years of Karate, the martial art has influenced me to use a fighting style that is part Form IV and Form V, as karate relies on counterattacks and movement.

[ShadowKatt]

what about Jacen Solo. he started off with the right idea, he just lost his way. and the sith way is not treachery and deciept, its gaining power. which someone with a strong willpower and the right ideals can use effectively.

Darth Caedus slipped into the dark side a couple of times. That last time he slipped into the dark side he decided to take off the brakes and burn sky until the only light side left for him was the bright end of a lightsaber.

The sith desire power, and that includes power over others, and the desire for power supercedes everything else. It's what make sith so strong and what gives them an extremely short shelf life. The force is not a tool, it is a way, and once you start down the dark side there is no straying back into the light without first coming back the way you came. That also means facing the results of your usage of the dark side. Juyo thrives in the thrill of the fight, the supremicy of power, and the estacy of the kill. It's a very dark form. Vappad stops at the thrill of the fight, but it is still the first step down a long, dark road.

[Novastar]

Interesting... this topic is PRECISELY why Caine & I have been putting together our system of "combat forms", each of which is paired up.

Each form CAN be "presented" or "performed" on its own... and they work just fine that way, "as is".  However... they are MEANT to be paired TOGETHER!  One primarily as the "attacking" version of the form... the other, as the (somewhat mirroring) defense.

This isn't to say that in ALL forms that the attack portion is ALWAYS attacking... nor vice-versa with the defense side.

It's not also to say that we decided to use the "SW canon" form names or that we bothered to attempt capturing whatever the bloody heck it was writers were trying to notate when they simply described each "lightsaber form" with a few meager sentences.  Remember: all those "forms" like Djem So or Soresu or whatever... came AFTER THE FACT that Star Wars had then been around for 30+ years.

With any luck, the forms we have been putting together will really challenge people to LEARN NEW SKILLS with each form... and in the case of pairing up with a partner in order to accomplish the forms... you'll find the difficulty level increases right then and there.

At any rate... the sheer amount of work we've done is pretty tough to explain.  Which is why there will be DVDs regarding the entire system, and they will start from the basic level all the way to advanced and complicated actions/forms.

[ThreadJack]

Well, I don't really know the forms very well. That is, I'm not 'formally' trained in them. I'm not bad at copying what's seen in the films though. Personally, I tend to lean towards Makashi. The Fencing style. Just because most people I fight are used to lightsabers as a two handed weapon, and they tend to be trained that way. But really, I mix it up alot and use pretty much whatever I can learn. Personally, I am on the side of the Jedi. Not exactly Old Order though. I take the approach of a Jedi that's sort of partially trained, out on his own. Like what you might find during the 'Dark Times' as Obi Wan would put it. It's sort of the theory of: Jedi escaped the purge, and now he trained someone, but not fully, for fear of the worst or because he himself was unable to finish the boys training, and now I'm this half trained kid just out on his own trying to find himself etc. lol

Sounds like Luke to me...

[Manroon]

More or less. lol Only I tend to play it a little older than Luke, and throw in some good old fashioned Solo to balance it out. A guy whose seen enough to want to stay out of the limelight, but who still has enough training, faith, and conscience in him to pursue the doing of good whenever the choice is right in front of him. On a more personal level than just outright saving the galaxy. 

[JdiKnhtJMH]

I duel as often as I can, and I find myself primarily using 3 forms.

Soresu is my prefered form, I enjoy the easy defense and calming nature of the form. I will revert to this one any time I'm feeling tired or over-whelmed, such as when dueling someone using an unfamiliar style or multiple lightsabers. Generally this is more just to delay, and I don't think I've ever stuck with Soresu through an entire duel.

Despite what some say, I find that Makashi is most useful when I'm dueling multiple opponents. With its focus on footwork and precision, I can fend off one oponent with a quick thrust, then focus on redirecting the attacks of another. I've used this to quite good effect and survived several 2 on 1 duels unscathed between Makashi and Ataru.

I will also occasionally use Djem So style moves when I feel like being showy and putting out some strong attacks.

[SJJedi]

Despite what some say, I find that Makashi is most useful when I'm dueling multiple opponents. With its focus on footwork and precision, I can fend off one oponent with a quick thrust, then focus on redirecting the attacks of another. I've used this to quite good effect and survived several 2 on 1 duels unscathed between Makashi and Ataru.

I will also occasionally use Djem So style moves when I feel like being showy and putting out some strong attacks.

I'll agree with you there, on Makashi.  When I'd duel two or three people at once it's a good way to wear them down.  Djem So I've found more useful recently, though, for dueling against one partner.  I've enjoyed Djem So more than Makashi lately just because I find two-handed fighting to be more effective than wielding a blade one-handed, which I've found Makashi oft requires.