A note on "proper sabers" for "proper forms of combat" - Caine's recommendations

[ThreadJack]

The Jedi among us are of course not supposed to use those, so I generally don't include saber staffs in my recommendations.

Tell that to Bastilla Shan.

[JdiKnhtJMH]

Didnt she fall to the Dark Side and then get possibly killed depending on which ending you choose?

[ThreadJack]

I don't think she gets killed(not in game at least), but she does turn to the Dark Side, but that doesn't last long if you play the canonical ending. You turn her back when she confronts you.

[JdiKnhtJMH]

My first play through I didnt do just the right dialogue and I ended up having to put her down. I started over from a save later though.

[Ultra]

If she turns to the dark side you can either choose to kill her, save her, or join her.

But anyway, of course Jedi use saber staves, just not in any movies we've seen.  In comics and video games, yeah, staves are common.

[ThreadJack]

I read somewhere that Luke trained his students at the Praxeum to use saber staves, whether or not that actually became their weapon of choice.

[Xaelk]

After reading through the many sources on the 7 styles, i found my style similar to what is described as form 7. from my perspective it is a strong combination of speed and power, and a style that lacks a sense of flow. wild swings that make sense to you and only you. that said, an increased reach is a form 7 users best friend, so long handled saber or saber staff is useful. dual sabers can be useful as well, but are very limiting as grabs, kicks, and other very physical (sometimes viewed as "Dirty") techniques where your off hand could be useful are often used to throw off the opponent.

[Durnaur ThoronMegil]

Alrighty, I'm just going list off the different things I've tried. Mostly, in combat I use jar kai, but I've also done a fair bit with the staves, and slightly more irregular, the long hilt saber. not the pikes, though those are fun. just long handled.

First off, Jar Kai.
My primary style, fast offense, slightly unpredictable. good against a variety of weapons. not so much with the blasters, but good enough. Worst thing to do is give up the attack. loss of momentum is death. same as in forms like 5 and 7.  Also, while using a shorter saber in the off-hand is easier, your total effective attack range is defined by your shortest reach, and offense is key for this style. Personally, I love using identical duals between 30-36 inches. 32-33 is best, 36 is good if you need the reach, 30 and under if you are as fast as a jumping yoda. Or just have a good reach.

stave. similar to jar kai, so most of the principles apply. however, keep in mind that while facing one opponent, the second blade is always by you when you attack with the first. So, a smaller variety of strikes... but the intimidation factor can make up for it, if you use it right.

Long handled saber. This seems to be a bit of an under-used saber style, but one I'm rather fond of. In fact, most two-hand blades I use have long hilts. Here's why. With the shorter hilts, you can effectively use your pretty little power strikes like anakin, or pummel a guy like windu, but with longer hilt, you get the options of more wrist based attacks, in an almost makashi manner. What I mean is this, a long handled saber,  can be held like a short pike, and used to thrust and strike, while simply rotating it around the center axis of your body. admittedly, this takesalot of practice, and you'll likely take a ton of hits, before you master it, but in the end, the variations allowed by such a weapon out-weigh the time spent training.


Hope this makes sense to somebody, I find it harder to type my theories on this, than to practice them. anyhows, Cheers.

edited to include info on same-size duals.

[Stockton]

This may seem like a dumb question but what would be a good style for dual wield and both sabers being the same length?

[Caine]

This may seem like a dumb question but what would be a good style for dual wield and both sabers being the same length?

That's still Jar-Kai.

[Durnaur ThoronMegil]

Indeed it is. I can't believe I left that off, when that was my point in bringing up the attack range difference when using a shorter saber. *facepalm* 

Thanks for the clarifcation caine.

[Stockton]

Thanks Caine!

[Kryy Jacobi]

Hmmmm.... hmmmm.... this is very interesting to me..... I never truthfully thought that much about it until reading this thread.

Obviously the first lightsabers were cobbled together LONG before "The Seven Forms" were part of the GFFA, but this line of reasoning makes a lot of sense in practicality. I am a foil fencer, and even though it's similar at first blush to epee fencing, the "technique" is very different, as is the size and weight of the weapon.

So I'd like to throw in another variable in addition to style of lightsaber for a particular Form... what about the size of the saber and overall length, especially in comparison to one's body size/height?

I am still in the process of defining my "Form" (probably some combination of one, two, and three) although I really like to do the spins. Lately I've been trying to work on the behind the back switch thing, and I find I am banging the tip on the ground on my left side after making the switch. It may be that I need more practice, or it may be that the overall length is too long for my height. If I were using a form without spins, this would likely be a non-issue.

So I would love some more input on "sizing" of the lightsaber and blade for the different forms.

Bear in mind that some sabers have a choke that is set back a bit (e.g., the UltraSabers Catalyst) whereas many or most are gripped right behind the emitter. It would seem that the sizing would be from the actual "choke point", which may alter the length of blade needed.

[Gchu149]

To me, the form you do is not determined by you. The basic principle for menus whatever is comfortable and works the best is the saber for you. For example, it follows the same idea behind the "wand chooses the wizard" in Harry Potter. Based on the saber, you may or may not feel completely comfortable with it. Same goes for styles and forms. It isn't really your choice of what forms you excel in, with each person is abdistinctuve style they created themselves, not by following the pictures in a book or from a teacher. Your knowledge stems from your mentors, and after a certain limit is reached, you yourself have created a distinctive form only you are the master of.

[thejedimasternick]

Hmm, on the whole blade idea, I think you should do something that is comfortable to you. I tried fencing for a while, and honestly, it just was not for me. I thought the ideas and techniques were valuable to learn, and I had fun with the footwork and learning to move a little differently, but I could not get used to the hilt style/blade style. It was too small for me. Not sure if they have any other types of hilts, but I tried out the regular thin handle as well as the pistol grip. I was more used to the basic katana hilt as well as the hand positions and technique of using one. Granted, I have been able to mix and match certain grips and techniques and such, but it let me know that sometimes my body doesnt want to work with certain things. I think there is a way, to a point, that you can train yourself to learn a variety of weapons, of course, but it all comes down to what you really feel is right. You move a way here and you do this over there. I think that is something you need to focus on. You bring yourself to a point of realization to what exactly suits you best, and what do you think can extend yourself better. You can still learn as much as you can, I still love learning as much as I can myself. But, you really have to consider what hilt suits you and what blade can better suit your style. Of course, try everything out, but learn from it. Certain hilts I love from Ultrasabers, but certain ones I just cant see myself using. But, to each their own. And I think finding what suits you the best is half the fun of this sort of hobby.