Seven styles of lightsaber combat. Reconstruction of lightsaber swordplay 7 form of lightsaber wielding

Lightsaber combat is arguably the most important feature of Star Wars, and it goes without saying that it received a lot of attention in Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare set their sights on creating an unprecedented level of combat detail; complex parries, sword-to-sword clashes, and deflecting blaster shots should all add up to a whole new level of immersion in MMORPG combat. Lightsaber combat is more than just "window dressing" with interesting mechanics and beautiful graphics - there is a huge amount of Lightsaber combat skills. We will now look at seven different skills - the seven forms of the Lightsaber - and also recap what we currently know about these forms in SWTOR.

Form I: Shii-Cho

Shii-Cho was the first form of lightsaber combat that relied heavily on older swordsmanship techniques. This is the most common form of the Lightsaber and is the basis for all other forms. This uniform allows for successful close quarter combat and deflecting blaster shots, making it ideal for training beginners. Shii-Cho's form uses sweeping attacks, making this form very effective against groups of enemies.

Since this form was developed before the advent of the Sith and Dark Jedi, it was not originally designed for lightsaber-to-lightsaber battles, however, Masters can successfully use this form in such combat conditions. However, the simplicity of Shii-Cho's form makes her a good fallback for situations where other forms cannot be effective (such as Ataru's form in a narrow hallway).

In Shii-Cho, a perfect victory is achieved without harming the opponent; to disarm the enemy or to destroy his weapon is what those who use this form aim at. At the same time, the simplicity of this form and its basis on the old technique of swordsmanship contribute to the emergence of anger. Thus, the form requires restraint due to the great danger of the Dark Side.

Shii-Cho is mentioned in Specializations on the HoloNet, in the talent trees for the Sith Warrior and Jedi Knight. The description of the Rage branch for the Sith Warrior class reads "Allows the Warrior to better control the Force and further master the Shii-Cho form", while the Focus branch of the Jedi Knight reads "Specialization in advanced Force techniques and the Shii-Cho form" . In addition, Jedi Knight's Lightness ability in the Concentration tree: "Reduces the cooldown of all Force abilities while you are in Shii-Cho form by 3 seconds."

Form II: Makashi

Makashi was created to fight the Dark Jedi. It was created exclusively for Lightsaber combat. At the time of its development, there was only one form of the Lightsaber, Shii-Cho, so the Makashi form was intended to exploit Shii-Cho's weaknesses and defend against her strengths. In contrast to the sweeping sweeps of Form I, Makashi uses controlled and precise movements, emphasizing elegance and footwork. Makashi also emphasizes the importance of keeping one's weapon, and as such, many of the moves in this form are designed to counter the disarmament of the Shii-Cho form.

The Makashi-shaped lightsaber is often wielded one-handed, allowing for a wider range of motion than a two-handed grip. Parries and light attacks are often used in Makashi to confuse and unbalance the opponent. Makashi requires calmness and precision from those who practice this form.

Although Makashi's form is very strong against a single opponent, it is weak against groups, and even weaker against blaster fire. In addition, elegant and precise movements can be thrown aside by a sufficiently powerful opponent. We have not currently seen any mention of the Makashi form in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Form III: Soresu

Soresu appeared due to the massive use of blasters. It is a purely defensive form that involves constant defensive movements with the Lightsaber, protecting its wielder from harm. Soresu's movements tend to be hard and fast, with the lightsaber close to the body so as to be as little exposed to enemy fire as possible.

The defense of Soresu is equally effective both against a single opponent and against groups. The attack in this form leaves much to be desired, it is focused on exhausting the opponent during a long fight and exploiting his mistakes.

The Specializations page gives us some information about the use of Soresu form on Juggernaut's Vengeance ability in the Immortal tree: "While you are using Soresu Form, parrying, parrying and blocking attacks, there is a 50% chance to activate the Vengeance effect, reducing Rage cost for your next Force Shout or Force Crush ability by 1. Lasts 10 seconds. Effect stacks 3 times." We also saw the Jedi Knight's Soresu Form that was mentioned on Jedi Immersion Day: "If you use Soresu Form, you gain 1 Focus every 3 seconds when you are attacked. Reduces the amount of Focus generated from your Strike ability by 1 1. Also increases your chance to parry or deflect incoming attacks by 5%."

Form IV: Ataru

Ataru is in some ways the opposite of Soresu: where Soresu uses small, precise movements for defense, Ataru uses acrobatic jumps and somersaults for a punchy attack. The form is characterized by smooth transitions from one action to another and streams of fast, powerful attacks.

The constant somersaults and somersaults of the Ataru form are too heavy to use with their body strength alone, so practitioners of this form must constantly channel the Force into their body to facilitate acrobatics. Even with the help of the Force, Ataru can be a very exhausting form. This form is also not very suitable for combat in confined space where acrobatic maneuvers are not as effective.

Specializations on the Holonet page has detailed information on Ataru Form: "Using the Acrobatic Lightsaber form increases accuracy by 3%. In addition, all melee attacks have a 20% chance to land a second hit that deals 148 energy damage. The effect cannot be used more than once every 1.5 seconds". This is a very similar form to the version of Ataru's form shown at Jedi Immersion Day, the only difference being the addition of an effect on accuracy and cunning, as well as ability cooldowns. The Ataru form is also mentioned in the Jedi Sentinel in the Combat thread: "Attacks in your Ataru form have a 100% chance to increase the damage of your next finishing ability by 10%", as well as the Blade Rush ability: "Strikes with two lightsabers, Dealing 647-729 weapon damage and automatically triggering Ataru Form Strike. Lasts for 6 seconds after using Blade Rush, the chance to automatically trigger Ataru Form is increased by 30%."

Form V: Shien and Djem So

Shien and Jem-So are both classified as Form V, and while they are fairly similar, they do have some important differences. The main feature of the V form is to seize the initiative to turn the defense into an attack. Shien is slightly older than Form II and is especially suited for use against blasters. Indeed, practitioners of the Shien form are able to redirect blaster shots back to the source, turning opponents' attacks against them. Shien also uses wide sweeping attacks, making it suitable for multi-opponent combat.

The Jem So was developed after the Shien form, but was already used during the Great Sith War 350 years before the Treaty of Coruscant. While Shien is more used against blaster fire, Jem So focuses on melee combat. The philosophy behind the V form is to use defense to attack aggressively - this manifests itself in Jem So's strong and hard lightsaber parries, which are used to unbalance the opponent or leave them open to attack. Jam So relies on physical strength and is often characterized as a violent form that seeks to dominate an opponent.

Shien is another form that can be found on the Specializations page in the HoloNet. In the Vigilance branch of the Jedi Guardian, you can find a description of Shien's form: "Using an offensive (aggressive) form of the Lightsaber, increasing all damage dealt by 6%. All attacks that spend Concentration points will return 1 Concentration point. Also, when the Guardian takes damage, it restores 1 point of Focus. This effect does not occur more than once every 6 seconds."".

Form VI: Niman

Niman is a combination of all previous forms of lightsabers. The priority is balance and, therefore, the form does not have specific weaknesses or strengths. This is one of the most meditative forms, which gives its practitioners the opportunity to use this form in conjunction with the Force. This allows for moves such as close proximity, in which the duelist grabs an opponent with the Force and pulls them onto their lightsaber, and allows the user of this form to recover their energy in the heat of combat.

Niman's balanced and thoughtful nature also makes this form a good starting point for more unconventional attack styles, as those using this form can allow the Force to guide their actions and adapt to new situations very quickly. We haven't seen any mention of Nieman's form in the game yet.

Form VII: Juyo

Juyo practices a bold, direct kind of movement and is the most aggressive and vicious form of the Lightsaber. She is widely known for her chaotic form, full of erratic and sudden attacks. This form is very demanding on those who use it and draws heavily on their emotions, although Juyo practitioners are often surprisingly calm.

Juyo places a strong emphasis on attack, often leaving its users vulnerable, especially to Force attacks. Although her attacks in this form are similar to Ataru's, Juyo's is not as graceful and her movements seem to be completely non-rhythmic and use almost unrelated movements, which in itself can confuse the opponent.

At Jedi Immersion Day, we were shown a version of Juyo's Jedi Sentinel uniform. "In this form, lightsaber damage is increased by 2%.This effect cannot be used more than once every 1.5 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times. The effect lasts for 6 seconds, but the duration is restored each time you deal damage with your lightsaber by purpose". Although this is old information, it fits quite nicely into Sentinel's "Sentinel" tree, as there is already a description of this form: "The Sentinel has mastered the form of Juyo's lightsaber to perfection, which makes him a dangerous opponent in a long fight." The Sith Marauder also has access to this form in the Obliteration tree: "Master of Juyo's aggressive form, the Marauder uses it to destroy enemies."

The seven forms of lightsabers are an integral part of combat in the Star Wars universe, and BioWare seems to be taking them into account, making them useful for the mechanics on the one hand, and finding a suitable class that does not go against the narrative on the other. While we've only seen the Lightsaber forms of the Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior so far, it's possible we'll see them on the Inquisitor and Consular. And in one form or another, Assassin and Shadow will receive these forms, since they should have similar training in the possession of lightsaber forms as Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior. Makashi and Niman have not been mentioned so far, so it is possible that we may soon see these forms in the Inquisitor and Consul.

Original: darthhater.com

Addition

Form VII: Juyo / Vaapad

During the Jedi era civil war Thousands of years before Mace Windu's creation of Vaapad, Form VII was wielded by such notable figures as Revan, Zez-Kai Ell, Vrook Lamar, and Kavar, who would later teach the Juyo technique to the Jedi Exile. Another well-known fighter of the Juyo form was the Sith Blademaster Kaz "im, who lived during the New Sith Wars and taught this style to Zabrak Zirak (and, possibly, his friends Llokai and Yevra). Regrettably, after a thousand years, much information about the style The Juyo were lost, probably due to the death of many masters and adherents of this martial form, but anyway, the style practically fell into disuse.

However, the knowledge of Juyo's form survived among the Sith, and it was this technique that Sidious taught his apprentice, Darth Maul. Count Dooku also possessed sufficient knowledge of the Juyo style, who taught this form of swordsmanship to General Grievous and his IG-100 MagnaGuards.

Vaapad was designed by Mace Windu based on the surviving knowledge of the form of Juyo. Mace was assisted in creating the new style by Sora Balk, and later Windu taught it to his student Depa Billaba. Bulk also taught some of the elements of Vaapad to Quinlan Vos when he was retraining. Unfortunately, neither Bulk nor Billaba could stand the high demands that Vaapad placed on the minds of his followers, and as a result, both Jedi lost their minds and went over to the dark side. With the death of Sora Bulk, Billaba's coma, and the death of Mace Windu at the hands of Darth Sidious, the Vaapad style seems to have ceased to exist.

Also known as the Way of the Vornskr or the Form of Ferocity, Juyo's style was considered inferior for a thousand years. Considered raw and unfinished, Juyo was rarely used by both the Jedi and the Sith. However, it was on the basis of Form VII that Jedi Master Mace Windu created his unique fighting style - Vaapad, named after the deadly predator from the planet Sarapin, capable of moving at the same speed as Windu's sword.

The most difficult of all forms to master, Form VII required the utmost concentration of attention, skillful handling of the blade and mastery of other combat forms from the fighter. In all of history, only two Jedi have fully mastered this martial art: Mace Windu and his Padawan Depa Billaba.

Form VII relied on decisive, seemingly straightforward movements and the use of complex moves and techniques such as the Power Jump and "Surge of Speed". Fights on Form VII did not have the spectacle that Form IV has always been known for, because it used the rolls, spins and other acrobatic stunts inherent in Atar much less often, but the technique for performing the techniques of the seventh form was much more complicated. From the side of movement, Vaapad forms looked free and open, but in reality, every movement of the sword and body was tightly controlled by the fighter. This technique, when used skillfully, made it possible to make your fighting style completely unpredictable for the enemy. The constant alternation of sharp and smooth movements made the attacks of the Form VII outwardly incoherent, which misled the opponent.

In terms of emotional and physical power, Form VII was close to Form V, but here this power was completely controlled by the fighter. In the hands of a skilled warrior, Form VII became a formidable weapon.

Nothing is known about the existence of the Vaapad form in SWTOR.

lightsaber- a very versatile weapon with a unique lightness and the ability to cut in any direction. It can be easily wielded with one hand, but the Jedi have always been trained to wield the sword both with both hands and with each hand separately, in order to be ready for any situation. The early years of the weapon's history, when the Sith were numerous, saw the heyday of the art of lightsaber dueling. In later periods, the Jedi rarely encountered an enemy with a weapon capable of deflecting a lightsaber. Self-defense against blasters and other energy weapons was taught to them at early stage learning. While a skilled Jedi could use his sword to deflect a blaster shot back at an opponent, non-energy projectiles (bullets, for example) were simply completely split by the blade.

The Jedi were trained to use the Force as a link between a fighter and his weapons. Through this connection to the Force, the blade became an extension of their nature; he moved instinctively, as if he were part of their body. The Jedi's harmony with the Force was responsible for the almost superhuman agility and reflexes that manifested in the wielding of a lightsaber.

Since the invention of the lightsaber, the Jedi have developed a variety of styles, or combat forms on lightsabers that correspond to the unique features of the sword and its connection with its owner.

fencing forms

Form 0

This Form was originally defined by Jedi Master Yoda to describe Philanil Bax's lightsaber technique, but has since become the basis of lightsaber combat. The simplest way to define Form 0 is the art of wielding (in the broadest sense of the word) a lightsaber that never has to be turned on. The implication of this description cannot be ignored, although it seemed rather silly to many Padawans. To protect and serve the galaxy, a Jedi must know when to light a sword for combat and when to leave it hanging from a belt. A full understanding of the situation in which this or that being finds himself is the key to knowing what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, all students who recognized the need for Form 0 and used it to find a solution that did not involve violence were truly close to the Force.

Form 1

This technique, also known as "Shii-Cho"(Shii-Cho) and "idealized form", was the simplest lightsaber combat technique. It was studied by the Jedi Knights of the Old Republic and was generally considered the first technique used by the lightsaber makers themselves. Form 1 was characterized by the use of wide horizontal side cuts and blocks with the blade pointing vertically upwards, repelling the opponent's blade during side attacks. If the attack was from top to bottom and was directed at the head, Form 1 offered a simple rotation of the sword to a horizontal position and its corresponding movement along the axis up and down. Within the framework of Form 1, all the basic methods of attack and defense, zones of defeat and basic exercises were determined. In the movies, Kit Fisto uses it.

Form 2

This ancient technique, also known as Makashi(Makashi), was developed at a time when poles and staves were still common in the galaxy. Form 2 combines fluidity of movement and anticipation of where a blow will strike, allowing the Jedi to attack and defend with minimal effort. While many Jedi historians consider Form 2 to be the pinnacle of the art of lightsaber versus lightsaber combat, it virtually disappeared during the era of blaster weapons in the galaxy, giving way to Form 3. In the films, it is used by Count Dooku.

Form 3

Soresu(Soresu), was developed by the Jedi Knights when blaster weapons finally became mainstream in the criminal environment. Unlike Form 2, which was designed to work against a lightsaber, Form 3 was much more effective at deflecting and defending against blaster fire. She emphasizes good reflexes and fast movement of both the sword and the body in space, which allows you to cope with the rate of fire of the blaster. At its core, it is a defensive technique that expresses the Jedi philosophy of "non-aggression" while effectively reducing body exposure. Because of this, many Jedi (especially those who practiced Form 3) realized that this technique required maximum contact with the Force. After the death of Qui-Gon Jinn by the sword of Darth Maul, many Jedi abandoned the open, acrobatic style of Form 4 and began to study Form 3 in order to minimize the risk of injury from the enemy. In the movies, it is used by Obi-Wan Kenobi (starting from Episode 2).

Form 4

This technique, also known as "Ataru"(Ataru) was one of the newest lightsaber techniques. It was developed by the Jedi Knights during the final centuries of the Old Republic. The Form 4 emphasized the acrobatic potential and power inherent in the blade itself, and many conservative Knights and Jedi Masters took this approach with some displeasure. Ataru was most popular among the eager Padawans of the time, who felt that the Jedi should become more active in fighting crime and evil. This technique was also practiced by Qui-Gon Jinn, but his death by the sword of Darth Maul demonstrated its main weaknesses: the low level of body protection and the difficulty of using it in a confined space. Only Yoda, in particular due to his small size, achieved such speed in Form 4 that he actually provided himself with complete protection from opponent attacks. In films, it is used by: Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Darth Sidious.

Form 5

This technique, also known as "Sheehan"(Shien) (or "Jem So") was created by a group of Jedi Masters of the Old Republic who felt Form 3 was too passive and Form 4 lacked power. They criticized the weakness of these two techniques, in which the Jedi Master can, of course, become completely protected, but at the same time he himself will not be able to do anything to the enemy. One of the many unique aspects of the Form 5 was the development of techniques to deflect blaster beams back at the enemy. Many Jedi Masters have disputed the correctness of the Form 5 philosophy, arguing that it overemphasizes harming others. Others, however, have argued that Form 5 is just a way to "achieve peace through superior firepower." In films, it is used by: Anakin Skywalker (later - Darth Vader), Luke Skywalker.

Form 6

This technique, also known as "Nieman"(Niman), was one of the most advanced lightsaber techniques. During the Battle of Geonosis, the Form 6 was the most common among the Jedi. It relied on the average use of Forms 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Many Jedi Masters referred to it as a "diplomatic technique" due to the fact that Niman's followers used their knowledge of political relationships and negotiation techniques (along with the power of their own perception) to achieve the most peaceful solutions without bloodshed. Many Jedi who are really good at Form 6 have spent at least 10 years prior to this learning the above five Forms. However, many Masters considered such actions to be a waste of time, believing that such a high level of swordsmanship would not be required for the fights of that time. But above all, it is skill in Niman that is the first step to comprehend Jar-Kai, the technique of using two lightsabers. In the films, Niman uses most of the fallen Jedi in the Geonosis arena.

Form 7

This technique, also known as "Juyo"(Juyo) was the most demanding technique ever developed by the Jedi. Only by learning a few other Forms can a Jedi begin his journey to understanding Form 7. It required such combat training that even the training itself brought the Jedi very close to the dark side of the Force. Jedi Master Mace Windu studied Form 7. To become a Form 7 master, a Jedi had to use vigorous movement and kinetic strikes. Form 7 uses overwhelming power and a series of movements that are not logically connected to each other, movements that constantly deprive the opponent of the normal opportunity to defend. She is used in films by: Darth Maul, Darth Sidious.

Vaapad

This technique was developed by Mace Windu with input from Sora Bulk shortly before the start of the Clone Wars. It was named after the animal vaapad from the planet Sarapin, whose tentacles move with such lightning speed that it is virtually impossible to follow them with a glance. Vaapad is a combination of aggressive maneuvers and falls into the category of Form 7. Even Vaapad training is so close to the dark side of the Force that it has been banned from study by anyone other than Jedi Masters. For Master Windu and his student Depa Billaba, Vaapad was not just a swordsmanship technique: for them it was a state of mind in which the fighter, in order to defeat the enemy, opened himself to the Force so completely that he absorbed power from both the light and the dark side . Vaapad uses the joy of going into battle, the battle rage, which comes very close to the dark side. This technique requires great concentration on the paths of the light side that keep the practitioner on the fine line. Sora Balk, like Depa Billaba, could not stand the demands of Vaapad and fell on dark side. In the movies she is used by: Mace Windu.

Sokan

This technique was developed by the Jedi Knights in antiquity. She combined the kinetic moves of Form 4 with tactics that increased her mobility and dodge ability. Sokan, invented during the Great Sith War, was based on quick movements and flips, combined with quick lightsaber thrusts aimed at the opponent's vitals. The battles in which the participants used the Sokan technique were often fought over a fairly large area, because the opponents constantly tried to put each other in the most vulnerable position.

Jar "Kai"

Jar-Kai is a technique of using two lightsabers at the same time. When working in this technique, one of the swords is used for attack, and the other for defense. However, both swords can be used to create more complex offensive maneuvers. Master Jai Maruk said that those who practice two swords usually soon become over-reliant on their weapons. Many Jedi have attempted to study Niman in order to master the art of the Jar-Kai, but few have fully succeeded.

Trakata

This technique of lightsaber combat was used by literally a couple of the most powerful Jedi. When using this technique, the fighter clutches the sword in his hand, but does not activate it. With the help of the Force, he moves and defends himself from the attacks of the enemy, waiting for the only moment when he can quickly turn the sword on and off, bypassing the enemy's defenses and hitting him. This technique is incredibly complex and requires great skill in the Force.

lightsaber- a very versatile weapon with a unique lightness and the ability to cut in any direction. It can be easily wielded with one hand, but the Jedi have always been trained to wield the sword both with both hands and with each hand separately, in order to be ready for any situation. The early years of the weapon's history, when the Sith were numerous, saw the heyday of the art of lightsaber dueling. In later periods, the Jedi rarely encountered an enemy with a weapon capable of deflecting a lightsaber. Self-defense against blasters and other energy weapons was taught to them early in their training. While a skilled Jedi could use his sword to deflect a blaster shot back at an opponent, non-energy projectiles (bullets, for example) were simply completely split by the blade.

fencing forms

Form 0

Form 1

Form 2

Form 3

Form 4

Form 5

Form 6

Form 7

Vaapad

This technique was developed by Mace Windu with input from Sora Bulk shortly before the start of the Clone Wars. It was named after the animal vaapad from the planet Sarapin, whose tentacles move with such lightning speed that it is virtually impossible to follow them with a glance. Vaapad is a combination of aggressive maneuvers and falls into the category of Form 7. Even Vaapad training is so close to the dark side of the Force that it has been banned from study by anyone other than Jedi Masters. For Master Windu and his student Depa Billaba, Vaapad was not just a swordsmanship technique: for them it was a state of mind in which the fighter, in order to defeat the enemy, opened himself to the Force so completely that he absorbed power from both the light and the dark side . Vaapad uses the joy of going into battle, the battle rage, which comes very close to the dark side. This technique requires great concentration on the paths of the light side that keep the practitioner on the fine line. Sora Balk, like Depa Billaba, could not stand the demands of Vaapad and fell to the dark side. In the movies she is used by: Mace Windu.

Sokan

Jar "Kai"

Trakata

Seven styles of lightsaber combat

Each Jedi chooses the style that best suits him. For example, Master Yoda uses the Ataru style to make up for his small stature; Mace Windu uses Vaapad to feed on the power of his anger and use it to his advantage (without crossing the line beyond which lies the Dark Side). Count Dooku practices in the Makashi style, which, firstly, is combined with his love of sword-to-sword duels, and, secondly, is distinguished by elegance, precision, and even a certain aristocracy. The Jedi Exile (KOTOR 2. - Riila) owned several styles at once, but did not reach the highest rank in any of them.

Style I: Shii-Cho

When the lightsaber was created, it was necessary to develop a combat technique with its use. This is how Style I was born, also called "Style Sarlacc". It was based on ancient martial traditions, containing the key principles of sword fighting and adopted by the Jedi masters of that distant time.

Style I, like all styles developed on its basis, includes the following basic methods and concepts:
attack - a series of attacks aimed at various parts of the body;
parry - a combination of blocks that prevent the sword from hitting the specified parts of the body;
affected areas (1 - head, 2 - left hand, 3 - right hand, 4 - back, 5 - left leg, 6 - right leg);
training techniques for working out the reaction.

Younglings, Jedi recruits, learn Style I even before they become Padawans and acquire a personal mentor, a Jedi Master. In Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Yoda can be seen teaching younglings how to deflect blaster shots.

The only known practitioner of Style I in the Star Wars universe is Keith Fisto. But, although he was the unrivaled master of Style I, this did not help him defeat Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith. The Shii-Cho style familiar to us from KOTOR-2 is good against a large number enemies (especially those armed with blasters), but is ineffective when it comes to fighting a single enemy armed with the Force and a lightsaber.

Style II: Makashi

Style I, as you already understood, is most often used against superior enemy forces. In contrast, Style II, or "Ysalamiri Style", was developed as a means of sword-to-sword dueling. The style itself is characterized as very elegant - and, at the same time, powerful - requiring extreme precision, but giving the user the ability to attack and defend with minimal effort, exhausting the enemy. The style is based on deft parries, lunges and short precise strikes - as opposed to the blocks and wide swings used in other styles. This style requires very careful calibration of the lightblade, but the results are impressive. However, as soon as weapons like blasters are included in the game, or there are more than one opponents, the advantages of Style II fade to nothing.

In the days before the Clone Wars, the Jedi rarely used this technique. The Jedi saw so few one-on-one duels that they found Style II impractical. However, earlier, before the advent of blaster weapons, Makashi was quite common.

Darth Tyranus (also known as Count Dooku) in "Attack of the Clones" demonstrates the supreme art of using Style II and fights with virtuosity, multiplied by ancient technology. When he showed Style II at work, he threw the Jedi into confusion: their training system did not provide for such duels in which opponents inflict targeted precision strikes on each other.

This style is based on the Spanish style of swordsmanship "La Destreza Verdadera", which is often called "saber dance" or "swords of truth"; the style is "smooth", to use the terms of the master swordsmen, but at the same time, quite hard.

Style III: Soresu

After defeating Darth Maul on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi decided to improve in Style III, the most defensively oriented of all styles, because Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan's mentor and master of Style IV (Ataru), was unable to withstand Darth Maul.

Style III, or "Minocca Style", was originally designed to counteract the rapidly gaining popularity of blaster weapons. The traditional enemies of the Jedi turned out to be armed blasters, and the Jedi had to find a way of defense that the enemy could not bypass or reproduce.

With the sole purpose of parrying blaster shots, this style utilizes dangerously close movement to achieve maximum protection while expending as little energy as possible. The technique allows you to reduce to a minimum the area of \u200b\u200bdestruction and makes it almost invulnerable to those who wield it well. In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi is only within reach of the lightsaber when he reveals himself to Vader. Soresu practitioners effortlessly hold the line, waiting for the opponent to get tired and make a mistake; and then, just a moment ago, the protected Jedi delivers his crushing blow. Of the Soresu-style Jedi, Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee are skilled.

Style IV: Ataru

Adherents of the "Mousehawk Style" (Hawk-Bat) make extensive use of acrobatic stunts - sometimes completely unbelievable. The style was created in the last centuries of the Old Republic. Qui-Gon and Yoda were both masters of Style IV, as they demonstrated in duels with Darth Maul and Count Dooku, respectively. Obi-Wan Kenobi, who at that time already had a decent command of Ataru, abandoned it in favor of Style III, because he believed that it was the fatal flaws in Ataru that led to the death of his mentor. True, Kenobi later resorted to Ataru again - when he had to confront Anakin Skywalker - more precisely, already Darth Vader - in the final battle on Mustafar. Aayla Secura, according to Jan Duursema, co-creator of the Twilek Jedi, was also an Ataru master. The art was taught to her by Quinlan Vos. Palpatine used the Sith version of this style, which included thrusts and wide swings.

In critical situations, Style IV masters use the Force to perform their acrobatics. Incessantly spinning, bouncing, moving at lightning speed, the Jedi appear as a blur. To demonstrate the marvels of acrobatics, inhuman reaction and physical power bestowed by this style, the Jedi Master must completely surrender to the power of the Force, allow it to penetrate into all corners of his being. Having reached full unity with the Force, he can no longer think about such things as infirmity and old age.

Style V: Shien / Djem So

Style V (or "Krait Dragon Style") is a powerful style developed by Style III practitioners who favor more offensive tactics. The defensive nature of Style III often results in a dangerously drawn out fight. The Shien style is the result of a combination of styles II and III. Anakin - both as himself and as Darth Vader - as well as Luke Skywalker and Plo Koon were masters of the Style V.

Style V is based on defensive techniques borrowed from Style III, but turning defense into offense. A typical example is that while style III is used to parry a blaster shot, style V is focused on redirecting the charge towards the enemy. Such a technique simultaneously protects the owner of it, and defeats the enemy. Similarly, this style uses the classic parry technique from Style II, but only in the case of Style V, the Jedi counterattacks at the same time as parrying. Another difference from Style III is that followers of the Shien Style use a frontal attack and slash the enemy right and left in an attempt to break their resistance with brute force. The aggressive philosophy of Style V is frowned upon by many Jedi.

Vader created his own variation of the V style, in which he uses only one hand and casually holds the other out to the side. This can be seen at the very beginning of the duel from The Empire Strikes Back.

Combining the aggressive yet polished moves of Style II with the superior defensive features of Style III, Shien/Djem So proved to be effective.

Style VI: Niman

The "rancor style", style VI, was the standard fighting style in the era before and during the Clone Wars and the Jedi Purge. This combat discipline is often referred to as "Diplomat Style". The result can be seen in "Attack of the Clones": almost all the Jedi who used Style VI were killed on Geonosis. The same sad fate befell Coleman Trebor, whose command of the Neeman style did not save him from Jango Fett's masterful shot.

Style VI attempted to balance all the elements of lightsaber combat by borrowing techniques from styles that were not heavily combat-oriented. Result: followers of style VI were equally - albeit at a very average level - mastered all the basic fighting techniques; this path was suitable for diplomats, since they, instead of tedious training, could devote more time to politics.

Style VII: Juyo

Also known as the "Vornskr Style," Style VII remained unfinished for a millennium. Later, the style decided to improve and develop the master Mace Windu; he developed it into the Vaapad fighting style. The most challenging and most difficult of all styles, Vaapad requires incredible concentration, a high level of skill and excellent mastery of other styles. Only three Jedi were able to fully master the art of Vaapad: Mace Windu, Depa Billaba, and Sora Bulk, who in turn taught Quinlan Vos some of the techniques. Sora Bulk helped Windu cultivate in Vaapad, but was too weak to resist the currents of the Force and leaned to the Dark Side. Thus, it was Vaapad who took possession of him.

Daring, straight-forward movements in Vaapad are used in combination with the most advanced techniques, including jumps and lunges fueled by the Force. Style VII doesn't look as impressive as style IV, but the open movement technique results in a very unpredictable fighting style. Powerful staccato cuts, flickering arms and legs make the opponent think that there is no sequence in these movements - and lead him to confusion.

Style VII has incorporated the emotional and physiological drive of style V, but manages it more effectively (if the Jedi is good enough in the style). With proper control, Style VII can give the user incredible power.

However, Vaapad stands at the very brink of falling to the Dark Side, as he uses anger and other negative emotions to carry out attacks. Only Windu's skill and devotion to the Light keeps him from falling under the influence of the Dark Side; this is why Vaapad is considered dangerous and is used so rarely. Two other well-known Vaapada practitioners, Sora Balk and Depa Billaba, have leaned to the dark side.

In KOTOR 2, which takes place roughly 4,000 years before the Clone Wars, Juyo is one of the fighting styles used - even though it hasn't been fully developed yet. This proves that Juio was a very effective fighting style thousands of years before Mace Windu turned it into Vaapad.

Darth Maul used a variation of Juyo (not Vaapad, as Vaapad created Windu and never taught it to the Sith) along with other martial arts.

Other fighting styles

The following forms are not among the seven major styles; they can be regarded as informal. All of these tend to be based on other styles - with the exception of the Zero Style, which emphatically avoids conflict whenever possible.

Style VIII: Sokan

Designed by the ancient Jedi Knights during the Great Sith War, Sokan combined mobility and evasive tactics with the choreography of Fighting Style IV. Sokan are distinguished by quick strikes with a lightsaber on the opponent's vital organs, combined with dexterous somersaults and rapid movements. The opposing sides used the specifics of the landscape to lure the opponent to a place where the Sokan could be used with the greatest effect.

Obi-Wan used elements of Sokan during his fight with Anakin on Mustafar in Episode III: Obi-Wan searched for a suitable high ground to take advantage of a better position and overpower Anakin by exploiting his weaknesses.

Style IX: Shien

To use the Shien style, the Jedi must hold the lightsaber horizontally. The end of the blade points to the opponent; the lightsaber arcs as the Jedi swings the sword from one hand to the other with a quick movement. In Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, Master Zez-Kai El teaches the Exile this style if the Exile has chosen to be a Jedi Protector or a Jedi Guard. (Do not confuse this style with V: Shien / Djem So).

Style X: Niman

Niman allowed the Jedi to fight with two swords at once, one in each hand, as demonstrated in Attack of the Clones by Anakin Skywalker. One blade was used for attack, the other for defense (to repel blows) or as an additional opportunity for attack. Many of the Jedi tried to master the art of Niman, wanting to gain at least the rudimentary skills of a two-bladed attack, but few of the lightsaber masters fully comprehended this wisdom. Serra Keto, Sora Balk and Asajj Ventress practiced Style X; and perhaps the master of this style was Darth Revan. (Do not confuse this Niemann with the VI Nieman style).

This style is essentially the same as Style I, except for the hit zones. Here they are: 1 - head, 2 - left arm, 3 - right arm, 4 - left thigh, 5 - right leg, 6 - left leg.

Style "Zero"

Not really a fighting style, the Zero style carried the idea that a Jedi should always know when to draw his lightsaber and when to find another way to solve a problem. The style was designed by Master Yoda to avoid the temptation of the Jedi to initiate Aggressive Negotiations, instead using other Jedi tricks, such as the well-known mental trick.

The Sith, always striving for complete superiority over the personality of the enemy, use all possible means - including their own doctrine of lightsaber combat. Dun möch was combined with taunts, ridicule and jokes directed at the enemy and making it possible to reveal his weaknesses, doubts or contradictions. Another variation of Dun möch was the use of the Force to hurl large, heavy objects at an opponent during combat, distracting his attention and capable of causing serious injury. Darth Vader used this technique against Luke in Empire. Count Dooku and Darth Sidious used it against Yoda in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, respectively.

sword throw

Sometimes the Jedi or Sith will use a special technique called the "lightsaber throw" to hit an object that is out of reach. When a lightsaber is launched at a target, the blade spins rapidly, like a propeller, and, upon hitting the target, cuts it into pieces. Skilled craftsmen use the Force to control the trajectory of a lightsaber and force it back into the hand.
When Yoda fought his way into the Jedi Temple in Revenge of the Sith, he used this technique to kill a clone trooper that attacked him.

When Luke Skywalker jumped onto the bridge in Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader threw his lightsaber and slashed the bridge's piers; some believe that Vader lacked the dexterity, agility, or Force Power to jump onto the bridge himself. Others believe it was a skillful display of the Force to confuse and intimidate an inexperienced opponent. According to the third opinion, Vader, mindful of the sad outcome of his battle with Obi-Wan on Mustafar, decided not to tempt fate twice and not to go under the sword of the one who stands above.

This fighting style was used by only one or two of the most powerful Jedi. During combat, the Jedi holds a lightsaber in his hand, but does not activate it. He dodges attacks or defends himself using only the Force. The most skilled of the Jedi will launch a Force Counteroffensive between enemy attacks. Having waited for the right moment, they turn the sword on and off with a quick movement, plunging the light blade into the opponent's body. The enemy is inevitably seriously injured or killed. This technique is extremely difficult to use, and the Jedi who uses it must be a very powerful force user. It is also believed that this style is from the arsenal of the Dark Side, since the killing here takes place on the sly; in addition, Trakata can also be used outside of combat to get rid of someone standing nearby. While Trakata's best use is in lightsaber combat, this technique can also be used to deflect blaster blasts.

"Non-standard" (The unorthodox)

Some moves fall outside the context of the traditional combat styles practiced by the Jedi. Characters like General Grievous from Episode III can use more free movement. The purpose of his swift attacks is to confuse and confuse the masters of the classical school. Grievous excels at these tricks, thanks to the flexibility of his joints, computer-assisted reaction, and an extra pair of arms. Only the most experienced and skilled of the Jedi could withstand his attacks. For example, Grievous could take a sword in each of his four hands, put two hands forward and, quickly rotating them in the air, build an impromptu shield. Grievous used a similar trick against Obi-Wan on Utapau, but Kenobi was able to handle it by waiting for the right moment and finding a weak point in the defense.

Another unique style of wielding a lightsaber is that of Adi Gallia (a victim of Grievous): she held the sword with the blade backwards (back of hand style).

Movements and kicks

All seven fighting styles use the ancient terms that the Jedi use to describe the objectives, the way to achieve the goal, and the results that can be obtained in the course of lightsaber combat.

Cho Mai (Cho Mai)
The term cho mai is used to describe cutting off an opponent's hand while holding a weapon. This blow indicates that the Jedi who inflicted it seeks to inflict minimal damage on the enemy; cho mai also testifies to the high skill of the Jedi.

Cho mak
Cutting off an opponent's limb, such as a humanoid leg.

Cho Sun
This term describes the movement leading to the cutting off of the opponent's hand that holds the weapon.

Sai cha
The term sai cha is used to describe the rare occasion when a Jedi executes his opponent. This technique is reserved for the most dangerous opponents - those whom the Jedi cannot allow to remain alive. Sai cha is what Anakin Skywalker did to Count Dooku in Episode III.

Sai tok
A move frowned upon by the Jedi due to its Sith nature, it cuts the opponent in two, separating the legs from the torso at the waist. Obi-Wan Kenobi, being a Padawan, did this with Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.

Shiak
Shiak is an act of mercy, stabbing a mortally wounded enemy.

Shiim
Inflicting a small scratch on an opponent with the edge of a lightsaber blade. It is also considered a sign of desperation or powerlessness in the fight against a more powerful enemy.

Sun djem
Sun djem - an attack whose purpose is to knock the weapon out of the opponent's hands. It is carried out when they do not want to cause physical damage to the opponent.

movements

Jung
Rotate 180 degrees.

jung ma
The term is used to describe a 360-degree turn maneuver in which energy is stored up to attack an enemy.

Kai-kan
In fact, this is not a technique, but a stunt staging of a well-known, usually ancient and very dangerous lightsaber duel, which only well-trained Jedi can perform.

Sai
A term used to describe the movement a Jedi performs in the event of a leg attack. The Jedi jumps up using the Force and counterattacks from above using free fall acceleration to increase the power of the blow.

Shun
This term is used when a Jedi performs a 360-degree turn using his own hand as a lever and gaining extra speed to attack.

I love long impressive fights. The first time I realized this was when I was still engaged in historical fencing. Perhaps this love was born from a feeling of delight that arose in me from childhood when watching a myriad of Hong Kong action movies. J For me, as for a spectator and as a participant, it is often much more important not the result of the fight (be it a sports competition or a demonstration performance), but the fight itself, as a way of communication and comprehension. And it is not necessary for opponents to be armed with some pseudo-life-threatening objects: competition at the pool table can be no less attractive - they do not have to be masters of their craft either: sometimes the thirst for beauty that moves a person from the inside turns out to be strong enough to compete with the elegance of the master's honed movements.
After the release of the second Episode, I found Star Wars for myself and was amazed at the masterful finesse with which the battles were built in the Saga. This, in many ways, determined my interest in Star Wars for a long time. I set myself the task of developing a way to conduct such long and beautiful duels with a live opponent, without emphasizing the setting. The task seemed unsolvable: one thing is a long staged fight, and quite another is a long real fight for a “victory”. However, practice has once again shown that only the presence of desire is needed to achieve a seemingly unrealistic goal.
The mastery of a beautiful fight, like any other mastery in the art, can be achieved both through a trained predisposition and through hard work on oneself. In any case, the skill is not born out of nothing and requires a certain amount of training, certain skills and concepts explained by someone, which will help in the future to develop independently within the framework of your favorite system. I want to dedicate this tutorial just to tell and show everything I know about saber duels, lightsaber models, and reenactment of duels in the spirit and style of Star Wars. Much of this tutorial material is based on my two previous articles, on the lightsaber and swordsmanship reconstruction, so people familiar with these materials will see a lot of quotes from there. But besides this, accompanying videos and illustrations have been added to the tutorial to help you understand the difficult art of subfighting. Enjoy reading!

Chapter 1

Sources.

Unfortunately, none of the films in the Saga (neither the Original Trilogy nor the Prequel Trilogy) provide full explanations regarding lightsaber fencing, so the main data that can be used is the result of analyzing the movements of the characters in battle while watching the films in slow motion . Based on this analysis, as well as on the basis of various additional information accompanying the film (such as: official encyclopedias), a common basis was developed, from which I later started when developing the subfight.
In addition, when developing the subfight, I tried to draw as much official information as possible from various interviews with Nick Gillard, the director of action scenes in the entire Prequel Trilogy. For example, in an interview, he stated that there are no "Forms" in lightsaber fencing (which contradicts the data from the Expanded Universe). Gillard also said that the lightsaber technique was developed by him on an alloy of all known combat systems (various strikes, blocks and stances were drawn from them) and even took a little from tennis (apparently, techniques for the correct “beating off” were borrowed from there » blaster shots back). In addition, Nick said that lightsaber swordplay was very much influenced by the characteristics of the fighting actors, not all of which, mind you, are professional swordsmen. In some cases, Gillard allowed the actors (and even forced them) to do what was convenient for them, and not what was supposed to be right. And this, of course, could not but affect the final result. And we adopt all this experience with gratitude.
The source of various additional (more or less curious, but not central) data for this textbook was the Expanded Universe (hereinafter referred to as EV), which, in particular, contains systematized information on the Forms of lightsaber wielding. The main resource was Bob Vitas' Completely Unofficial Encyclopedia, which is deservedly one of the most reliable sources of information on Star Wars (hereinafter referred to as SR) issues.
With RV, unfortunately, everything is not so simple, so I use it only as an auxiliary, general educational material. If you want to weave it into your subfight (for example, to determine which of the participants should follow which Form), use it to your health. If you don’t want to, don’t: the subfight, as practice has shown, does not suffer from this at all. Most of the VR data is often concocted by various authors and hastily sanctioned by Lucas' companies, so the VR data has more than once been in conflict with the films and in conflict with each other. In particular, in order to avoid these contradictions as much as possible and not present these additional materials in the form of a complete mess, I completely ignore the information on pollutants gleaned from computer games(the KotOR series, for example).

Lightsaber device.

If you want to know as much information about the lightsaber as possible, then I recommend checking out my lightsaber article in Star Wars. There you will find detailed information on the history, and just a lot of interesting facts related to lightsabers. What will be given here is a revised and supplemented passage based on new information, in which I consider only the lightsaber device itself. This knowledge, of course, is necessary for further reconstruction.
So, the lightsaber arose on the basis of the technology of the so-called "frozen blaster beam". Note that the word "ray" is used here and in what follows in a geometric, and not in a physical sense, and is synonymous with the word "segment", and not the phrase "clot of light". In the physical sense, a blaster beam is not a beam, because is made of charged matter, not light at all.
Once upon a time (long before the events of the films), the first models of lightsabers were considered more like siege weapons, because. the size of the handle and the energy pack behind his back simply did not allow him to work with such a weapon at least somewhat quickly. But progress did not stand still, and rather quickly the Jedi managed to seriously reduce the size of the handle and solve the problem with the power source. They were helped to achieve this result by the invention of a new type of energy carrier, a diatium battery, which, with standard sizes, is capable of delivering ten times the power of a conventional blaster beam (but its cost, accordingly, is significantly higher than that of standard batteries used, for example, in blasters) . There is an opinion among fans (and even among some RV materials) that a diathium battery (and possibly all other batteries in SG) can somehow store plasma in a working state, but from the point of view of our technological level, this is impossible. Be that as it may, diatium technology removed the main problem: the presence of an inconvenient external power supply and cable. It was from this moment that the history of the weapon that we know as the "lightsaber" began.
Over the next several thousand years, the technology for making lightsabers did not actually change, at least about specific general changes, and not minor personal adjustments, history is silent. In order to create a lightsaber, the following components are required:

diatium battery;
hilt (outer body of the sword);
plate or activation button;
fuse;
emitting matrix (emitter);
recharge socket;
a set of lenses;
from one to three focusing crystals;
energy conductor;
battery insulation;
wires and terminals for the energy redirection circuit;
blade length adjuster;
optional ring for hanging the sword on the belt.

The biggest problem is crystals: due to the properties of their structure, the energy of the battery can be transformed into powerful energy flows that are capable of melting any material encountered in their path in a fraction of a second. But if the crystal in the lightsaber is installed incorrectly, or if it itself is not processed correctly, then the lightsaber will simply explode when activated. And note that the energy of the explosion of the lightsaber is quite large ... The prospect is not pleasant. It has not been possible to learn how to select crystals using any clear scientific method, so people associated with the Force find suitable crystals. Once the crystals or suitable jewels are selected, their structure must be improved with the help of the Force in order for them to acquire these amazing energy-changing properties. In addition, they must be correctly positioned relative to each other and relative to other parts of the lightsaber, so that the process goes in the correct order and, again, does not lead to an explosion. It may take months for a Padawan to complete this transformation, while for a master it may take days.
After the crystals are completely ready, the process of creating the sword begins directly. All elements come together according to a certain scheme, and the next lightsaber becomes an integral part of its owner, the line that separates life from death.
The result of the work is usually a handle with a length of 24 to 30 centimeters, or from 50 to 60 in the case of a staff, from which, when turned on, a stream of energy escapes from one meter to a meter and thirty centimeters long. In a light staff, similar beams erupt from both sides of the handle, respectively. However, beam sizes sometimes exceed even a meter and thirty centimeters, for example, there are two-handed lightsabers with a blade length of 300 centimeters and two-phase lightsabers with a length that can be switched between the standard 130 and 300 centimeters. But both of them are extremely rare, and we will not consider them in detail.
Let's take a look at how a finished, assembled lightsaber functions. Initially, the energy generated by the battery enters the crystals, where it is decomposed into positive and negative charges. Positive charges are bound into an extremely dense chain of ultra-small proton beams, which have a huge energy potential. Also, as the sword is turned on, positive charges gradually charge the emitter, and negative charges charge the lightsaber's exit port (so the blade "grows" gradually as the fields increase). Then, after passing through the set of lenses, the beams expelled by the positively charged emitter and accelerated by passing through the negatively charged exit hole are focused out of the sword to a distance set by the blade length regulator, which controls the strength of the fields at the emitter and at the exit hole. The beams move extremely fast and powerfully, but they are almost instantly pulled back by the negative charge of the sword's exit port. Thus, a very thin arc of the light blade is created, limited in space and creating a powerful positive field around itself. The rest of the “thickness” of the blade is only the result of the contact between the rays and the air around, nothing more than an optical effect. The returned beam, using a special circuit, is combined with a negative charge and redirected back to the battery, thus recharging it and spending almost no energy on its existence, except for those moments when the blade cuts (melts) something or comes into contact with another light blade. Both during cutting and upon contact, the energy beams are discharged, generating super-powerful thermal radiation on a small area around them.
To all this I would like to add one comment from myself: people who know physics say that it would be much more logical if the rays consisted of electrons, not protons. But, unfortunately, electrons are charged with a negative charge, and this contradicts the official data.
Now, based on the above text, let's highlight the facts that are significant for the subfight. Note that I basically do not indicate here those facts that are related to the lightsaber, but have nothing to do with fencing:

a lightblade has no mass;
any part of the light blade is a cutting surface;
lightsaber blades do not slide over each other due to the interlocking of the discharged beams;
the arc of the light blade (due to the fast closed movement of the rays) creates a powerful gyroscopic effect, due to which it is difficult for the swordsman to instantly change the direction of the sword;
the lightblade reflects not only blaster shots (carrying the same positive charge), but also the blades of other lightsabers, creating a repulsive effect that can only be extinguished by applying significant physical force (natural or acquired through the Force);
at the moment of contact, the light blade generates such a powerful temperature that even a superficial touch on human skin is enough for a person to receive an extremely painful wound that will not allow him to continue the duel.

Saber.

The Saber is a humanized weapon for the reconstruction of lightsaber fencing. This term arose a long time ago based on the gradual simplification of the word "lightsaber" ( lightsaber- lightsaber (English)) to its current state. It is now used by virtually the entire Star Wars fandom and is a household name for a lightsaber-like hilt that can optionally be fitted with a colored blade for combat.
Of course, in our world there is no beam generator similar to what a lightsaber blade is, so we can’t afford to comply with the rule of “complete absence of weight of the blade”. However, by experience and long practice of various groups, standards have been deduced that help to adequately model a lightsaber in duels.

Handle:
Weight: 400-600 grams.
Length: 25-30 centimeters.

Blade:
Weight: 0-250 grams.
Length: 80-100 centimeters (including the part that goes inside the handle).

However, we note that these figures are not unquestioningly binding. Some people create much heavier sabers (with a total weight of 1 kg or more) and, nevertheless, work perfectly with the subfight system. But such swords have one significant limitation: they can only fight against sabers with the same or close enough weight. It is actually impossible to work against light blades: unfortunately, due to their mass, in most cases they simply demolish the enemy’s sword (they do not bounce when touched, but move further by inertia after the enemy’s outgoing sword). This does not happen in Star Wars: opponents can enter into a clinch (swords “link” and move together in one direction or another), but it is actually impossible to break the enemy’s defense simply by mass and force. The rebound effect, which we will discuss in more detail later, is strong enough to, coupled with the slightest resistance from the defender, cause the lightblade to abruptly lose the momentum generated by the attacker's muscles.
In general, the main thing that is required from two sabers meeting in a duel is that their weight is relatively the same and that the balance of both is at least at the outlet of the saber, and preferably even closer to the center.
Now a little about the length. You can determine the length of the assembled saber that suits you specifically as follows: the bottom of the hilt of the assembled saber (hilt + blade) should be at the height of your protruding femur, or slightly higher if the sword rests the blade on the ground parallel to the leg. This length is reasonable for performing various feints and tricks that require turning the sword: if your sword is too long, then you can’t even perform the simplest twist of the sword at hip level - hook the blade on the ground. Accordingly, you will either have to increase the angle between your body and the sword, or raise your arms higher. Both can end up making it harder to control the sword and severely limit your options.
How to assemble the handle? There are already a lot of answers to this question at the moment. There are about five different ways to create swords: from collecting it from various plumbing parts to a full manufacturing course at the factory. For example, my main saber was made from a polycarbonate rod with leather trim firmly glued to it and a hole drilled at home for the blade. Lead was placed inside the shaft to shift the balance from the blade to the emitter of the sword. Several of my other sabers (for the role of Grievous in one of the role-playing games) were made from 30 cm lengths of light, polished metal tube (you can buy it at the construction market), on which figured cuts were made to order at the factory. Then plastic tubes of a slightly smaller diameter were inserted inside the tubes, completely wrapped with telephone wire (the telephone wire did not provide sufficient structural strength; additional layers of plumbing insulation had to be used to strengthen the plastic tube inside the metal one). And already blades are inserted into these plastic tubes to this day. Both the first and second types of construction provide the swords with the necessary lightness, combined with complete comfort of grip and control. However, I also know sabers, which are assembled from plumbing parts purchased in the markets. True, such sabers usually turn out to be unnecessarily heavy and are not suitable for fights with light sabers.

The next important factor is the material from which the blade is made and the "humanizer" (material that softens the blow) on it. In my opinion, the humanization of a saber blade can be left to the discretion of each individual: experience shows that it is not the softness of the blade, but the ability to control it that determines its humanity. However, one of the most successful options, still used by most subfighters, is to loosely wrap the blade with one layer of foam rubber about 0.5 cm thick and two layers of the corresponding colored tape. The blade itself must have the following properties:

be as light as possible;
small in diameter (no more than 15 mm is desirable);
without edges;
have a certain flexibility, but at the same time clearly keep their shape (return to their original state after impact, and not bend forever).

One of the most successful options, suitable for all these characteristics, are various fiberglass rods, which can be purchased at various research institutes or at factories involved in chemistry and plastics. These rods have one remarkable property that allows you to get as close as possible to understanding the mechanics of lightsabers: upon impact, they spring and repel each other. If a person does not resist this repulsion, but allows inertia to carry their hands in the right direction, then the movements become fast, wide, consistent and (most importantly) very similar to what we see in Star Wars. In addition, the repulsion itself generates certain laws in the movement of the blades, which increases the overall duration and aesthetics of the duel by several times.
I would like to add that, in my opinion, you should create two copies of your saber at once: the first will serve as a beautiful waist version (you can install a lot of decorative details on it), the second - a combat version (it should not have any extra elements that can hurt your hand).

Two types of rebound.

The concept of "bounce" arose almost two years ago, immediately after writing an article on a lightsaber. It was an extension of the fact that the energy of the blades of the swords repel each other, and meant "a fairly strong repulsion of the light blades from each other at any touch." After carefully studying the fights of the First and Second Episodes from this angle, I received answers to some questions that until then had no logical explanation, for example: why, at one time or another, one of the combatants did not cut into two even slices of an absolutely open (from the point of view of fencing , for example, a bastard) of the enemy? At that time, there was no Episode Three yet, but even after the release, it only confirmed the existing concept once again, expanding it with additional information. Guided by my curiosity, I also studied the duels of the Original Trilogy, although George Lucas himself called them “old man, student and half-machine” duels, from which you should not demand much. However, studies have shown that in the duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, in slow motion, you can see one combination of three blows made on the rebound, and the remaining blows of the duel are clinches, which were also included in the subfight system. However, most of the clinch strikes of this duel are not visible at all, because. there are solid close-ups of the heroes. In Episode Five, both Luke and Darth Vader use the rebound more than once, combining them with occasional clinches, but don't actually use long combos, constantly coming apart after short combos of three or four hits. In the Sixth Episode, however, the rebound is more than enough to ensure that its presence in the Original Trilogy is not doubted exactly the same as it is not doubted in the Prequel Trilogy.
However, despite all the data related to the construction of a lightsaber and duels in films, I still sometimes encounter a reluctance to accept this information. Therefore, before starting a detailed analysis of the mechanics of the "bounce", I will give a slightly strange, but extremely important argument that speaks for it.
If you don't agree with the subfight's rationale, don't agree, but don't abandon the system without trying it either. Unlike all other systems of Star Wars swordsmanship known to me, it allows you to quickly learn how to conduct long fights without staging in full accordance with the spirit of Star Wars. Its performance has been tested by a year of regular training of various people. And this, it seems to me, is better than any words. J
Remember that a subfight is a reconstruction of the technique of fencing with a lightsaber, a fantastic weapon, and therefore it may require a certain amount of imagination (albeit based on knowledge of the physical principles of the simulated weapon), which, when used correctly, allows you to make fights that are as authentic as possible in that we see in films. If you try to regard the saber as a model of some ordinary sword (that is, equate it to a textolite sword that models steel weapons of the past in the current role-playing environment), and use it exclusively in the same manner as a bastard, sword, katana or a two-handed sword, then, believe me, you will not succeed in Star Wars. Without a doubt, sooner or later you will learn swordsmanship, if you did not know how to do it before. Fast, tough, takeaway and maybe beautiful in its own way. But to fight

in which victory is achieved with one precise touch of the blade,
which can last up to 40 (and even more) seconds of active sword work (without pauses, without waving the sword in the air),
without prior preparation (staging),
with the use of acrobatics and other spectacular feints

you won't learn this way. Your "one-hit fights" will end with an accurate lunge/punch 1-10 seconds after the start of the fight, which is fine in itself, but has nothing to do with Star Wars.
So, how to model a bounce? Firstly, in order to simulate this effect and at the same time get as close as possible to the full weightlessness of the blade, fiberglass rods are used as the base of the lightsaber blade in the subfight. They bend a little, but do not break (not a single such rod has yet been broken in my memory). On impact, they spring apart from each other, which allows you to get the embodiment of the rebound effect, so as not to model it based only on the imagination. The only way to stop getting bounce with these blades is to purposefully suppress it with muscle power.
And in connection with muscle suppression, I really want to focus your attention on the following. Not a single blade known to man does not have properties similar to those of a lightsaber. Two steel swords do not generate such a rebound as in a subfight when they come into contact. With the same masses, a steel sword that was moving at a high acceleration causes it to lose momentum and repels the sword that moved more slowly. At the same time, he himself loses acceleration and either stops, or, more often, breaks through the opponent’s defense, passing at least a little further. And it is certainly true that a regular sword does not bounce due to the physical properties of the blade (the swordsman can deflect it himself, but that is another matter). In fact, any steel piercing and cutting weapon invented by man is either a pointed / sharpened “club” or a large awl. The technique of using most of them is based on breaking through the enemy’s defense or bypassing it due to speed and feints. So, in order to engage in subfighting, you will have to initially come to terms with the fact that a saber is not a melee weapon and the approach to owning it is somewhat different. The technique of working with melee weapons, which you may have developed when you were engaged in fencing on textolite weapons or even on sabers, but according to a different system, will help you very little in subfight. As practice shows, having an alternative experience to a subfight rather prevents your body from accepting new concepts for it. Only constant practice will help to solve this problem, during which you will develop a rebound, teaching your subconscious mind new possibilities for using weapons (which, we note, will be useful to you in other types of fencing in the future). You can, for example, consider that you are learning a fundamentally new style of using melee weapons, if this will help you learn the system.
Even though I recommend the use of certain materials for the base of the blades, I am well aware that not everyone and not everywhere has the opportunity to find them. It may happen that the material of the blade of your saber in its physical properties will not differ in any way from textolite, and it will probably bounce no better than one steel bastard bounces off another. In this undesirable case, when learning to rebound, you will almost not feel how this effect occurs, which, as practice has shown, will interfere with you: at first you will have to make sure that the blade immediately goes back when it comes into contact with the opponent’s blade. However, it has been verified that after a while the rebound will still become a habit, and you will be able to catch it even on textolite weapons (either on sideburns, or on ladles - it doesn’t matter). I can only hope that you will immediately start working with a suitable springy blade, and you will not have to waste time again, forcing your body to get used to the fact that the "club" in your hands can be used in an alternative way.
In any case, regardless of the blade, at first you need to be especially careful that the muscles of the hands squeezing the sword do not tense at any point in the fight. You should firmly squeeze only the thumb and forefinger directly holding the handle, otherwise the sword will fly out of your hands upon impact (during a subfight duel, due to the increase in inertia, such speed develops that even strikes without using muscle strength become very noticeable). If you fix at least one muscle from the wrist to the shoulder, you will begin to suppress the natural rebound that occurs when two blades strike, and you, on the contrary, need to use it to the maximum in order to simplify your task, reduce energy costs and increase speed. . , which helps to develop the correct relaxation of the hand, you can find in the section "".
At the moment, the subfight uses two fairly fundamentally different types of bounce. The first of them is usually called “basic” or simply “rebound”: the comprehension of a subfight begins with it. The second is most commonly referred to as the "mirror bounce". It is somewhat more difficult to learn, and without a base in the form of a regular rebound, I do not recommend training it.
When using the basic rebound effect, the blade of your saber, after contact, begins to move in the direction where it was repelled by the blade of the opponent's sword plus or minus 30 degrees. Your sword starts to move back if the opponent stopped you with an oncoming block, or continues the movement that you made if the opponent's blade gave you additional acceleration.
Let's look at this theory with more specific examples to make it clearer what is at stake. The first variant of the basic rebound is very easy to imagine: let's say you and your opponent are doing two blows from right to left in exactly the same way (he is from his right side, you are from yours). The blades collide exactly in the middle between you, and at the moment of contact, your swords begin to move back, change their movement vector to the exact opposite. Of course, you can (and should) make adjustments to the movement of the sword. Without suppressing inertia, but following it, you can slightly change the trajectory of the sword (the same plus or minus 30 degrees), thus weaving the grid of your strikes in a duel. These 30 degrees are quite enough to go to the bottom one after the top blow and vice versa, and, thus, completely cover the entire possible area of the attacked surface.
The second version of the basic bounce is somewhat more complicated. Let's say your opponent delivers a horizontal punch from right to left (for him) to your body. If left unchecked, the blow will reach the torso. However, if you hit his blade a little from above and, as it were, "catching up" with his blade (i.e. strike from left to right for you), then due to the rebound, his blade will accelerate, but go down, thus passing by your body around your knees, but without hitting you. After that, your sword, following the rebound, will most likely go for a right hand (for you). The opponent's sword will describe a full circle and return again to the right (for him), which will allow you to close the swords again without destroying the overall pattern of the duel. The second version of the basic rebound is usually implemented with the help of well-timed wrist movements, which allow you to meet the opponent’s blade not with a direct block, but, as it were, “pick up” it from the other side.
In order to visualize both faces of the basic rebound, look in the "" section.
Now let's talk about the rebound mirror. This concept is much more difficult to use properly, and before you get started, I highly recommend training your basic bounce to the point where you can use the bounce on any blade contact without a second thought. Otherwise, there is a very high chance that you will perform a mirror rebound incorrectly, knocking down the enemy’s sword and violating the rebound principle.
Specular bounce is based on the principle: "the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection." That is, after the contact of the blades, your sword does not begin to move where it was reflected by the opponent's sword, but continues to move in a given direction, changing only the angle of movement. It is difficult to explain such a thing in words, therefore, firstly, I will try to give an example, and secondly, I recommend watching.
Example: your sword goes vertically downwards at the opponent's head, the angle of your blade relative to the ground is 30 degrees, your arms move along your body, and do not move forward towards the opponent. Represented? J Opponent places a horizontal block directly overhead. If you follow the basic bounce, then your sword after the contact of the blades should go back up (or rather back towards you, on a scroll that goes into a low cut), but when using a mirror bounce, it will go further down, just not to the opponent, but from him. The Mirror Bounce, like the Basic Bounce, does not lead to knocking down the enemy’s defense. It is slightly faster and requires less free space around, but also requires good skill in subfighting with brushes. If the basic rebound is mainly learned with one hand, then the mirror rebound is much easier to master when working with two hands, which will allow you to competently redirect the rebound energy in the right direction by working exclusively with the wrist and elbow bends, without violating the principles of the subfight. The most notable example of the use of mirror bounce in Star Wars is Darth Sidious's technique in Episode Three. It is thanks to the mirror method of movement of the blade (and of course, the ability to dodge well instead of blocking) in a duel with Jedi Masters that Darth Sidious gains time to stabilize the sword, which, for example, is necessary in subfight and in films for injections. In addition, the specular bounce works great and is often necessary at short distances (in the movies, an example: Obi-Wan and Anakin's duel in a room and on lava platforms).
In general, if you already feel confident enough with a saber in your hands and do not make critical mistakes in the rebound, then you should probably try the "mirror rebound" technique and decide how much you are going to use it.

General principles.

The rebound is undoubtedly the main idea of the subfight, on the foundation of which its style and capabilities are built. But there are a number of principles that are common to any type of fencing, and two additional features of lightsabers that must be covered. Let's start with the features.

Blades do not slide over each other.

Fact one: the light blades do not slide over each other at all. Many earthly fencing techniques are based on skillful evasion/sliding along the opponent's blade. So this is not in subfight. If the blades of the swords are already closed and held in this position by the opponents (clinch), then no slip should occur.
If you pay attention, in the films one rather complicated (as practice has shown) technique is used: one of the opponents suddenly during the clinch “tears off” the blade of his lightsaber from the blade of the opponent’s lightsaber, very quickly moves it a little to the side and cuts the opponent’s brush / brushes, until his hands are gone on the rebound. So, in particular, it is this technique that clearly shows that there should be no slip: slightly move the blade, carry it over the opponent's blade, and put it again. Although, of course, the enemy is unlikely to allow you to do this, and therefore such a maneuver is quite risky and requires considerable skill. J
In principle, the adoption of the concept of non-sliding is not difficult for anyone, and even with clinches, the mistake of “sliding” is extremely rare, but still, to consolidate the ability to control the movement of the saber along the opponent’s blade, we recommend using the exercise, which received the name in the fandom "sticky sabers". Look in the "" section.

Gyroscopic effect: inertia and fixation.

Fact two: the included lightsaber has a gyroscopic effect. This effect prevents the swordsman from quickly changing the plane of the lightsaber's movement. We can say that the sword has its own inertia, which requires some effort and time, if you try to change it. Two facts follow from this: firstly, the saber should be held with two hands. Beginners tend to switch to one hand when using the basic bounce for more speed and convenience. In this, I think, there is nothing wrong, because. films often use one-handed work, but at the same time, a two-handed grip should still be trained: this helps in the future when learning mirror rebounds, clinches and injections. Secondly, the gyroscopic effect makes it almost impossible for a sharp change in the speed of the blade in space. Therefore, the acceleration at the end of the blow, which is so characteristic of all earthly fencing schools, is absent in the subfight. The blow goes evenly, evenly builds up and the speed of the sword is lost. A sharp fixation at the end of a strike to transfer more energy to the opponent's sword and its demolition should not occur. As well as sudden acceleration, for example, at the beginning of an impact. The lightsaber's resistance to sudden acceleration renders them virtually useless. it still doesn’t work to change the speed sharply, but significant forces are spent on it. It is much more reasonable to gradually increase the speed, using the available inertia and the rebound itself. B highlights the difference between a strike with fixation, characteristic of earthly fencing schools, and an inertial strike based on the reconstruction of Saga fights.

Now let's move on to the simpler and at the same time much more laborious part: general principles fencing. I will not give you all the specific exercises that can help you grasp these concepts. Firstly, there are many of them, and secondly, they differ in each school of fencing, although they teach the same thing. But, remember that better than any exercises of the concept helps to comprehend the practice, regular sparring with real "opponents". And even if you are a beginner, do not worry: memorize the theoretical information, and practice will gradually turn it into a real shield in battle.

Where to look?

A wide variety of works have been written about how and where to look correctly during a fight, and by the current stage of the evolution of fencing systems, the basic principles have long been clearly defined. The basis of everything is the correct condition of the eyes: they must be properly relaxed in order for you to see the entire battlefield, and not just your opponent. One of the biggest mistakes many beginners make is trying to follow their opponent's legs, arms, or sword with their eyes. Such a technique leads to an unequivocal defeat, since in battle you need to follow, firstly, the enemy as a whole and, secondly, the entire battlefield.
Several centuries ago, Miyamoto Musashi advised to look into the face of the enemy, narrowing your eyes a little more than usual. At the same time, they should behave as calmly as possible, not rush about in vain from side to side. It is as if you are focusing your vision on something that is far enough behind the opponent’s back, and your gaze literally “pierces” him. This diffused vision helps you to see the enemy as a whole, and to notice all the features of the landscape around you that have great value for competent movement in space during the battle. If you have to face several opponents in battle at the same time, you won’t even last 10 seconds without diffused vision.
The content of the look in the subfight is up to you. A look in the cinema (as in life) expresses a lot and serves as one of the main means of achieving victory in a duel. You can calmly contemplate the enemy, thus making him feel some discomfort from your confidence and security, and show outward tension, bring out the danger that you want to make your opponent believe in. This decision depends only on your personal aspirations. Just remember that even when intimidating the enemy with crazy eye rotations, you should constantly monitor all his actions, never lose sight of him or the battlefield, and not miss the moment of a possible attack by one of you.
I recommend exercising your eyes daily so that your vision does not lose vigilance and is tenacious enough during the battle. An example of the simplest exercise: sit down, relax and start moving one eye as much as possible up, down, right, left, clockwise and counterclockwise. You should gradually increase the speed of moving the eyes (speed becomes critical in a fight with several opponents). If your eyes get tired, do the following several times: close your eyes tightly and blink quickly.
In addition, I recommend periodically (especially during sparring) to practice improving the perception of your peripheral vision. To do this, during the battle, without focusing on anything, try to clearly understand what exactly is happening at the edge of your perception. You can ask others involved to help you with this. They will need to perform some actions, and you, without focusing your vision, will have to understand what they are doing specifically, and, in particular, whether this is a danger to you in battle.

How to succeed?

Reaction - the ability to develop an adequate solution to the problem for a given period of time. So I formulate the definition of this concept for myself. Accordingly, the reaction rate in fencing is the speed with which the fencer manages to work out the correct solution. When beginners say, “I can’t block, you hit too fast,” it really means, “I can’t block because I don’t have time to recognize your punches.”
A person's muscles allow him to move something as light as a saber with great speed if necessary: look how fast, in fact, novice swordsmen move the sword in space, trying to catch up with the enemy, have time to close. And the problem of unsuccessful blocks in most cases does not come from the fact that a person does not have time to move the sword to Right place in space, but from the fact that at first he convulsively thinks where he needs to be moved, and then tries to have time to do it. Accordingly, in order to have time to beat and strike, you need to clearly know how to do it, and not think about it at every blow. The better you know, the less you have to think, the faster you can act.
The bounce helps a lot to develop a reaction at the initial stages of training due to the fact that according to the subfight system, it is easier for the fencing person's subconscious to analyze the potential lines of movement of the sword. Their combinations are connected by a rebound, and this facilitates the task of primary learning of possible trajectories. As a result, in subfight, faster than in ordinary fencing, the trainee is brought to automatism the ability to “predict” trajectories and set blocks in a timely and correct manner. I note right away that this does not mean at all that a person has seriously developed a reaction, and now he will be able to fencing at the same speed using any other system without problems. No. But the first step towards the further development of the reaction has been taken.
Reaction speed is perhaps the only thing that can be developed in fencing indefinitely. There is no limit to its improvement, although at a certain point the difference in milliseconds of time becomes not so obvious to others. However, keep in mind that your reaction speed is different for different punches. The speed of reaction to common blows develops faster, but the ability to react to various special blows, feints and techniques can require considerable strength and additional training.
But the most important thing about reaction speed is that it is almost the only characteristic of a fencer that needs to be developed not through exercises. For reaction training, you need sparring sessions, regularly and, if possible, with different partners. Only in this way will you be able to fully develop the ability to respond to blows without thinking about them, to act without thinking, without wasting time on making decisions. And do not worry, the reaction develops quickly, one has only to realize that trying to understand where the blow comes from is useless, you just need to know it, to be sure inside yourself that the blow will come from there. Cultivate this confidence in yourself, and you will feel how easy timely blocks begin to come to you.
The last important point in understanding how to manage to protect yourself is a clear realization of the fact that you need to set blocks as close to yourself as possible. It is absolutely not necessary for you to beat off the opponent’s sword 50-60 centimeters away from you, 10 centimeters is enough so that after the rebound the blade of your sword does not hit you under any circumstances. If he sets the block too far away from you, then you can consider that you are literally asking your opponent to carefully cut off your hands, which will often be much easier for him to reach than your body. Try to get used to this thought as quickly as possible, constantly reducing your defense distance to the minimum possible limit. In the future, for beauty, you may be able to beat off the enemy’s sword at a great distance from you (sometimes it looks very aesthetically pleasing from the outside), but first you need to learn how to manage to resist blows. When you start to feel confident with close blocks, start to gradually expand your sphere of defense back up to the maximum.

How to move?

If I had to limit myself to a minimum of words and describe the meaning of movement in battle, then I would say this: movement is life. Saber is an extension of your hands. Your hands are an extension of your body. If your body ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, you are "killed". It's simple... J
One of the main things to learn about the art of movement in combat is to understand that not only the sword is your weapon. In battle, you, like your opponent, have weapons and at the same time the zone for defeat is your entire body, entirely. Arms, legs, head, shoulders - everything can be used to make the opponent lose his balance, or to simply hit him. But the enemy can deliver a “fatal blow” to any of these parts of the body. Of course, we will not consider hand-to-hand combat within the subfight system now: this is a separate, complex topic, which is described in the next chapter. Now you just need to realize that the sword does not move by itself, that its movements do not depend only on your hands. The swordsman must be master of his body, not just his sword. Without skillful movement, you will not get out of the battle “alive”.
Movement in combat can be divided into two points, which, although interconnected, are still not directly dependent on each other: "footwork" and "general coordination of movements." The concept of "footwork" includes:

the ability to quickly, but accurately, both reduce and increase the distance between you and your partner, constantly keeping it in a more favorable option for you;
the ability to move in such a way as to gain an advantage in using the surrounding landscape and not give this advantage to the enemy;
the ability to prevent the enemy from hitting your legs (without making an extra move or with it, depending on the circumstances).

Each of these skills requires separate exercises, which we will now consider. The first of the skills is inextricably linked with such individual concepts for each fencer as "attack zone" and "standard hit zone". So that you can clearly imagine the size of these zones for you, do the following:

With your first action, you have determined your "strike zone", the limit of how far you can reach your opponent without taking extra steps. With the second one, you have defined your "standard kill zone". If the enemy went beyond your "attack zone", he became inaccessible to your sword. If it's closer than the "standard zone" distance, then you won't have to lunge to get it with the blade.
Note that these zones spread evenly from you in all directions: during the battle, the concepts of “front, back, left, right” should not be too important for you. In theory, if the enemy is on the border of your “attack zone” from you, but behind you, and not in front of you, you will not be able to reach him. But you can always quickly turn around to face him without interrupting your strike grid. Therefore, it is believed that, even being behind your back, he is in the “lunge zone”, and not outside it.
Now think about it: nature is so determined that the larger a person is, the more likely he is to have both arms and legs longer. In addition, if you remember, we determine the length of the saber from the thigh bone to the ground. One logical conclusion follows from all this: the longer a person is, the greater his “attack zone” and “standard zone of destruction”. The result of this conclusion is the fact that for a person who has arms and a saber combined longer than your sum of saber and arm lengths, it is usually very beneficial to keep you in the distance of his "standard zone" and not let you come closer to the distance of your "standard zone" . As a result, the duel willy-nilly turns into a kind of dance, where you try to reduce the distance, and the enemy tries to keep it. Knowing how to do it right, on time, and to your advantage is the key to good footwork. In order to at least acquire this skill in a minor way, use. To further develop and consolidate the ability to keep the right distance, you will need sparring with partners of different heights. It is desirable that you manage to work with partners of all three types: those who have a larger area than yours, those who have less, and those who have it as close as possible to yours.
The next important component of the concept of "footwork" is the ability to move in such a way as to gain an advantage in using the surrounding landscape and not give this advantage to the enemy. This skill is directly related to how you need to look correctly during the battle: if you do not see what surrounds you, then you will certainly fall into some kind of “trap” of the landscape. If your opponent drives you backwards into the bushes and you can't see them, then at some point you will find yourself in them. And a second delay, while your attention is distracted, is enough for the enemy to inflict one accurate blow on you. At any moment of the battle, you must clearly imagine the situation around and try to use it for your own purposes. If you are attacking, then try to drive the enemy with your back into trees, bushes, and other possible obstacles on the ground. They can divert his attention and ensure you win. If you retreat, do not move back in a straight line, move at least slightly in an arc, as if trying to get around the enemy from the side. Then you will spin around on approximately the same safe patch during the battle, despite your constant retreat.
In addition, terrain can be used to deliberately position yourself slightly below or slightly above your opponent. If you are significantly shorter than your opponent, and at the same time stand even lower, driving or luring the enemy to a rise, then it will be very convenient for you to go down (crouch) and start striking more on the legs. The growth of the enemy in this situation will play a cruel joke with him, as he will rise too high above you, and he will have to bend down to maintain an acceptable kill zone. And the slope, in turn, requires the fixation of the back muscles, which slows down the speed of the reaction and movement of a person.
I have given only two main examples of the use of the landscape, but in fact there are many more. Keep your eyes open and feel free to experiment in friendly sparring: in combat, this will undoubtedly come in handy. J
The final component of footwork is the ability to keep your opponent from cutting off your legs. If you pay attention, while actively moving around the area, many people tend to (at first) take large enough steps for what they think is more efficient movement (for example, to catch up with a more skilled swordsman luring them behind him). In fact, this only leads to one thing: their legs begin to strongly and openly outstrip their own hands and the sword in them. Guess how it ends? Correctly! Often, just one timely swing of the sword, directed at the shin, is enough to inflict a wound on the enemy and thus end the duel with his victory. How to avoid it? Very simple. Your legs must be mobile all the time, you must be ready at any moment, as soon as the enemy starts to go down, either to block his blow directed at your shin, or simply to remove your legs beyond his zone of defeat, taking at least a step back. In no case should you freeze in place and pretend to be a stone statue, just as you should not pursue the enemy with leaps and bounds, who is just waiting for your foot to be a little further than the protecting zone of your saber. To master this skill, use and remember that the body and arms are not the only areas where you can be hit.
On this "footwork" we examined. Let's move on to a slightly more interesting problem and consider the general coordination of movements. It includes:

the ability to keep balance under any circumstances (on damp ground and at high speed, for example);
the ability to quickly change the position of the body relative to the vertical;
the ability to bend the body so that it does not have to block the opponent's sword (for example, when there is no opportunity to block);
the ability to dodge an opponent's blow without blocking it, and at the same time deliver your own blow.

The ability to keep balance grows only through increased and regular training, so if you feel that you lack it, you will have to take it seriously enough. Firstly, you need to learn how to stand on one leg for at least 30 seconds without problems, without staggering. Both on the left and on the right, alternately. To do this, just devote every day to this at least ten minutes. Secondly, you need to learn how to stand with your eyes closed, spreading your arms in different directions. Thirdly, learn to jump without problems on one leg back and forth, to the sides (with open eyes J). Fourth, learn how to make a turn at least 180 degrees while jumping on one leg. Fifth, gently do three forward bends and one as deep as possible back bend (but not abruptly, so as not to inadvertently injure your spine). Sixth, learn to do several full rotations of the body in a row, refracting in the waist area, clockwise and immediately then counterclockwise with the deepest possible backbend, as when tilting. Naturally, with each of these exercises, you need to ensure that the balance does not leave you at the most inopportune moment. J After all these exercises begin to be given to you without significant difficulty, you can consider that you have a basis for maintaining balance. This base will allow you not to lose your balance or dignity in battle, for example, due to the fact that you slip a little on damp ground. Of course, these exercises alone are not enough: you will definitely need to get used to the fact that all movement in a duel is carried out on slightly bent legs and nothing else. If your legs are at any point straight, like stilts, the ability to balance will not help you: your muscles will not have time to react and change the point of balance. So remember: always keep your legs in a fight at least a little bent at the knees.
Next, let's look at the ability to quickly go down and back up during the fight. As I already said, in the vast majority of cases, untrained people provide extremely poor protection for their legs, so hitting them with one accurate blow of a saber in one leg or another is usually not too difficult. This is due not only to the fact that novice swordsmen do not have a very clear idea of \u200b\u200bhow to block blows directed at them with a sword, but also to the fact that instincts tell them to act as simply as possible: stand straight, protecting the body, and repel blows as it will. In fact, fencing requires a lot of mobility (even if your fencing style will be very economical later on) and flexibility. In particular, you will have to learn how to naturally go down to the ground (sit down, bend down) during the fight and in time (effectively) go up, thus using to the maximum any of your physiological advantages. For agile short people, working close to the ground is one of the main ways to make any opponent with a large kill zone nervous, because, going down, short opponents noticeably reduce the advantage of long-armed people in a duel. But, of course, this work “near the ground” should be competent and timely enough so as not to become useless and not lead to loss of head in the most direct sense. In order to master the ability to easily switch between the lower and upper positions in combat, I recommend that you try to practice for some time specially designed for this purpose. Note that it will be equally useful to any fencer, regardless of height, and, in addition, the exercise is of considerable recreational nature, which is often useful when conducting training.
The last two skills that make up the overall coordination of movements in fencing are the ability to avoid the opponent's sword without blocking it, and the ability to strike back at that moment. These two skills are extremely closely related to each other, so I will consider them together. First of all, I note that this skill is given to different people in very different ways. Some physically prepared and even flexible people, for some poorly explained reasons, never achieve success in this area, while people who are much less in control of their bodies sometimes show simply miracles of ingenuity both during exercises and then in battle. That is why I strongly recommend that you do not ignore the two exercises ( and ) and try to develop these abilities as much as you can at all. Sooner or later you will need it very much, and the reasons for this are very specific. The ability to move away from the opponent's sword without blocking it gives you unique opportunities in combat: during the opponent's strike, your sword remains completely free, which, in particular, can give you time to prepare a correct subfight thrust. The ability to move away from the enemy’s sword with a simultaneous counterattack allows you to create a great danger for the enemy and force him to also resort to dodging with the body, which, as I said, is not easy for everyone, and not to defend with the sword. However, it is worth noting that I do not recommend building your technique only on such tricks: do not forget that in the films only Darth Sidious uses such tricks in a duel with Windu, and even then, not constantly. This speaks to the lack of prevalence of this lightsaber technique in the Star Wars universe, so from a reenactment point of view, I advise you not to abuse such maneuvers against unprepared opponents with dignity.

How not to harm?

I think someone will find such a headline at least funny or mysterious. How can one learn swordsmanship (or any other martial art) without harm? Of course, I would like to say that it is possible, but this will not be true even in matters of subfight, and I will completely keep silent about other types of martial arts. Despite the significant humanization of the blade in subfight (in comparison, for example, with the blades of "wooden katana", bokken), any hit on the fragile human body may result in some degree of injury. Both you and your opponent. One of the classic examples of self-injury while subfighting is a “well-aimed” blow with a blade moving at a very decent speed in spin-up to oneself on the kneecap. And about the fingers beaten off by novice subfighters by those who train them, legends can be made up for a long time.
I have no doubt that among the readers of the textbook there will be people who will say: “Is this really an injury? Well, the fingers are beaten off ... So it’s your own fault, you don’t have to substitute ”- and in some ways they will undoubtedly be right. In particular, in the fact that it is really not necessary to expose yourself to a blow. However, it is worth noting that subfighting is still not such a simple art. It requires both gradual learning and a gradual transition from understanding the saber as a club to understanding it as a model of a lightsaber. So, it is precisely during this period of changes in awareness, in tactics, in skills that a person manages to beat off a lot of other people's fingers on his way. Not at all due to the fact that he knows how to accurately, accurately and gracefully cut off the opponent’s fingers, but because he swings his sword at random, often straying into a simple pull of the blade in front of him in an attempt to defend himself from the partner’s calculated blows. As a result, most often, beginner subfighters hit the fingers at the moment when the partner has already delivered a neat successful blow to them, and the fight is, in fact, already over. But the newcomer has already twitched sharply, trying to defend himself, and, despite the fact that he failed to defend himself, he brings his quick and most often biting blow to the target a split second later than his partner. As a result, the partner is hurt, but not because the blow was good, but because the rules of the duel were involuntarily violated. This problem, first of all, arises from the fact that the beginner simply does not know where and how to put the sword, as I have already said. But, besides this, its source, leading to injuries, is fear and inability to control the speed and direction of the sword. And if the ability to control the sword is not so difficult to understand, then the question of fear is much deeper. In order to clearly hold your blade, stop and soften it in a timely manner, thus, strikes even at high speed, refer to. In order to cope with the fear that pushes you to make sudden movements, you will have to spend a large part of your energy during the first time of training forcing yourself to do what your mind refuses to do. For example, turns (see sections "" and "" in the next chapter) or provocative open stances (Windu's famous "airplane" when he spreads his arms to the sides and seems to remain open to an unpunished attack for a while, even if this is not So). These things break down the barriers of fear of the unknown and allow you to get used to the fact that there is essentially nothing to be afraid of. That, in fact, all this is done for the great universal pleasure of recreating the beloved Universe, and not at all in order to beat someone painfully. J
And to make life easier for teaching people, we have recently introduced a relatively rule in our training, according to which it is impossible to hit the sword from the fingers and below. That is, you can hit the emitter (and in theory this counts as a victory), but below (starting from where the fingers hold the handle) - no. The fact is that in films for some reason there is only one example when the blow goes to the sword (Dooku cuts off the emitter of Anakin), although in classical fencing it is often much easier to hit the sword-fingers than to cut off the brush. The explanation for this was invented on the basis of the official fact that the diathium battery has a gigantic charge, leading to a powerful explosion if used incorrectly. It was decided that if it hit the fingers or the bottom of the hilt, "there would be an explosion" that would kill both the one holding the lightsaber in hand and the one who delivered such a clumsy blow (note that Obi-Wan's Darth Maul makes a cut the light staff exactly in the place between the batteries, without affecting either them or important circuits). The explanation, of course, is fictitious and has no official evidence, but it saves fingers and does not contradict the realities of the films at all, so I recommend not to refuse it. J

Who to train with?

One of the most important guarantees of proper training and self-training for any kind of fencing, I would say is the correct selection of partners for sparring. As you understand, in the course of your life you will have to face a variety of people in the field of fencing. You will probably see some of these people in battle for the first time in your life. And if you are not fully prepared for this, then your chances of winning this or that duel will begin to rapidly decrease. In addition, due to the feeling of insecurity, you can suddenly start using completely different tactics during these encounters, which are not taught at all, and throw strikes that are far from the subfight system. This is quite natural and understandable: you are faced with a stranger who can potentially hurt you, and you need to deal with him, preferably without hurting him too. And thoughts involuntarily begin to emerge in my head that friendly sparring is one thing, and a direct combat clash is quite another, in which “all these inventions, like a rebound” simply will not work. In fact, if you spar correctly, you simply won’t feel the difference with a combat clash. The key to the correctness of sparring are two equally important points: 1) conduct sparring with people who differ as much as possible in physical constitution; 2) do not forget to at least periodically carry out training sparring "takeaway".
With the first point, I think everything is quite clear. If you want a full workout, find at least three different types of people: 1) almost the same size as you in the size of the affected areas; 2) a person below you at least half a head (perhaps younger); 3) a person is at least half a head longer than you (perhaps more physically developed). These three types of people are quite enough for the usefulness of training, but I recommend to be guided by the rule: "The more people who train with you, relatively equally trained in matters of subfight, the better."
The second point, apparently, also does not raise any special questions. Because subfight is a fencing system focused on long takeout fights, then, accordingly, without training takeaway fights, all the study of the material will be useless. By the term "takeaway" I mean not just a training fight, where we strive to learn something, work slowly to understand our mistakes, etc. I mean a fight in which you go up against an opponent that you want to "kill" as quickly and hard as possible. This will require a certain amount of imagination. You can, for example, imagine that you are playing a duel between a Jedi and a Sith in a field game. Or that you're doing a duel in a fan movie. Let's just say that your goal (as well as the goal of your "opponent") is to wind yourself up as much as possible so that the fight is as close as possible to the real conditions. It is in such a battle that you, along with your partner, will be able to fully evaluate your mistakes and shortcomings, so that you can then carefully work on them.
In addition, do not forget: if you work with the same partner for a long time, then you can get used to his manner and after that develop a certain clear series of blows, which you will begin to use. As a result, you yourself will limit your possibilities and will go in cycles in certain combinations, which will deprive you of mobility and variety, both in a duel with this opponent and in all other duels.

But what about performances?

Speaking of imagination, of course, I can't help but mention the productions, the idea of creating which attracts the attention of a considerable number of Star Wars fans to swordsmanship. It has long been known that various fencing groups regularly come up with some kind of free-form combat, more like kendo or bastard work than Star Wars duels. At the same time, representatives of these groups quite reasonably talk about the ZVshness of their staged fights. This problem was one of the most important in the complex of problems that at one time prompted me to look for a fundamentally different approach to solving the problem, an approach that would allow creating Star Wars-style battles without staging, on the go, fantasizing and creating. The solution was found, and gradually it was transformed into a full-fledged subfight system. As the subfight developed, it gradually became clear to me why the option is so incorrect when the combat system actually has nothing to do with the result in the form of productions. In such productions, no, no, yes, some absurdities slip through when the question arises: “Why didn’t you kill him?” They arise due to the fact that the combat system does not teach those involved in the ZVshness that the production requires. As a result, when creating a performance, people begin to improvise, try to go beyond the limits of the system that they were taught, choose blows for beauty and do not have time to pay attention to the effectiveness and correctness of the overall scheme of the duel. I'm not saying that you need to start staging only when you have comprehended all the peaks of the subfight. No, not at all. Performances in general have a very beneficial effect on the morale of all those involved in a particular system. It's just worth taking them seriously only when the subfight with all its endless variety of possibilities becomes clear to you, when the rebound no longer raises questions (whether because you will be convinced by the materials of the Expanded Universe, or because you simply like the result). At this point, when you start working on a production, you will willy-nilly view it as just another duel and therefore consider questions such as:

how not to run out of breath during the continuous production?
what feints should be done so that they do not seem feigned and stupid to the viewer?
what speed and distance should be the main ones in a duel so that it looks harmonious in the performance of these two people?

And so on and so forth... The answers to all these questions will appear to you easily and naturally, simply because you will know all these answers in advance, even during training, from your own personal experience.

Lightsaber rotation.

If you have just watched the movies, then you probably expect to see a lot in this section. interesting information. Unfortunately, she is not here. J There are two reasons for this.
The first reason is the difficulty of explaining in text alone how to perform a particular rotation, so all the explanatory and accompanying material on rotations that I could provide can be found in the exercise chapter along with specially slowed down video examples.
The second reason is that Star Wars duels don't use sword spins as much as you might expect from normal movie viewing. The feeling of having a large number of rotations is mainly created by the smooth trajectories of the movement of the sword, which in the subfight system manifest themselves to the same extent due to the rebound. Practice shows that there is no use of time rotations in battle, and therefore they remain beautiful gestures and a demonstration of skill. They are usually performed at the beginning of the battle or at rare moments of spending with a partner and, of course, in role-playing games when repulsing blaster shots. Sword spin is heavily used in the films except for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in Episode One, where their fighting style involves turning around frequently while simultaneously spinning the sword to strike. Such a rotation with a lightsaber (360 degrees) has its official name: "shun" (see "Official names of techniques" and). It can be more or less successfully woven into a duel without the risk of paying for an inappropriate distraction from the main task. In addition, for use in combat, I recommend learning the following spins: 8, reverse 8, 2 swords 8, and reverse 8 with change of hands. You can find these rotations and the technique for their execution in the exercises and.
In addition, you will undoubtedly be interested in and, in which you can find more complex rotations that are rarely used in the heat of battle, but, as I said, you can, for example, start a duel with them.

Variety of fencing styles.

As you develop basic skills and develop new ones as part of the subfight, you will gradually begin to develop your own unique combat technique. This should not be feared or thought to be wrong. Against! Subfight is designed to push people to develop the technique that is most comfortable for them, taking into account their height, weight, general body flexibility, arm length, saber length, and so on. In this, as I said earlier, we follow the tradition expressed by Nick Gillard: you must first of all try to work in the way that suits you, and not in the way that suits someone else. The degree of readiness of your subconscious mind to accept new material largely depends on this: if you do what you don’t like, if you force yourself unreasonably, there will be very little sense from this.
During the year of training, I happened to observe a fairly large number of people of various types, and each of them, in the case of regular training, literally after 5-6 training sessions, their own specific style began to manifest itself, both in movement and in sword control. Naturally, all this does not mean at all that technical errors can be attributed to “personal style”. Mistakes remain mistakes, and they need to be corrected in time before they become a habit. But, for example, the amount of use of vertical movements (getting up-squats) in combat, the variety of strikes, the number of turns, stances, feints, the use of one or another type of rebound - all this remains at your discretion. Showing your personal accents, you determine your future style of fighting. Of course, it will change somewhat depending on who exactly you have to fight, but the single basis will still be preserved.
So far, I've seen how people successfully try to imitate the various characters they see in films, and how people develop their own unique techniques. For example, one student moves in a manner very similar to that used by the Magna Guards in Episode 3, except that he fights with a saber instead of a staff. He relies primarily on speed, a large number of turns with a sword stretched out in front of him, wide blows that do not let the enemy close, and a very clear ability to catch a rebound at any speed in any plane. All this gives him the opportunity to use his own style, which, to put it mildly, not everyone can use. Another subfighter, for example, is successfully aiming for a technique reminiscent of the Obi-Wan style of the Prequel Trilogy. However, as he trained, he went from the sloppy Obi-Wan of Episode One to the high-speed Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan. I have also seen those who try to master the manner of working low to the ground, using a large number of energetic movements that seriously confuse the enemy. Of course, this is not yet Yoda's style, but it is by no means demonstrated by 900-year-old Jedi Masters. J
In general, try to find what will be closest to you, most of all to your liking. And if you want to see a few examples of what this might look like, take a look at the final exercise (in the “ ” section), which simply presents, without further explanation, several different techniques.

Chapter 2

Difficulties of reconstruction.

We all know that Saga fights are an incredible combination of length and speed of combat, and of course we are well aware that this is only the result of a long work of actors, action director and special effects masters from ILM. J But, trying to simulate similar battles in real time, without staging, we are sure to face various difficulties associated with the limitations that the harsh reality around us imposes on us. As a result, you and I are forced to fight like ordinary people, and not like superheroes from a movie with the Force, are forced to find solutions to existing problems in some simple, accessible ways to any person. For example, with all our desire, we cannot, turning our backs or closing our eyes, predict where and in what form the next enemy strike will come from, unlike forsoviki, who have such capabilities. But in the previous chapter, we've covered enough of the concept of "rebound" to understand how it gives us, ordinary people, the same ability to "predict" as the heroes of Star Wars. However, some of the other complex maneuvers that we see in the films have so far remained unrevealed. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Turns.

One of the biggest hurdles for many beginner subfighters is the inability to do a full 360-degree turn during a fight. The fear of getting hit on the head with a sword when you are with your back to the enemy is quite understandable and natural, only now ... unjustified. In Star Wars, turning is extremely common, moreover, the subfight system, as practice shows, often leads to the need to perform such movements that are simply not feasible without turning. Turning in particular allows you to take the momentum of the rebound even on a block that is uncomfortable for you, use it to accelerate your body, and then transfer it to another, safer and more convenient plane for delivering an effective and effective strike. And at the moment when you are in a turn with your back to the enemy in the absolute majority of cases (at least if the enemy works on the base, and not on the mirror rebound), the opponent’s chances of hitting you are approximately the same as you have to hit his. Why is it so? The most important factor is, of course, that when you go around the turn after the bounce, your opponent's saber also goes somewhere else, respecting the bounce rule, so, in theory, it is not a threat to you at all. However, all subfighters sooner or later find their own ways to hit a person either before he completes a full turn and can defend, or, even worse, hit him right after the turn. How does this happen? The fact is that most people who strive to do regular turns do not think at all about how to do them correctly and without harm to themselves. Here are two of the most common mistakes made:

during a turn, a person either remains in place, or goes sideways, or moves forward (the latter is not a mistake, only if you go into a turn with an active offensive);
at the end of the turn, the subfighter pauses his saber, trying to orient himself, or goes into an unsafe stance.

The first of these mistakes leads to the fact that during the turn, opening even for a moment his back and his sides, the person remains in the standard zone of destruction of the enemy, that is, the enemy only needs to correctly strike at the surface unprotected by the saber. After a lot of training, each subfighter begins to accurately place the saber in space and manage to deflect the techniques aimed at their backs, but at the beginning I recommend following one clear principle: if you make a turn, do it only with a step back, never step on the turn and never stay where you are. Following this principle at the initial stage will allow you to learn how to move correctly in a turn:

perform a turn at any time without preparing for it for three strokes;
keep a distance convenient for you, at which the enemy will not have time to hit you, even if he has time to catch that you have started to make a turn;
first rearrange the legs, then carry out the most sharp, fast turn (if you are working at maximum speed);
turn the head following the sword, and the body following the head, and not vice versa (you should try to see the enemy all the time while turning, although for a split second you will still turn your head, but this fraction should be minimal).

Only after all of the above has become familiar to you, and you begin to get the so-called "turns on the way" (when you move away from the enemy in a turn), you can begin to master more complex techniques, which include turns in the offensive and turns on place. It will require you to be able to anticipate your opponent's actions and place a block in time that will prevent the enemy from hitting you or scare him so that he refuses to attack with a blow, and perhaps give you one or another advantage due to surprise and the additional inertia that turn.
The second mistake is easier to fix than the first. First, as I said, in order to avoid it, your head must turn as quickly as possible. Then you will see the enemy at the beginning of your turn, and in the middle, and at the end, losing sight of him for a completely meager time. This will give you the opportunity to orient yourself and correctly assess the possible “aggression” of the enemy, and will allow you to close correctly. Secondly, at the end of the turn, do not freeze in place. If every time you freeze at the exit of the turn, stand in a stance, etc., then for the second or third time your opponent will begin to start his strikes somewhere in the middle of your turn in order to inflict a wound on you at the moment of your second fixation, around your fixed blade. Check out which shows how to make a variety of turns correctly.

Acrobatics.

I have to admit, I personally do not actually know acrobatics. Unfortunately, I noticed the incredible somersaults too late and at the moment I can really perform only the simplest of them. In addition, I personally don’t attach much importance to acrobatics as part of the reconstruction of Star Wars fencing, and the main reason for this is that it is almost never used in Star Wars. Yes, the heroes of the Saga make incredible jumps over the head of the enemy, but in any case, this will remain beyond our human capabilities. So the only major acrobatic maneuver in the entire Saga is Darth Maul's "butterfly" in Episode One. Not too much, right? Nevertheless, the basic subfight course includes the initial concept of acrobatics, which, if desired, can be developed into something more serious and intense. Check out the two simplest maneuvers in if you are interested in this topic. If, after mastering these simple movements, you have a desire to master more complex techniques, then I can recommend that you seriously take up the Brazilian martial art of capoeira. As far as I know, it will give you an essential basis for the serious and full development of your acrobatic talents.

Injection.

The stabbing technique is one of the most effective fencing techniques with weapons of the “bastard sword” and “one-handed sword” classes. Saber is a bastard sword, and therefore one of the most common questions asked by incoming beginners is: “Why not stab?” In fact, it is necessary to prick, and injections are an obligatory part of learning to subfight, but in no case should they be rushed, they should be treated with caution. There are two reasons for that.
The first of these is the high injury risk of injections (especially for girls). Since the thrust is applied with the very tip of the sword on a sharp movement of the hand forward, due to inexperience, you may not have time to hold it. If, for example, you do not slow down the tip that hits the solar plexus in time, then you will end up with a suffocating partner in your arms. You probably don't want it. J Be sure to cushion the edge of the blade with a layer of foam to cushion damage from an accidental stab.
The second reason is the specifics of the lightsaber itself. You probably paid attention to the fact that injections are extremely rare in films, and, for example, I most clearly remember only two of them: the one with which Palpatine begins the battle against the Jedi who came to arrest him, and the one that Palpatine inflicts closer to the end of the duel with Windu. Please note that both times, before making an injection, Palpatine gains time and space for himself, stabilizes the sword, pulling it back and holding it with the tip towards the enemy, and only then with effort, smoothly gaining speed, pushes him forward. All this is due to the fact that the arc of the lightblade creates a gyroscopic effect that causes the lightsaber to tend to move along a once set trajectory and which requires a strong effort of the hands for any sharp change in the vector of this trajectory. Therefore, preparing a thrust requires either bringing the sword into a position where you often remain not too protected, or skillfully continuing your movement (turning, for example) and using the momentum given by the rebound to reach the correct thrust within the subfight. In fact, after you have learned to feel the rebound without thinking, and the basic rebound is no longer difficult for you, you can try adding injections to your technique. Remember that the sensations that arise in the body during the injection are no different from the sensations that you experience during simple, chopping blows on the rebound: the same sensation of using inertia, not resisting it, but using it. You can find examples of how injections can be implemented in.

Clinch.

The term "clinch" in subfight refers to the opponents keeping their light blades in contact for a relatively long time. But how can the blades be held close to each other if, according to the laws of the universe, the blades must repel? Clinches often raise such questions, so I will try to analyze their methodology in as much detail as possible so that you do not decide that the concept of rebound and clinch contradict each other: in fact, they complement each other, creating the entire spectrum necessary for fencing in the style of Star Wars opportunities. To begin with, remember the description of the properties of a lightsaber: “a lightblade reflects not only blaster shots (carrying the same positive charge), but also the blades of other lightsabers, creating a repulsive effect that can repay by applying significant physical strength (whether natural or acquired through the Force)." That is, by applying a significant muscle force, significantly exceeding the force required, for example, for punching or demolition in ground fencing, it is possible to keep, reduce (but not ignore!) the rebound. A prime example of this is Luke in Episode 6, who blow after blow hits the sword of Vader, who has fallen on the bridge, but breaks his defense, despite all his aggression, after only six consecutive blows from a full swing that occurs on the rebound after each of the blows. If the blades of the lightsabers had the properties of ordinary earth swords, then it would take only two such blows to end the battle: the first would knock Vader's sword, the second would immediately cut off his hand. The rebound has enough power of its own that it was impossible to ignore it completely, no matter how much one wanted to. If the enemy seriously wants to resist you, then regardless of his physical form, it will be enough for him to fix his muscles at least a little, so that, coupled with the repulsion energy of the lightblades, will not allow you to push through his blade without significant aggression and the use of force on your part. In addition, in the films, the attackers anticipate those moments when the enemy is going to hold the sword, and not take advantage of the speed and inertia granted by the rebound, but, unfortunately, no one reports such things to us, ordinary people, during the battle. J
Of course, striving for reconstruction, we could not discard the concept of the clinch due to the seeming impossibility of implementation (we could not agree before the fight with each opponent about the strength of the blows and the time when clinches occur), because clinches happen often in films. To meet this challenge, a relatively simple system was devised that allows for clinches without violating any of the other Star Wars fighting concepts. This system looks like this: if your opponent makes a sharp, much faster than the main rhythm of the fight, step towards you, trying to reduce the distance to an absolute minimum, this means that he is trying to initiate a clinch. The presence of such a system allows you to get during the battle, on the move, clear information about in which version the enemy will now strike: on a rebound or in the form of a clinch. Of course, it requires a certain habit, which is not developed immediately, but fortunately, it is not so scary: even if you don’t catch the clinch at first, the opponent (who is quite fluent in rebounding) usually has time to react to your blade’s departure and replace his clinch with a rebound .
At the moment, within the subfight, we are trying to use two types of clinches. The first of them is unusually simple and well known to all Star Wars fans: the blades close with each other in the middle between the opponents, and the opponents simply start to press each other with muscle power, trying to move the opponent's sword to the side.

It is this version of the clinches that is quite popular in various productions and fan films, because. makes it possible to place opponents facing each other, to show crossed swords between them and expressiveness of faces (depending on the skill of the actors) at this moment.
The second variety is less obvious, and it is not always possible to understand that it was the clinch that just flashed on the screen, only in the active version. In the second version, the blades of the lightsabers close, however, after that the movement is not interrupted and the opponents do not put pressure on each other with their whole mass. Instead, they perform some kind of trick associated with the active movement of the blades (and the fencers themselves) in space, ending with the spreading of the blades to the sides. Usually, such maneuvers are accompanied by various turns or evasions, which look very exciting on the screen. It is this type of clinch that some viewers, while watching at standard speed, mistake for demolitions (knocking the opponent's blade to the side with a strong or sharp blow), which, in fact, is not at all in Star Wars. The difference between demolitions and active clinches is very simple: when demolished immediately after the blade hits the blade, the attacked blade breaks away from the attacker and rushes in the direction where the attacker pushed it, after that the attacker either tries to “catch up” with the attacked one, or freezes in place, at the point collisions. This does not happen in Star Wars duels: in any case, the blades either diverge on the rebound, or stick to each other, after which they either freeze in place, as in the first version, or move together, controlling each other.
On the second variety of clinches, a lot of the most beautiful feints from Star Wars are built. To perform them, you will have to master this skill quite fluently and not be mistaken in whether the opponent is initiating a clinch or simply trying to reduce the distance between you. Fortunately, this will not bring anything to your fight except for a failed feint, most likely, it will not even break the rhythm of the fight.
In order to master clinches, study how the clinch system works, and do not forget to periodically repeat, which provides a basis for performing the second type of clinch.

Reverse grip.

The reverse grip is not used in all styles of earthly fencing, if only because, for example, holding a sword with a reverse grip is pointless. J Personally, I remember only the gladius and katana from the guns adapted to the reverse grip. Nevertheless, almost every subfighter sooner or later (especially during sword rotation exercises) has a desire to try what it is like to hold the sword with a reverse grip, when, with the arm lowered freely along the body, the sword point does not look forward, but backward. And then comes the realization that with the reverse grip of lightsabers, everything is far from being so simple and objective. Unfortunately, no one uses reverse grip in films, so it is not possible to analyze the data from the Saga. In this regard, when the question arose: “But how to do it?” - I tried on my own, starting from the basic concepts of subfight, to find a working solution.
The first really surprising discovery along the way was the fact that in subfight, unlike earthly fencing schools, the reverse grip is not at all a dominant, aggressive style. The reverse grip in subfight is a defensive technique. This unexpected fact is connected with the fact that, while respecting the concept of rebound, the reverse grip gives a very significant advantage in defense, seriously curtailing the ability to carry out simple, chopping attacks. In defense, it allows, by minimal effort, by moving the saber within the protective triangle (bottom right side, bottom left side, top center) and a slight inclination of the blade in one direction or another, quickly and effectively close from any, even the most extraordinary attacks enemy. But at the same time, the same rebound very tightly connects the attacking abilities of the reverse grip. Perhaps you are aware that the main advantage of the reverse grip in ground fencing is associated with the change in the muscle group used to strike with the sword, which gives additional power and punching force to the reverse grip: it is much easier to knock down the opponent’s defense with a grip with one hand if the grip is reverse, not direct. So, the physical properties of lightsaber blades completely devalue this advantage, because. physical strength, as we have already clarified, helps almost nothing if a whole series of strikes is not carried out, but, as practice shows, it is rather inconvenient to go on an inertial rebound after striking with a reverse grip. Because of this, a person who fights with a reverse grip in a subfight will have to twist and twist his body in not the most comfortable variations if he wants to not only defend, but also try to attack.
This unexpected conclusion and the limitations associated with it led, after some development, to the second discovery: with a reverse grip, it is still possible not only to defend effectively, but also to attack relatively effectively. To do this, you have to use the absolutely mind-bending technique of dribbling the sword with the tip forward, that is, to defeat the enemy, you will have to inflict not chopping blows, but stabbing ones with a reverse grip! As far as I know, such a technique of using a reverse grip exists only in subfight, where, as practice has shown, it looks extremely harmonious. In order to understand the basics of attacking and defending with a saber on a reverse grip, check out.

"Use of the Force" and "hand-to-hand techniques."

In contrast to the reverse grip, the issue of Power and hand-to-hand interactions of swordsmen has been worked out for a long time and densely in all currently existing groups of Star Wars fencing, so I will not reinvent the wheel and will simply share the developments that are available to date.
The use of the Force and the use of hand-to-hand techniques have one important factor in common: both have to be left imaginary, not real, in modeling. We cannot use the Force (lightning, strikes with the Force, suffocation) because we do not possess the Force, and we do not use real hand-to-hand techniques, because, for example, a full-fledged elbow strike to the eye area can deprive a person of vision. So to say, "you do not want to take risks." J
In this case, we appeal to common sense and boldly follow the well-worn path of experience of actors participating in combat productions of films. As you understand, they also do not own the Force and do not try to break each other's faces too much. At least in front of the camera. In this regard, the following modeling rules have been introduced in the subfight:

All punches, kicks or head strikes go without touching, that is, fencers only plan strikes in such a way that the opponent sees them and, to the best of his ability, demonstrates the result;
All pushes of the enemy (elbows, shoulders, hips) go in contact, but with special care: it is better to push easier than to drop a person with his head on a stone cobblestone;
Sweeps are done only for show, but if the enemy suddenly couldn’t jump over your sweep and contact did happen, you don’t need to really hook him so that he collapses to the ground: leave the speed and accuracy of the fall at his discretion;
A power strike is modeled by a sharp exposure (pushing movement) of the palm towards the enemy (as if you are stopping him) without touching, after which the enemy, at his own discretion, “flies” four meters back, pretending to lose balance, but is not obliged to fall at all;
Lightning is modeled by the leisurely exposition of both hands forward, palms down, with the fingers apart (perhaps slightly twisted at the same time), and the subsequent trembling of the hands, as if they were being shaken by outward energy; sometimes a one-handed lightning variant is used (with a saber held in the other hand), but this is a legacy of computer games that I do not trust;
Lightning Defense is played either as a Power Strike, by placing the palm/palms forward as if you are absorbing incoming energy, or by holding the sword in front of you as if you are taking all the energy on the blade (this may be a showy fight, as in the Windu / Darth Sidious situation). If the protection is not set, you fall to the ground and begin to convulse, as from electric shocks;
Strangulation is played by putting one hand, slightly bent at the elbow, towards the throat of the opponent and bending the fingers as if you are trying to hold something close to a plum between your thumb and forefinger. The opponent, without releasing his sword, grabs his throat with both hands, stands on tiptoe and begins to allegedly suffocate. Both of you can't move.

Two lightsabers.

Fencing with two sabers is an area not covered in much detail in the films. In the entire Saga, we have only two clear examples of this style: Anakin in Episode Two and General Grievous in Episode Three. However, it is known about the first of them that Anakin then had very little knowledge of the technique of two swords and simply hoped that two swords by themselves would give him some kind of advantage in battle. In the second case, everything is complicated by the fact that, as such, the style of two lightsabers is not shown to us: we see four and three swords. Grievous has two swords only at the end of the duel, and he does not have time to use them. In addition, one should not lose sight of the fact that Grievous's arms have unique abilities: they can bend and twist relative to the forearm in any way that we, mere mortals, are inaccessible to. Despite all this seemingly small amount of information, after some research and a number of trainings, the conclusion was formed that even this is quite enough.
You probably wondered why Anakin, for example, does not block Dooku with one sword and does not strike with the second? The answer, of course, lies in the repulsion of the light blades. The fact is that when rebounding, two lightsabers have to be moved in a completely different way, as is customary in earthly fencing, in which there are really only two effective and worthwhile ways to use two swords against one opponent:

or blocking the opponent's blade with one of his swords with a simultaneous retaliatory blow to the unprotected part of the opponent's body;
or striking the enemy from two sides at the same time.

If you try to use lightsabers in this way, then somewhere on the third hit you will simply cut yourself: your swords will get tangled due to repulsion, and one of them will definitely send the second back to you. However, there is another option: your hands will be tied into such a knot that you will simply freeze like an idol for that moment while the enemy will calmly cut you. J
In order to prevent such a “horror” from happening, the technique of two sabers was created on the foundation of two fundamental skills: mirror rebound and sequential / joint movement of sabers. Everything you need to know about mirror bounce has already been said, and I recommend learning the double lightsaber technique only when you get a mirror bounce without too much thought. It will be very useful to you so as not to get confused in your own swords. Well, accordingly, so that both of your sabers do not go simultaneously in different directions relative to you, depriving you of protection, the blades need to be moved either together (both of your blades all the time move parallel to each other at a short distance and, thus, almost simultaneously hit the blade of the sword enemy), or sequentially (when your two swords at the same time never appear in front of you at all: one of them always leaves so as not to interfere with the other). More, in principle, nothing is required to control two swords, except for a rich imagination and the ability to spin well on the spot and on the move (sometimes this is simply necessary).
The only reliable way to defend against two swords at the moment is recognized as a deep defense, mixed with a very clear concentration on the enemy as a whole. If you concentrate on one of the opponent's blades or try to manage to switch your attention, then the fight will end very quickly not in your favor.
For a visual representation of a subfight of two swords against one, see.

Lightstaff.

Many Star Wars fans are impressed by the polished professional grace of Ray Park, who played Darth Maul in Episode One, and many aspiring subfighters are eager to get to work as a light staff as soon as possible, not fully understanding the full range of complexities that await them along the way. . The fact is that the technique of fencing with a light staff is adapted to a much greater extent for battles with two or more opponents. Darth Maul, fighting Qui-Gon, knowingly does not activate an additional lightblade: he only gets in the way in battle against one enemy. However, I will not try to dissuade you, and if you really want to work with a light staff against one opponent (and this also applies to working against two), try not to forget the following things. Firstly, by studying the rebound of the light staff, you will immediately understand that the mutual leverage of the two blades is not so easy to use and the light staff constantly seeks to cut you yourself, not your opponent. Train, try to change the position of your body according to the situation and correctly change the vector of inertia of your light staff, so as not to harm yourself. Secondly, in order to work with a light staff, you need to master fast and harmonious turns well, unless, of course, you want total monotony of strikes. Thirdly, you, like an untrained opponent, will have to get used to the fact that you have two blades, not one, for some time. I've seen people pick up a light staff and start trying to sword with it just like they would with a regular saber. Naturally, this doesn't work. J Unfortunately, my only recommendation on how to learn this sounds like this: train regularly with opponents of various sizes. Fourth, I strongly advise you to learn as many different sword spins as possible. Lightstaff spins are usually very impressive and pleasing to the eye, giving the fight an extra edge. And fifthly, you, of course, should master the acrobatics and hand-to-hand combat of the subfight as much as possible (add Force Interactions to taste), otherwise you are guaranteed to be powerless against the same mirror rebound: the enemy will not be able to hit you, but you are unlikely to be able to slip through for his swift defense.
For an example of lightstaff swordsmanship, see. But keep in mind in advance that the light staff technique has been practiced in the Moscow Subfight Club quite recently.

Two or more opponents.

In the Prequel Trilogy, we saw three fights where one character fought two or even more opponents at the same time:

Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in Episode One;
Count Dooku vs. Obi-Wan and Anakin in Episode Three;
Darth Sidious vs four Jedi Masters in Episode Three.

And in each of these fights, one or another special technique was used. Darth Maul used the Lightstaff combined with acrobatics and superior hand-to-hand combat. Count Dooku used a curved saber hilt, allowing him to rotate his lightsaber in yet another plane and thus speed up the movement of the lightblade due to additional wrist rotation. Darth Sidious, on the other hand, perfectly combined the mirror rebound, which increases the speed in defense, with the escapes under the protection of the Jedi swords and the active use of thrusts.
In the first two cases, the ability to hold the enemy directly depended on the appearance of additional, extraordinary possibilities for using a lightsaber: duality, curvature. If you wish, you can come up with several more ways to achieve a technical advantage over the enemy (for example, in the RV, a sword was mentioned that could change the length of the lightblade on the go and make it three meters), but all of them do not matter to us. Why? Because a technical advantage is just one of the possible types of advantage. In the case of Darth Sidious, we see an example of incredible personal skill, and this is what I put at the forefront when learning how to work with multiple opponents. Personal skill is just as necessary for mastering extraordinary technologies, which often have to be learned on your own, because. originality very often requires the absence of teachers, otherwise it becomes too common and ceases to be extraordinary. However, the concept of personal excellence is too vague, too non-specific, to aim for it in general rather than something specific. The points below are characteristics that can and should be developed indefinitely, reaching the very skill that allows you to go beyond the limitation of one-on-one combat:

the ability to perfectly control the space around oneself: to clearly know the location of all objects, the advantages and disadvantages of any natural obstacles and slopes;
the ability to see all opponents at the same time: to feel the direction of their blows, to accurately calculate the distance to them, not looking back at each opponent, but looking as if into nowhere;
the ability to move and place the sword so that the opponents' lightblades interfere with each other more than threaten you: knowledge of individual feints, the ability to correctly use clinches and rebound in your favor;
the ability to instantly determine the “weak link”: to understand which of the opponents is the weakest, who needs to be “get rid of” in the first place, so that he does not interfere with dealing with those who are stronger, because even an accidental strike can be successful;
the ability to correctly assess your strengths and not spin under the noses of opponents, if it is more reasonable to break the distance and force the opponents to separate.

Each of these points develops only through regular training with several opponents, and only when you understand that most of the things in subfight you no longer have to think about at all, that they have become natural to you, like walking. And with an example of fencing (albeit still far from perfect) against several opponents in a subfight, you can find in the next chapter.

Exercises "from and to": video materials.

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Exercise number 1: wave.

Before you start learning how to strike, you need to learn how to properly hold a saber in your hand. First, take a look at the illustration below: the sword is usually held by the thumb and forefinger, with the other fingers just for extra control.

Second, check out the "wave" video exercise below, which promotes the relaxation of the muscles of the hands, which is necessary for the muscles to resist the rebound.

Exercise number 7: basic rebound with movement and turns.

Turning is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Never forget that, in principle, in a turn, a person always remains ajar, which allows a skilled opponent to deftly use his advantage. You can deprive him of this advantage only by performing these turns correctly. In this video exercise, the correct sequence of movement of body parts during a turn is disassembled and examples of how to correctly perform certain turns directly in battle are shown.