The Jedi have many different forms of combat. They are trained in the basics of all the forms of combat, but only pursue and master one of them. The different forms give different advantages and weakness in battle, and it is up to each Jedi to choose the form that suits them the best.
Form I - Shii Chi
- As the weapons technology of the lightsaber was developed, the need for a form of combat arose. Thus Form I, also called Way of the Sarlacc, was born. Ancient sword-fighting traditions held key principles of blade combat that were implemented by early Jedi Masters in the rather basic technical tactics of Form I.
Form I, as well as its succeeding forms, includes the following basic techniques and concepts:
* Attack: a set of attacks aimed at different body zones
* Parry: a set of blocks to thwart any attack in the specified body zones
* Body target zones (1, head, 2, left arm, 3, right arm, 4, back, 5, left leg, 6, right leg)
* Training drills called velocities
Younglings, the Jedi initiate rank, first learn Form I before they begin a Padawan apprenticeship with a Jedi Master.
Form II - Makashi
- After Form I's proliferation as a saber combat technique, Form II, or Way of the Ysalamiri, came about as a means of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. It is described as being very elegant, powerful, and requiring extreme precision, allowing the user to attack and defend with minimal effort, while his opponent tires himself out. The form relies on parries, thrusts, and small, precise cuts - as opposed to the blocking and slashing of the other forms. The blade manipulation required for this form is very refined and requires much focus, but the results are extremely potent. However, as ranged weapons such as blasters come into play, or more than one opponent is present, the advantages of this form become obsolete.
In the time near the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order seldom practices this technique. There is, if at all, so little lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat involved in a Jedi's life that Jedi Masters have found it impractical. However, Makashi was very common during the older years, before the advent of blasters, where melee weapons were abundant.
Darth Tyranus (also known as Count Dooku), from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, has mastered Form II to the highest degree, fighting with the precision built into the ancient technique. When he wields this form, it devastates the Jedi; the system of Jedi training at the time of confrontation between Darth Tyranus and other Jedi does not prepare the Jedi for the precise movements of a form bred for lightsaber dueling.
Form III - Soresu
- After Darth Maul's defeat on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi decided to perfect his practice of Form III lightsaber combat, the most defensive of all of the forms, since Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi's mentor and Form IV (Ataru) master, fell against Darth Maul.
Form III, the Way of the Mynock, was originally developed to counteract the advancing blaster technology throughout the galaxy. Those to whom the Jedi were mainly opposed usually wielded blasters now; the Jedi needed to find a method to defend that could not be replicated or be counteracted by the Jedi's blaster-wielding enemies.
Inspired by the need to parry blaster-fire, the form utilizes motions occurring very close to the body to achieve near-total protection, efficiently expending as little energy as possible to execute these moves. This technique exposes as little body target zone open areas as is possible, making a well-trained practitioner nearly invincible. As seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes defenseless when he appears to allow Darth Vader to strike him down. Practitioners of Soresu comfortably remain on the defensive until their opponents tire or make a mistake, only then do they strike offensively. Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee are also proficient in this form.
Form IV - Ataru
- The master practitioners of the Way of the Hawk-Bat make extensive use of acrobatic maneuvers often thought not physically possible. This form was created during the last centuries of the Old Republic. Qui-Gon Jinn and Yoda were both masters of Form IV, as shown in their duels against Darth Maul and Count Dooku, respectively. Obi-Wan Kenobi, though already very advanced, abandoned his Ataru training in favor of Form III because he felt that his master's death demonstrated a fatal flaw in this form, but Kenobi used Ataru again to face Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, in their ultimate battle on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith. Aayla Secura is also a master of Ataru, according to Jan Duursema, who co-created the Twi'lek Jedi; Quinlan Vos had taught Aayla Form IV. Palpatine used a Sith variant of this form, which included stabs and wide swings.
In dire situations, Form IV practitioners use the Force to aid in their acrobatics. Spinning, jumping and running very fast and very high, masters of Form IV are sometimes only seen as a blur. In order to achieve the acrobatic prowess, amazing reflexes and physical punch of this form, a Jedi Master would focus on the Force, letting it flow deeply throughout his entire physicality, even allowing him to overcome the limitations of old age.
Form V - Djem So
- Form V (also called "the Way of the Krayt Dragon") is a powerful style developed by Form III practitioners that preferred a more offensive angle. The defensive nature of Form III often leads to dangerously prolonged combat. This style came about from combining Forms II and III. Anakin, both as himself and as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Jedi Master Plo Koon are all practitioners of Form V.
Form V maintains its existence through having sufficient defensive skills, as derived from Form III, but channeling defense into offense. The example is commonly used that while Form III combatants effortlessly deflect laser bolts, Form V practitioners excel not only at deflecting, but at redirecting the laser bolt toward the opponent. This simultaneously defends the user and efficiently injures the opponent. As well, it employs a basic form of Form II's parries, allowing the user to parry the attempted attack, and counter it. It is different from Form III in the fact that practictioners of Form V will press the assault, using wide, sweeping blows in an attempt to overwhelm the opponent with brute strength. The aggressive philosophy of Form V is the source of many a Jedi's disapproval.
Vader also created his own variant of Form V, where he would use only one hand to strike and defend, and have the other held casually by his side. This can be seen at the start of the duel in The Empire Strikes Back.
With the aggressive but yet refined movements of Form II and the highly defensive postures of Form III, Shien / Djem So has been proven to be an effective style.
Form VI - Niman
- The Way of the Rancor, Form VI was the standard style at and around the time period of the Clone Wars and the Great Jedi Purge. This combat discipline is often called the "Diplomat's Form." One can see this in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones when many of the saber-wielders on Geonosis are killed. In fact, all of the Jedi using Form VI were killed at the Battle of Geonosis, including the Form VI practitioner Coleman Trebor, whose technique could not defend against Jango Fett's masterfully placed blaster shots.
Form VI attempts to balance all elements of lightsaber combat, combining the Forms that came before into a less intensely demanding combat style. The result is that the users' skill in each individual areas of lightsaber combat is only moderate, making Form VI well suited for diplomats, as they can spend their time training in the areas of politics and negotiation instead of combat training.
Form VII - Juyo
- Dubbed the Way of the Vornskr, Form VII was an incomplete form for millennia. It was further developed by Jedi Master Mace Windu, who could complete it with his Vaapad fighting style. The most challenging and demanding of all forms, Form VII requires intense focus, high levels of skill, and mastery of other forms. Only three Jedi have ever mastered Vaapad fully: Mace Windu, Depa Billaba, and Sora Bulq, who instructed Quinlan Vos in a few of its basics. Sora Bulq helped Windu develop Vaapad, but Bulq proved too weak to master the flow of the Light and Dark Sides, and fell to the Dark Side. In this way, Vaapad mastered him.
Intrepid, somewhat direct movements are used in combination with very advanced techniques involving Force-powered jumps and motions. Form VII does not appear as fancy as Form IV, but the technical details of it use very open movements resulting in a very unpredictable battle style. The staccato swings and flow of the form make it seem as if the attacks are not linked - but in reality, it is merely confusing the opponent.
Form VII demands the emotional and physical intensity of Form V, but it much more effectively controls it (if mastered). Form VII, when fully mastered, results in extraordinary power.
However, Vaapad borders on the edge of falling to the Dark Side, as it channels one's anger and darkness into the attack. Only Windu's mastery and concentration of the Light Side prevents him from succumbing, which is why Vaapad is rarely practiced and very dangerous. The two other known practitioners of Vaapad, Sora Bulq and Depa Billaba, both fell to the Dark Side of the Force.
Form Zero
- Not an actual form of lightsaber combat per se, Form Zero is the idea that a Jedi should know when to use their lightsaber and when to find another means to solve a problem. This was defined by Master Yoda to address the need of the Jedi to restrain themselves when tempted to use "Aggressive Negotiations," and instead use another well-developed Jedi skill, such as the Jedi mind trick.
