What Your Lightsaber Combat Form Says About You

For the general public, lightsaber combat is usually conceived as a matter of swinging around brightly colored swords that emit THRRMMMM noises. But once you get beyond the early stages of fandom, you begin to learn that this type of combat is a lot more nuanced than it may seem at first glance. In fact, there are no fewer than seven distinct “traditional” fighting forms recognized in the Star Wars universe. If you really want to get the most out of your Star Wars custom lightsaber, you should learn about the various fighting styles.

Each of the 7 forms of lightsaber combat is designed around the unique features of this powerful weapon, such as the weightlessness of the blade and its ability to cut from any direction. Which style do you like best? Let’s explore.

Lightsaber Form 1: Shii-Cho / The Way of Sarlacc / The Determination Form

This is the oldest and most elementary lightsaber form, used as a training tool to prepare Jedi for more advanced forms. It can be traced back thousands of years to the development of the lightsaber, and for that reason this form borrows from traditional sword-handling techniques. It uses sweeping two-handed strikes and emphasizes disarmament rather than fatal strikes. You can see Shii-Cho utilized by Luke Skywalker in Episode IV.