Sith Fighting Styles
The Sith are a fictitious organization from the “Star Wars” universe. Evil men and women who use the Dark Side of the Force to increase their own power, the Sith act as inky mirrors of their eternal foes, the Jedi knights. The "Star Wars" movies detail the Sith's triumph against the Jedi and eventual destruction at the hands of Luke and Anakin Skywalker. Their fighting style uses the classic maneuvers of the Jedi, augmented by angrier and more aggressive techniques.
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The Seven Jedi Forms
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Jedi Knights train in seven different forms of lightsaber dueling, patterned loosely after Japanese sword fighting techniques. Form I is the most basic form of lightsaber combat, emphasizing general attack and parry stances. Form II stresses lightsaber vs. lightsaber combat, while Form III uses the lightsaber defensively to deflect blaster bolts and similar firearms. Form IV stresses the Jedi's physical acrobatics, augmenting the lightsaber with flips and leaps. Form V is developed from Form III, taking formerly defensive techniques and using them for offensive strikes (such as deflecting a blaster bolt back at the shooter). Form VI combines techniques of Form I, III, IV and V into a sort of "catch-all" or general practitioner's style. Form VII is the most difficult of all the Jedi styles, reflecting inner calm but resulting in powerful, unpredictable strikes. Master Mace Windu is one of the few Jedi known to have mastered Form VII.
Sith Forms
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The Sith use the same seven forms of the Jedi, aping their enemies’ techniques. However, the Sith exercise less discipline and control than the Jedi, feeding on their negative emotions to gain increased power. Specifically, they stress Form II and Form V, both of which cater to their aggressive nature. Since the Sith were so few during the period covered by the movies, the Jedi rarely practiced Form II, as they had no enemies who used lightsabers. However, the Sith expected to face Jedi, and trained strongly in lightsaber vs. lightsaber dueling. The evil Count Dooku specialized in Form II, enabling him to face down Master Yoda himself. Form V became a favorite of Darth Vader, who initially learned Form III from Obi-Wan Kenobi but felt that it was too passive for his needs.
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Alternate Forms
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The Sith also employed alternate styles of fighting not part of classic lightsaber combat, but adapted to use with lightsaber techniques. Among the most noted is Jar’Kai, which utilizes a lightsaber in each hand. General Grievous used the technique in “Revenge of the Sith” as did Asajj Ventress in the “Clone Wars” animated series. Darth Maul practiced a variation of Jar’Kai in “The Phantom Menace,” utilizing two lightsabers bound into a single staff.
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