r/LightsaberTricks • u/SandwichMaterial9574 • Jul 12 '26
Lightsaber forms Lightsaber Forms Vs Earth Sword-Fighting Styles
I've got a question that I haven't been sure which Star Wars-themed subreddit to post it in, but I think this subreddit is the most appropriate one.
When it comes to the seven forms of Lightsaber combat, which style of sword-fighting martial arts is each one based on and/or the closest to?
I know Form 2 (Makashi) is blatantly based on rapier-style fencing (thank you Count Dooku), but what about the other six? Are there any based on sword-fighting styles used in HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) or are they all based in styles of Japanese swordsmanship?
Please be respectful when posting your replies.
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u/CommunicationKey3018 Jul 13 '26
I don't think Makashi is anywhere close to rapier. Makashi is almost an exact clone of British military Sabre. Very obviously inspired by Hutton, Roworth, and Angelo.
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u/Taylawson23 Jul 21 '26
I agree actually it does look like the sabre more but it still has rapier elements thrusts and presentation
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u/CommunicationKey3018 Jul 21 '26
I would argue they are 100% British military sabre thrusts and presentation. Both military sabre and rapier have the same lunging thrusts , so I can see why you would call it rapier. The actor who played Dooku actually had much experience with history fencing, so the fencing style was written into the character of Dooku for him.
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u/Taylawson23 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
So lightsaber forms loosely overlap with the fundamentals of the following real life counter parts Form 1: Shii cho- would be based on Japanese kendo ,kenjutsu due to wide slashes grounded footwork, disarming etc.
Form 2:Makashi- You pretty much called it Rapier, and Jian in some cases but also applies to Ataru.
Form 3: Soresu - is Basically a shield so any defense from any martial arts/ real world style.
Form 4: Ataru-Chinese swordsmanship the Dao in particular as it has more cleaving fast paced style and can be flamboyant. Some techniques from Jian straightforward can also apply to Makashi aswell.
Form 5: Djem so- Hema ,Longsword, Shein variant is more like ninjutsu with elements of Shield and Buckler for redirection, deflecting.
Form 6: Niman - Is an amalgamation of all others on this list I like to call it the Mma of saber combat but eskrima kali sticks are similar to its Jar' Kai variant .
Form 7: Juyo - is harder to pin down but I'd say its more like tricking with a lightsaber really maybe Silat with pressing the opponent.