Greetings, Padawan

Form I

  Shii-Cho is the oldest form of lightsabre combat still well-known and in use today. Utilizing a simple style of balanced traditional movements aimed to disable and potentially kill with more modern forms that focus on disarmament and defending against multiple opponents, it is the most simplistic and basic of the lightsabre forms, but can be used to devastating effect when a skilled practitioner was behind the blade, such as Master Kit Fisto of the Jedi Order.

Form II

  Makashi, the second form, is known as the dueling form, well known for the delicate and smooth movements and quick, precise strikes that prioritized avoiding loss of the users weapon, best used in single-foe combat, although a master of the style could easily take on multiple foes at once, such as Master Yan Dooku.

Form III

  Soresu is a defensive, tightly controlled style that focuses on nothing but defense, intending to economize each movement in order to frustrate and fatigue the enemy, causing them to make mistakes, while remaining energized and calm as the user. A well-known Master of the style is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Form IV

  Ataru was created to satisfy those who did not adhere to the simplicity of Shii-Cho, the balance of Makashi, or the endurance of Soresu. Instead, Ataru is highly acrobatic and heavily aggressive, with significant use of the Force to enhance the user during combat. Not suited for small spaces, this major weakness was exploited by Grand Master Yoda, who used his small stature to his advantage.

Form V

  Form V has two separate styles that are considered part of the form; Shien, and Djem So. To use the styles, a user would have to be able to quickly transition between defense and attack, emphasizing blaster redirection in the Shien variant with the occasional reverse grip, while the Djem So variant was mainly used for sabre-to-sabre combat.

Form VI

  Niman is widely considered the most popular form within the Jedi Order, balancing the weaknesses and strengths of the previous five forms, balancing between offense and defense as needed. While there is no major strength to Niman, this is balanced by the lack of a major weakness found in the previous forms.

Form VII

  Vaapad is a rarely taught and highly aggressive combat style that is both physically and emotionally exhausting, limiting the amount of time a user can remain in combat for. Notable users include Master Mace Windu. Technically, there is a Juyo variant, although it is heavily discouraged on account of the mindset that it uses, drawing upon negative emotions and anger to fuel the attacks, causing many users to Fall.

Jar'Kai

  Not a form in and of itself, Jar’Kai refers to the method of using more than one lightsabre blade during combat, using one of the seven forms listed above with the added difficulty and benefit of at least two total lightsabres to control. Variants of Jar’Kai, reliant on the physiological/technological capabilities of the user, include using more then two lightsabres at once.