Does anyone read the entire posting I made or just pull what they want out of context to make their points?
Example: I say "A lightsaber cuts on every aspect of its surface. True these are not real lightsabers, but the blade should be treated as such while dueling. This changes how one uses the blades. You also can block on every aspect of the blade, something you cannot do in steel bladed dueling."
Novastar Says: "Sword forms that require usage of cutting edge vs. flat are irrelevant to polycarbonate tube "combat". My opinion. Everyone has one!
Same basic concept, different words. Yes Novastar everybody has a opinion. Your opinion is just that, YOUR opinion. It is not 100% correct fact that it is chisled in stone. My opinion is MY opinion and it is not wrong just because it disagrees with YOUR opinion. You teach a course in a school called the "Cutting Edge" and I teach several courses in a school called the Carolina Saber Academy. I throughly understand the differences between steel and polycarbonate dueling. Whereas you just blow off Lightsaber dueling techniques as "a joke", I take standard fencing techiques and modify them according to the 7 standard forms to fit into the Star Wars universe and teach the fighting forms from that standpoint. We haven't finished modifying all 7 forms yet, but they are in the works. The original rules laid out in the original article are not modified. We add hand grips, velocitites, standard blocks and attacks. Just like NY Jedi does, only he does on a much larger scale. It is a growing movement and you won't find one person who runs a Lightsaber training school that will agree with your stance on the 7 forms.
If someone is struck by a polycarbonate "blade" an appropriate "injury" is added to the student and they are either "injured to the point of incapacity" or "dead". We don't use a point system, we have them duel until the wounds indicate a clear victor. Proper protection is worn at all times.
Arthelion says "Forms are made up, just like the rest of star wars.....it makes for great descriptions, but just doesn't translate into real life. Example.....Qui Gon and yoda supposedly both practice Ataru, but its clear to anyone who watches the movies that while yoda is clearly jumping on almost every strike, Qui-Gon does very little in the way of acrobatics." Of course the fact that Qui Gonn is 6'-4" and Yoda is 3'-2" has nothing whatsoever to do with their differences in the same style? Even fiction has to have some basis in fact to be believable. Of course the forms are made up! The whole bloody Star Wars universe is made up, as you pointed out. The point is, if you are going to "play" within the rules of this universe then you should use the rules of this universe, to include sword fighting techniques. Natrually we can't just and flip and toss objects like the Jedi, but we can use the same basic sword fighting forms they use for that touch of authenticity.
Neophyl and Xwingband, I suggest you re-read the article. Not only do you have the basic premise of the article wrong, you have the qualifications of those who wrote the article wrong. The seven forms of lightsaber combat were introduced in issue 62 of the Starwars Insider starting on page 32. It was written by 2 fellows, one of whom is a professional fencer Jalk "Stelen" Bobo and Dr. David West Reynolds, at the request of George Lucas to fill knowledge gaps on Lightsaber dueling. Thye did not have the input of Nick Gillard but developed the forms by analysing the moves of the fighters from EPI & EP II. Yes I realize that all of this is fantasy. However the polycarbonate blades are real and can cause real and serious damage if proper technique and simple safety rules are not followed.
The 7 forms were drafted to cover the rules of combat in the Starwars universe, they have their basis in tradional techniques and are just snazzed up a bit to make the moves look good and to take into account a blade that cuts on all sides with minimal effort. If folks want to learn these techniques for whatever reason (movie making or role playing or whatever), than those are the techniques that they should be taught, by someone who has mastered THOSE techniques. They should NOT study traditional steel to steel eastern or western fencing techniques and attempt to transistion them over. It won't look right and it won't feel right. If you want to learn traditional steel to steel eastern or western fencing techniques then by all means do so, from someone who has mastered those techniques and teaches them accordingly, like Novastar.
In the end, to quote Novastar, we all have an opinion. This is mine. It is right for me, my instructors, and my students. You don't like it, OH WELL!
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Maybe someday I'll be around the Carolinas to do so? Last time I was across the states was for the Summer Nationals several years years ago, but that was about it.
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