A Deeper Look: Lightsaber Combat Forms – Form I: Shii-Cho

Becoming proficient in the nuances of lightsaber warfare can take years, even a lifetime. But inexperienced fans fail to understand that Star Wars lightsaber fights involve more than just two players attempting to hit each other using made-up moves. While sabre duels may appear to the uninitiated eye to be chaotic hack-and-slash battles, each fighter typically employs one of the seven established fighting techniques, or forms, that have been developed and codified throughout time.

Shii-Cho form, sometimes called The Way of the Sarlacc and The Determination Form, is the oldest and most fundamental of the seven lightsaber forms. Instructors typically teach Jedi apprentices the Shii-Cho lightsaber form initially. In addition to being a legitimate fighting style in and of itself, it imparts essential abilities necessary for proficiency in styles from more recent eras. Because of this, Shii-Cho is the best place for Ultraforcesabers to begin learning about the seven different lightsaber combat forms.

The Development of Shii-Cho

It is impossible to say with certainty when Shii-Cho originated, as is the case with many traditions of ancient origin. However, it is almost a given that the Jedi created it. It came together over a long time with contributions from many practitioners whose identities are unknown to us. This growth culminated in a fundamental style that taught the practitioner to perform straightforward, effective offensive and defensive manoeuvres.

Most Shii-Cho is focused on attacks and parries that resemble those found in conventional sword duelling. Without a doubt, Shii-Cho's early lightsabre history gave rise to this characteristic.

The creators of the new lightsabre designed it using traditional sword fighting techniques. They did this because they had no other inspiration. These borrowed techniques proved very successful for lightsabre practitioners during this era.

Shii-Cho's effectiveness was mainly due to the lightsaber's natural advantage over traditional combat weapons like polearms and clubs. A plasma lightsabre is superior to a wooden club or steel sword, which can cut through nearly any material. Shii-Cho added broad, sweeping attacks that could hit several targets simultaneously because of this. Still, Shii-Cho usually emphasised disarming opponents—a Jedi principle—more than dealing deadly strikes.

 

The Limitations of Shii-Cho

Shii-Cho was created before lightsabers were commonly used in the galaxy, so she was intended for something other than one-on-one battles with other sabre wielders. That became problematic when the Jedi started facing up against lightsaber-wielding opponents. Shii-Cho's vulnerability directly inspired other lightsabre combat forms in this area.

Additionally, it meant that Shii-Cho was increasingly recognised as a training aid that served as a basis for learning more complex techniques. However, Shii-Cho has long been regarded as a legitimate fighting style, and notable practitioners in the discipline have included Kit Fisto and the renowned Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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