Star Wars Lightsaber battles and real life fencer ego

[Stuart Mackey]

Well, I mean its quite stupid, the amount of disdain for fencing these idiots show and the exhaulting of the 'holy katana arts'.... Especially when fencing practices of shallow cuts and quick attacks would fit with lightsabers more than kenjutsu. Also, all credible kenjutsu and iaido instructors have a geniune respect for fencing, something the majority of this board does not. For that I have to say this: Don't complain about someone else's ego before looking in your own backyard.

Indeed, I couldnt agree more. Mind you, one also has to educate people about the difference between combat swordsmanship and sport fencing as well. People do tend to equate sport fencing with genuine European sword combat, then compare that to the asian arts, then proclaim the 'Cult of the Katana' as the winner.
Swordsmanship is not the only area which suffers from this problem.

[ChaosBurnFlame]

Well, I mean its quite stupid, the amount of disdain for fencing these idiots show and the exhaulting of the 'holy katana arts'.... Especially when fencing practices of shallow cuts and quick attacks would fit with lightsabers more than kenjutsu. Also, all credible kenjutsu and iaido instructors have a geniune respect for fencing, something the majority of this board does not. For that I have to say this: Don't complain about someone else's ego before looking in your own backyard.

Indeed, I couldnt agree more. Mind you, one also has to educate people about the difference between combat swordsmanship and sport fencing as well. People do tend to equate sport fencing with genuine European sword combat, then compare that to the asian arts, then proclaim the 'Cult of the Katana' as the winner.
Swordsmanship is not the only area which suffers from this problem.

Yeah, that's a horrible equation. That's like saying Shinai tournament kendo is the same art they used back in the Sengoku era.

[ChaosBurnFlame]

And to answer the original question: Yes, a skilled combat style fencer with a lightsaber can defeat Darth Maul because Maul's weaknesses would allow said fencer to swing around the sides and make very shallow, quick cuts using the maximum reach he has while staying relatively out of Maul's reach and range as long as Maul has both blades out. This is simply due to the fact that the lightsaber works extremely with with accordance of the combat style of a fencer.

[Stuart Mackey]

Yeah, that's a horrible equation. That's like saying Shinai tournament kendo is the same art they used back in the Sengoku era.

It is an equation that irritates me no end. Never sit in a movie with me

[Slartibartfast]

How can you compare those faery-tale thin metal foils with real life weapons like lightsabers! OMG u r retarded!

[ChaosBurnFlame]

.................. I never said foil. I said epees and rapiers which are actually rather thick.

[ChaosBurnFlame]

Thread should read "Stardestroyer.net forumite ego vs actual history and science of warfare"

[ShinjiGohan]

How's this explanation for the unnecessary wide swings, flashy parries, and stupid twirls? If Jedi use TK to obstruct each other, these phenomenon may not be deliberate, pre-meditaded actions at all, but rather reactions to have someone TK your arm clear of its intended path. The only reason they can still fight is because they know beforehand they're going to be TKed and know how to salvage an intended efficient maneuver and turn it into a wide, sweeping one. Thus, a Jedi in a Ysalimiri field would most likely fight like a competent swordsman.

Perhaps when a fighter fights with a lightsaber that attacks unorthidoxly, the force resonds by an unorthidox attack. So it someone where to attack in a style that is more like what we have on earth, the force would have them block in a manner that we would expect.

[ChaosBurnFlame]

How's this explanation for the unnecessary wide swings, flashy parries, and stupid twirls? If Jedi use TK to obstruct each other, these phenomenon may not be deliberate, pre-meditaded actions at all, but rather reactions to have someone TK your arm clear of its intended path. The only reason they can still fight is because they know beforehand they're going to be TKed and know how to salvage an intended efficient maneuver and turn it into a wide, sweeping one. Thus, a Jedi in a Ysalimiri field would most likely fight like a competent swordsman.

It still doesn't follow the most logical principle of swordsmanship: Conservation of movement. I can see, however, how spinning around like a whirly bird might help if ya got 100 people shooting at you(as a moving target vs stationary target), and since swordsmanship on earth NEVER revolved around using an offensive weapon to block projectiles, it WOULD be understandable that the doctorine of jedi vs blasters would be somewhat different. HOWEVER, in a lightsaber against lightsaber battle, such things as conservation of movement and active use of precognition in series of feints should be more apparant, yet isn't. It isn't a question of what tools are in the jedi's toolbox, but how he uses them. One swordsman standing relatively still with his sword in a basic ready position is damn near impossible to defeat with another sword IF he keeps that stance and IF both fighters of equal physical ability. Consequentially, have one jedi with a lightsaber extended outward in a fencing pose and have him rotate his wrist in a snakelike motion, it may look silly. Have 5 of them doing it and you have a beserker wall.