#form i

AKA The Determination Form or The Way of the Sarlacc.

“It is simple, and its simplicity is strength.”

It’s said to be the oldest and most basic of the ways of using a lightsaber, so it wasn’t originally made to fight other lightsabers. Its stance is open and almost eager to jump into fray.

Though its moves are simple and basic (it’s the form taught first to anyone learning how to properly swing a lightsaber and not lop off a limb or two accidentally, own or others), it is still the most versatile for battlefields - as the Force flows through the Jedi, both User and Lightsaber flow through the battle.

Positive Aspects: it’s the most fluid of the styles, targeting body’s strike zones, it is the easiest way to disarm and debilitate several opponents, by use of flowing swings.

Like the tentacles of a Sarlacc, the Practitioner persistently waves around, looking to get past their foe's defenses.

Negative Aspects: the temptation to injure your enemies is strong, as the Shii-Cho practitioner gives into the flow of the battle, and in the hands of a unprepared user, Form I can tempt going for extra-harmful moves.

Also, it’s a weak style against single skilled opponents. There are also several easy to spot holes in the Form I, with its open slashes - some call Form I’s bladework “clumsy”.

Form I, also known as Shii-Cho, was the first lightsaber combat form. Developed early in the history of the Jedi, before the Sith, Form I adapted traditional sword-fighting techniques. Shii-Cho was ineffective against other lightsaber wielders, as it aimed to disarm and disable combatants when outnumbered. An experienced practitioner was unpredictable and dangerous. Shii-Cho was Kit Fisto’s form of choice.

Source: The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force (2010)

First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (2002)

Being the First Form of the Lightsaber, Known Among the Orders as the Way of the Sarlacc

As compiled in the Archives of Ossus from texts lost and recovered, and from the oral traditions of both Temple and Tomb:

§ I. Of the Grip: The Meeting of Flesh and Hilt

Annotation: The grip is not merely how one holds the weapon, but how one declares intent.

The grip of Shii-Cho is as straightforward as its purpose. Known as the hammer-grip, it aligns the hand, wrist, and forearm into a single unbroken line — the better to transfer the full weight and will of the wielder into every stroke. Two hands are customarily used, not for control alone, but to drive the Form’s hammering blows with unrelenting force.

Some, whether through might of physique or purpose of design, elect to wield the blade single-handed. This is rare, and not without risk, yet it allows for versatility: the pairing of saber with off-hand blade, blaster, or the application of the Force itself.

Among the wielders of exotic hilts — the lightwhip, the cross-blade, the segmented pike — the grip must bend to the weapon’s demands. Yet even so, the spirit of Shii-Cho remains. The saber is not adorned, but obeyed. The Form suffers no unnecessary motion.

§ II. Of Stance and Motion: The Root and the Wind

Annotation: The warrior’s stance is his fortress; his motion, his assault.

The Shii-Cho practitioner assumes a broad and grounded stance, knees bent and spread beyond the line of the shoulders. Such footing provides balance against the push and pull of combat, and minimizes the profile one presents to a foe.

The saber is held low at the waist, angled upward like a watchful flame, ever ready to rise. Movement is not made in bounding strides, but in short, deliberate steps — a sliding motion, smooth and cautious, preserving the warrior’s center while maintaining constant pressure on the foe.

And yet, in the moment of engagement, this stillness becomes sudden ferocity. A burst of motion closes the distance; the blade surges forward like a thrown spear. Shii-Cho is never uncertain. Its footwork is not beautiful, but it is inevitable.

§ III. Of Offensive Doctrine: The Strike Without Hesitation

Annotation: Shii-Cho does not whisper. It declares.

The attack patterns of Shii-Cho are direct and deliberate. They favor straight lines, clear angles, and a logic that brooks no deception. Where more ornate Forms encircle, feint, or spiral, Shii-Cho strikes from the shoulder, down the line, through bone and will.

Each blow is delivered with maximum force, meant to batter and breach, not slip and slide. The strikes are limited in number, but absolute in intent — designed to overwhelm an opponent by pace, power, and persistence.

To the untrained eye, the Form may seem predictable. Yet therein lies its hidden strength. A master may invite contempt through repetition, only to reveal — too late — that the rhythm was the trap, and the strike was already in motion.

§ IV. Of Defensive Practice: Offense as Bulwark

Annotation: In Shii-Cho, to block is to contest. There is no yielding.

Shii-Cho does not divide offense from defense. The same angles which strike may also deflect, and the warrior is taught to meet blade with blade, not with caution, but with force.

This technique — to strike the enemy’s weapon directly — demands timing, strength, and confidence. It may shatter the will of an attacker, or even turn his blade against him. In the hands of a true master, such counters are delivered with such impact that both weapons continue through, biting flesh beyond the clash.

Yet the Form is not without challenge. Against duelists who wield two sabers, or those who move with speed beyond reckoning, the rigidity of Shii-Cho may falter. Its lack of pure reactive parries can be a weakness — unless the practitioner makes of himself an impenetrable wall of motion, where each block is but a delayed attack.

§ V. Of the Nature of the Form: Words and Reflections

Annotation: Each Form has its temperament. Shii-Cho is a forge-fire — hot, raw, unrelenting.

Let the student know the words by which Shii-Cho has been known:

Aggressive, yet not wild.

Blunt, yet precise.

Hammering, forceful, raw.

Straightforward, unsophisticated, but never foolish.

Unsubtle, offensive, bullish, yet possessed of undeniable truth.

It is not a Form that deceives, but neither is it one that apologizes. Its virtue lies in honesty of purpose. It seeks to end conflict — not to prolong it. It wins battles because it refuses to do anything else.

§ VI. Of the Opinions of the Other Forms

Annotation: Each Form speaks in the voice of its time. Shii-Cho speaks in the voice of war.

To Makashi: “Duelist, let us speak again when the battlefield is soaked in chaos and your stance is trampled beneath the wounded.”

To Soresu: “You cannot be struck, yet you cannot strike. Shall we call it a draw, and see who tires first?”

To Ataru: “You soar. I endure. Let us see which reaches the end.”

To Djem So: “You are my child, though dressed in complexity.”

To Niman: “Speak your truths to diplomats. Mine is a warrior’s tongue.”

To Vaapad: “You burn bright, and I strike where your fire does not reach.”

These are not jeers, but judgments — each forged in the fires of long observation.

§ VII. Of a Battle Remembered

From the Chronicle of the Bastion Siege, 1,005 BBY

“The Sith came forward, not as a duelist, but as a force of nature. His blade fell again and again, and the wind howled in its wake. The Padawan, swift of foot and graceful in form, sought to evade — yet there was no evasion. The Sith’s motion was not art, but domination. The angles of his blade cut off every escape, every opening, until there was only the next blow... and the next... and the last.

What is a broadsaber? | Lightsaber Terminology

A broadsaber is a rare lightsaber variation that emits a flat lightsaber blade instead of a standard, more common cylindrical lightsaber blade. A specialized focusing lens and emitter enables the emission of the flat blade, according to Star Wars Canon.

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I've decided that I want to provide rulers for my Form I students, all 150 of them. They are diligent students with intensely precise handwriting and use rulers for just about everything, from underlining important sentences to creating their own margins in their exercise books. Everything I write on the board is underlined in the correct places, usually twice, and they meticulously draw everything I draw on the board, including nearly illegible stick figures. Their assignments may not always be correct, but you can be damned sure they look good.

The problem is that not every student has a ruler, so they always have to throw something at someone else to get their attention and then borrow their ruler to write the assignment in their exercise book, then return it. At first I thought they weren't paying attention when they turned around in class, but then I realized they were just sharing. So I think, if it can be arranged, each Form I student should have their own ruler. Tanzanian schools are lacking in so many of the forms of technology we take for granted, but it's really the little things that help students learn. If you or anyone you know would like to help my students and is capable of collecting rulers and sending them, I would be very appreciative of your time and generosity, as would my students. They will, in fact, be completely thrilled to receive something from America, from my family and friends. If rulers aren't your thing, I would also like to provide all of them with pens, so any amount of pens (blue or black) you can muster would likewise be very appreciated.

The supplies, and anything else you'd like to include, supplies or otherwise, can be mailed to me at the address listed to the side of this post under "Send Me Stuff". Please make certain to tape every seam and fold in the packaging, as things are apt to rip or split apart in transit, and write "Educational Supplies" on the outside of the parcel. Thank you!