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A Sith Lord applying Makashi against another Sith Lord's usage of Ataru.
Impractical for most Jedi, as they rarely engage in blade-to-blade combat, but necessity for a Sith, as we engage in dueling almost daily.
—Ancient Sith Blademaster
Form II: Makashi, the way of the Ysalmiri, was created as a counter to Form I: Shii-Cho, and an answer the the styles weakness.
Description[]
Form II represents the ultimate refinement of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. It evolved during an era when battles between Jedi and Dark Jedi/Sith became expected and common, if not routine, and may have produced the greatest dueling masters the galaxy has ever seen. Masters of Makashi developed unique offenses and trained studiously against having their weapons taken or destroyed.
Form II emphasized fluid motion and anticipation of a weapon being swung at its target, and so required very fluid movements of both the blade and the body.
Feints would also be commonly used to confuse or set-up their opponents for a trap. Precise footwork and movements were required for maintaining proper distance from the opponent during defense and/or when moving in for an attack. The blade manipulation required for this form was very refined and required intense focus. Timing, accuracy, and skill, rather than strength, were relied on to defeat one's opponent, and with a skilled practitioner, the results were extremely potent.
The footwork of Makashi practitioners followed a single line, front and back, shifting the feet to keep in perfect balance as the practitioner attacked and retreated. Makashi was a style based on balance, on back-and-forth charges, thrusts, and sudden retreats. Elegance, gallantry, enchantment, finesse, artfulness, and economy were the core of Makashi. Makashi duelists trained themselves to avoid enslavement to form, as such enslavement opened the practitioner to be defeated by predictability and the unforeseen.
Makashi users were elegant, precise, calm, confident to the point of arrogance. Form II users were supremely confident in their chances for victory, and often looked so relaxed when they were fighting they even appeared to be dancing.
However, the style was not without weaknesses. Due to its extreme focus on speed and precision, Makashi lacked kinetic energy, so even a seasoned duelist could be beaten to the ground by a Djem So stylist. Also, due to the back and forth fencing nature of the style, Makashi was ineffective at combating multiple foes. Also, the style was practically useless at blaster-deflection, a weakness that led to the creation of Form III: Soresu.
Stances and Maneuvers[]
Opening Stance The opening stance for Makashi was a single-handed low guard, with the blade angled downward at the practitioner's side.
Makashi Salute The formal salute involved holding the blade up vertically in front of the face, blade in line with the nose, then immediately following with a Makashi flourish.
Makashi Flourish The Makashi flourish consisted of drawing a rapid X in the air with the blade. Always followed the salute.
Makashi Parry The Makashi defense consisted primarily of light parries that glanced the opponents blows off to the side, leaving him open. It was highly effective against Shii-Cho.
Practitioners[]
- Darth Vatrir
- Idnum-Ki
- Zytiuk Meoi
- Jamie Entwistle
- Count Dooku
- Jake Starkiller
Strength/ Weakness Ratings[]
Form II relies heavily on speed and precision, being the epitome of blade-to-blade combat. However, it's heavily lacking in power, and is weak at blaster-deflection due to it's extreme precision focus (or precision overkill as some say)..
| Action | Standard | Speed | Power | Precision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | Moderate | Excellent | Weak | Excellent |
| Defense | Moderate | Excellent | Weak | Excellent |
See also[]