A Guide to Form V

[Lord Iezkon]

Form V is generally split into two well-known sub-disciplines: Shien and Djem So.We will touch upon both Shien and Djem So separately in the following.

Form V was designed to replace Soresu; those who created Form V did so with the mind of creating and forcing their own opportunities. This form is focused on strong attacks, and defence which is immediately followed up with counter attacks. Form V is an incredibly versatile form, allowing the user to outmaneuver most opponents they will face.

Shien

Shien is the classical ‘type’ of Form V, and it serves its use better in deflecting blaster-fire than it does in saber-on-saber combat, but that is not to say that it cannot be utilised either way if such is desired - while it may lend itself to blaster deflection, that does not remove its power as a lightsaber form. Shien is adapted to guard specifically against strikes without reducing the capacity to counterattack.

The opening stance is a high-guard position. One begins with their dominant leg behind the other, their lightsaber held in a two-handed grip, above their head, with the blade angled upwards and pointed behind them. This allows the practitioner to use their dominant leg to step forward with greater power behind it. Shien users find themselves well placed to use their lightsaber to defend against blaster bolts.

A variation on Shien which is seen less commonly is the reverse Shien grip, in which the user holds their saber hilt backwards, allowing sweeping strikes with power akin to that of throwing a punch, which is utilised in taking down several enemies at a time.

Shien’s main shortcoming is that it is not designed for use in combat against single opponents. The wide, arcing movements lend themselves to multiple opponents much akin to Shii-Cho. In combat, this form allows one to defend from all sides, because of the focus on deflecting blaster bolts, and thus it is much more difficult to defend against a single opponent.

Djem So

A Djem So user will take the benefits of Form III, Soresu, by using the combinations of blocks and parries, but also implementing powerful attacks, and a versed practitioner will create their own opportunities as they go.

Where Form III is passive, Djem So is aggressive - much more akin to a form usable by Sith. It maintains the defensive foundation they take from Soresu, but immediately follows this with their own attack, often using their opponent’s attacks against them, they are a dominating force to be reckoned with - their focus tends to be on brute strength and wide, powerful strikes, and parries followed immediately by counterattacks, giving their opponent no room to do anything but, often, react.

In contrast with Form IV, Djem So requires a user to not only counter an incoming attack, but also press the assault further, using powerful combinations, brute and Force based strength to dominate and overwhelm their opponent.This form is well suited to taking on Form II, Makashi, by a skilled user, despite the latter’s focus on duelling and elegance. While Djem So is also designed as a duelling form, Makashi tends to find that it fails to form any meaningful momentum - using flicks, cuts, parries - which lends itself to being worn down by the aggressive nature of Djem So.

A Djem So attack stance tends to consist of the user holding their lightsaber above their head, angled back and down. This leads to a characteristic attack, known as the “Falling Avalanche”, wherein the user crashes their saber down on an opponent with great force.

In utilising, or defending against, Djem So it is worth being aware of the concept of “Fluid Riposte”, wherein the user will intend to transition fluidly from a parry to their counterattack. While Shien has its weaknesses against single opponents, Djem So is less mobile, and thus is best suited to single combat, rather than deflecting blaster fire or taking on multiple opponents.

Conclusion

Form V is a versatile form that can be used in a wide array of situations, if the user knows their form well enough. Shien has the benefits of being able to deter multiple opponents, and even blasterfire, but the disadvantage of being less ideal for single combat. Djem So, on the other hand, is designed with single-combat in mind, but struggles to handle multiple opponents due to its lack of maneuverability.

Djem So has much heavier footwork than most other forms, making the users much less free to move than they would be in forms such as Makashi or Shien. While Shien is light, allowing the user to move freely and deflect attacks coming from all directions, Djem So is much more focused on the single enemy in front of you, so moving freely is less of a necessity.

(*Post by Eddi Arkiti.*)