Short Essay on Shii Cho

[Sarias]

SHORT ESSAY: FORM 1 - SHII CHO

FROM: Acolyte Cathryn Valorin
FOR: Sith Mitina (on behest of Neophyte Zaryaa)

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• Philosophy
  

- Shii-Cho is an ancient Form whose standarts were tailored to ancient melee sword fighting techniques with a protosaber. It is a form aiming to train the right usage of a weapon in swordsmanship rather than actual combat. As Acolyte, I am usually practicing different strategies and techniques aswell as try to get in tune with the weapon and the Force. Whereas the Jedi are teaching the Form to their Young Ones to teach them the non-lethal ways of disarming an opponent, the Sith Overseers are instructing us, the Acolytes, the Form to enforce discipline with the blade (at least I believe that is the reason for it!). For its movements, the form relies on perfectly angled horizontal and vertical swings striking from the shoulders with two hands on the hilt.

• Practicioners
  

- Someone like me and most other Acolytes are studying the Basics of Shii-Cho before proceeding to the other Lightsaber Combat Forms. Everyone has to start with Form 1 - even those that never held a training saber before.

• Ideal Form & Live Combat Form (Added after Overseer-Lesson)
  

- Ideal Form: Usually used during a sparring. All the moves and maneuvers are executed at perfect horizontal/vertical angles, with attacks and parries being perpendicular to one another.
- Live Combat Form: Consisting of rapid and fluent strikes aiming diagonally at all six respective Body Target Zones. There is usually no retreat but only pressing forward to cut off the opponent and consequently seize victory.

• How to train the Form I
  

- To train in Form 1, one should beforehand be taught discipline. Acolytes that are bratish or unpunctual will most likely be just as clumsy and sloppy with their blade as proven by their basic attitude (...I hope I don't fall under this category!).
Not to forget, one should study the basic terminology of the Form 1 within the archives. That is a must.
- In order to practice the different Marks of Contact and test them on the Body Zones, the best case would be to participate in a six-stepped velocity with a sparring-partner. However, such is rarely the case as I experienced on Korriban how a majority of Overseer rushed the training; leaping directly to sparrings without a previously studied sequence. Solo-training own sequences with a training dummy or imaginary opponents in a Dulon could provide redress in this case!

• Advantages
  

- The Form is quite easy to learn in basic Lightsaber Training due to its simplicity and basic focuses. The basics of attack, parry, body target zones and velocities are explained comprehensively.
- It is well-suited for blasterfire-deflection, I suppose!
- Good for improvisation. It can be quite unpredictable if someone truly mastered the Form and uses it fluently and randomized.
- Suitable against multiple enemies.

• Disadvantages
  

- The Form is already outdated and thus insufficient for Lightsaber Combat. It is not suitable for a dynamic duel against another single opponent who is armed with a lightsaber theoretically.

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• The Body Target Zones
  

- Zone 1: Head & Neck
- Zone 2: Right Arm & Right Shoulder
- Zone 3: Left Arm & Left Shoulder
- Zone 4: Chest and Backside (Center)
- Zone 5. Right Leg & Right Foot
- Zone 6. Left Leg & Left Foot

• The Opening Stance
  

My opening stance would look the way that I'd get into ready position by bringing the training foil to the right side and holding the hilt firmly (but not too clenched) with both hands just above the hip. The feet should be shoulder-width apart from one another - there is usually no artificial dynamic added through seesawing, but that's just my preference.

• Parries
  

a) Zone 1: A horizontal parry, in front or above the head.
b) Zone 2 & 3: A vertical parry, with the lightsaber handle held near the chest or waist and the blade pointing upwards. Less commonly, a drop parry (blade points downwards) with the handle held near the head.
c) Zone 4: A drop parry with the handle held behind the head.
d) Zone 5 & 6: A drop parry with the handle held near the waist.

• The Marks of Contact
  

1. Sun Djem: The Disarming Slash at the adversaries' weapon. (Uncommon for Sith to disarm, I guess? As it would be a sign of lenience to show mercy.)
2. Cho Mai: The Disarming Slash aiming at the adversaries' weapon hand
3. Cho Sun: The Disarming Slash aiming at the adversaries' weapon arm
4. Cho Mok: A strike against a non-weapon limb with intent to cut it off.
5. Mou Kai: All limbs are attacked at once with circular strikes in a clear intent to severe limbs or kill the opponent.
6. Sai Cha: Horizontal beheading (Careful, the body can still move even after the head got removed!)
7. Sai Tok: Cutting the opponent into two halves. (Nothing for people who get collywobbles easily.)
8. Shiim: Wounding an adversary with the edges of the lightsaber.
9. Shiak: Stabbing / Impaling the body.

• Signature Attacks
  

- Disarming Slash:
The Disarming Slash is the objective of Shii-Cho in which the opponent loses the weapon out of hand without suffering an injury or getting maimed. The user is basically aiming for the hilt and typically follows after an opponent's stab. The only way to defend oneself against this attack is to simplyevade it.

- Sarlacc Sweep:
The Sarlacc Sweep attacks multiple adversaries at once through spinning around one direction in a perfect circle and holding the blade out horizontally while doing so. The only way to defend is to vertically block whichever Body Target Zone is under attack.