Count Dooku's lightsaber hilt is supposed to be curved since his actor is a trained fencer in real life and specifically requested that the hilt be curved
@@jeriah4k218 At Christopher Lee being a fencer? That part is definitely real. He was a master swordsman and knife fighter due to his time in ww2. Dunno about the part about requesting his hilt to be curved because he didn't do any of the lightsaber fights because of his age.
@@ColvyMolvy Sir Christopher actually filmed a number of the scenes from AOTC. In his book he states he was surprised at how many of his shots, all above the waist, were still in the film.
Sir Christopher Lee also requested his lightsaber hilt to be curved as a nod to the saber of Emperor Charlemagne which is of the magyar type. Sir Christopher Lee is a direct descendant of Charlemagne.
7:30 Anakin IS significantly stronger than Barriss Offee, yes. Actually he's significantly physically stronger than almost all human Jedi. He's considered abnormally strong for a human Jedi.
Exactly. On top of that, he uses form V which employs the strongest and most aggressive of strikes in lightsaber combat without dipping into Vaapad or Juyo. Barriss was right to use both blades to block.
@@nathanielwilcox4947 Because they're not using actual existing swords. They have technology that doesn't in all of the same ways as currently existing weapons, and consequently don't conform to all of the strategies used for real world weapons.
@@lazydroidproductions1087 This. She uses a lot both blade to parry, while Anakin, a far more experienced duellist - the strongest of the Order, for Windu -, barely uses both to parry. He usually use one, and strike with the other one.
Yes, but no. Sidious was just d*cking around when dueling both, untill maul started getting upper hand while dual wielding his, and darksaber, and begun to remotely push sidious, he just ended the "duel" (more like execution) with the Force.
Small note about double ended lightsabers, they have two separate switches, meaning you can open only one of the two, making able to use it like a normal on but with a longer handle.
That would be the only useful way to ever use it. Two blades at once has no real advantage and many disadvantages. Or start out with one then ignite the second at the right moment to take advantage of an opening, then turn it off.
@@MrBottlecapBill In the hands of someone who trained with it for years(like Maul or Savage, for example), it can lead to a very aggressive style that keeps the opponent on their toes and will catch them off guard easier than a single blade.
@@AstralMuffin105 Savage only got a little training from Dooku before turning on him. Savage's biggest advantage was being a strong barbarian that his opponents weren't sure how to initially react to. More intimidation than actual skill. He was very straightforward and brutish. So while the aggressive style suited him, he did not train with any sabers for very long, let alone years.
Towards the end of Rebels, there is an excellent scene where we get a lightsabre lesson. It addresses the fact that the blades are 'sticky' and do indeed have mass.
just look how mando has to "fight" the darksabre , it looks lite he is wielding a 20 pound sledgehammer and not a basicly weightless energy blade since he doesnt "connect" with it, sabrine says in that episode that it beacme lighter and easier to wield after a while
@@zzodysseuszz They must have mass because the underlying props have mass. In ROTJ, Vader throws his lightsabre causing it to spin around its centre of gravity. This is the blade, not the handle.
The reason kicks and other non-lightsaber attacks are so common is cause getting even tapped by a lightsaber is 90% of the time gonna be a fight finisher. It doesn't make any sense that kicks land more often than lightsaber strikes, but then there would only be one actual hit for most battles. Realistically, lightsaber duels should probably be faster than irl sword duels which are really short.
@@sagebauer1077 I'm saying from a narrative perspective, there's a reason there are so many kicks that land in the fights. Kicks aren't fight finishers, so those are "allowed" to hit. Imagine the creators want to make a dynamic lightsaber fight that lasts more than two minutes. Getting hit with a lightsaber basically ends the fight, but so people actually get hurt during the fight they have to get hurt by something other than a lightsaber blow. Their solution is that characters hit each other with kicks or with objects thrown at them with the force. Obviously, realistically getting hit with a lightsaber is going to be more likely to happen than a kick.
also, if you slowed down the maul v. kenobi fight, you can see that maul was able to safely do that kick because kenobi over extended his strike and his lightsaber was far off to the side. Also bear in mind, THEY ARE FRICKING FAST DUE TO THE FORCE. IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT REALISM, TALK ABOUT HOW STUPIDLY FAST THESE GUYS CAN SWING AND MOVE. with me pointing out this flaw in your understanding, you should realise that in fact, no. lightsaber fights *should* "realistically" last longer. And shocker: there are some very very short lightsaber fights. Like a couple seconds short. take luke and vader's first encounter. you seem to not know about star wars all that much ;)
7:30 Not only is Anakin physically stronger, Barriss has no idea how to use two lightsabers. 13:10 Togruta have amazing spacial awareness. This was already showcases in the Clone Wars movie.
Let’s not forget that the curved hilt was uncommon. Really unless you were pretty skilled and experienced with the sword the curved hilt would be very difficult to get used to using especially at such a short notice. Take this into account when considering Barriss was also just a Padawan still when she turned and thus her skills with a lightsaber were in comparison to Anakin’s novice. Duel wielding those curved hilted lightsabers as a Padawan against one of the most talented swordsman in the Jedi Order and the Galaxy really isn’t the best recipe for success.
An excellent analysis of the styles. However one thing with the idea of lightsabers sticking together. Conventional swords can slide along the blades, however a lightsaber is essentially a plasma torch. The energy will "stick" to the other blade, keeping sliding from being possible.
According to star wars shows that display jedi training, the light sabers do tend to stick to each other. They are drawn to each others power like magnet to metal.
If lightsaber is a plasma torch, what exactly is binding? If the hilt is shooting out a ray of loose particles, any force interracting with the spray would not travel back to the hilt.
I'd have to say in the animated series, the lightsaber duels we're so much better than anything ever put on the big screen. That being said, Anakin, Maul, and Dooku were the 3 most entertaining duelist to watch anytime they were on screen.
A thing to note, that changes up normal fencing rules is that the use the force. They enhance their bodies, use it to read the opponents etc. So some flashy moves they do are actually safer than if we did them in a normal fight, as they sort of predict what the opponent is doing through the force and even their own mind.
That is why the ridiculous looking spinning from Episode 3 actually makes sense. They are looking for an opening, blocking, and then rejecting attacking countless times. The movement it to look for another and to keep the physical momentum going.
Also, if you're opponent can sense danger, it makes sense that you would mix up your attacks a lot and go all over the place in a attempt to confuse and overwhelm them.
In rebels when they train a non force user to use a lightsabre they says that the blades are drawn towards eachother, so that might be a "in fantasy" reason why they bind their blades so often - also in there is a very nice rematch between Kenobi and Maul.
You see a lot of stops in lightsaber fights because the blades attract each other, so deflecting attacks like a usual sword isn't as effective. The blade itself also becomes weightless for force users, so it becomes difficult to unbind two lightsabers unless you are physically strong. Also, since lightsabers can cut at any angle, double bladed lightsabers are somewhat useful when taking a more aggressive approach and not needing to strike with an specific side of the blade allows for countless ways of using it.
Should of shown obiwan vs maul. That was a great 'fight' short and simple and used the middle shaft as an advantage. Instead of the flowy showmanship of other fights.
They should also do Maul vs Pre Vizsla and Maul and Savage Oppress vs Darth Sidious. It would also be cool to a fight scene with General Grievous. His four lightsabers should make for an interesting reaction.
The reason you don't see film or tv have swordsman do fun things in the bind is the same reason hollywood never did grappling in fight scenes for so long. Standing apart and exchanging exciting attack flurries is/was just seen as more impressive looking. More dynamic. It wasn't until the proliferation of mma that this idea changed and now stunt teams and directors realize you can do cool stuff both with characters standing, and on the ground. Id wager that most stunt coordinators don't know about binding tactics, and those who do get vetoed by directors who want their fight to be the next anakin vs obi-wan.
Maul imo is a way more threatening duelist in The Trilogy because he takes advantage of the fact that he can disable his blades way more often. Which is objectively superior to have as a function cause the hilt gives adequate leverage of length to allow for some *CHONKY* swings.
They also have the force to guide their movements so many of the things that are far from practical from our point of view make complete sense when you can call upon supernatural powers to assist your movements and reactions in battle. Also, don't forget to work the shaft.... very important..
When you have the context of Anakin being famous for his physical strength and tendency to overwhelm enemies with sheer force, it makes sense that Barriss would be using both sabers on the defensive. There's no way she's stopping any blow from him with one hand.
I'd like to point out that in most Eastern martial arts staffs are used from the center most of the time. This gives the advantage of having two sides to strike from while also having excellent control of the "blades" so to speak. We also have forms using it as you describe but at least in my style (tang soo do) they were much more rare
Would love to see his expert reaction to sidious vs maul/savage and grievous vs the multiple Jedi battles he’s been in, especially where he uses his multiple arms to surprise and kill the Jedi. When he talked about the benefit of dual sabers to bind but then disengage with one to surprise your opponent, grievous has done binding with two then stab with a third.
I'd like to point out that when Maul kicks Obi-wan in the second fight scene, he's using his kick to dodge a strike. He leaps over Obi-wan's horizontal cut to kick him in the face, then follows the momentum of the first kick to send him flying with another kick while he's stunned. It's still pretty impractical but there was a caulated reason for the kick other than "it just looks cool"
We also need to keep in mind that Barriss Offee doesn't regularly fight with twin blades. She's used to a single blade, so she probably doesn't know exactly how to wield them effectively.
Great video. About the reverse handgrip of a sword hilt. Some schools in Japan do teach the use of reverse handgrip. But only in close quarters combat. And usually in that combat scenario it's not for dueling. It is a self defense technique.
Should be noted that the disadvantage of the saberstaff not being able to do certain movements available to single blade, such as the forward tip point guard mentioned is entirely offset by the blade not being a permanent fixture, you can turn it on or off as needed.
Two swords do make more sense with Jedi, as they can deflect blaster bolts with their blades. So you could use one defensively in a similar way that the shield does.
When the fight between Maul and Ashoka starts in the Show, you can see exactly when they switch from "just animating" to motion capture. Maul and Ashoka are obviously bound to physics. In most other fights the caracters jump and swirl around as if there was no gravity.
With a Lightsaber the sword is the shield. Also the Jedi have the force which as Obi-Wan said partially controls your actions. Luke described being cut off from the force as akin to losing a limb or being blinded. So to a trained Jedi duel wilding would be almost second nature.
In the novels, the ideal is to almost reach a Zen like state where the Force puts your hands and blades where they need to be. This is not easy and it does not guarantee victory but the Jedi win every time in the end so...
The thing about Maul's kick though is that he'd jumped over Obi-Wan's swing, so he was well aware of where the blade was and knew it was safe to do that. Obi-Wan didn't have the time to react to it because his momentum was still in his own attack.
Lightsabers are magnetic towards other high energy sources, such as blaster bolts and other lightsabers. The bind happens the way it does because the blades are attracted to each other.
It's honestly a nice character touch - even if you know nothing about swordplay, you can tell from her wide, desperate dual-block that she's inexperienced with two weapons, and was not mentally or physically prepared to go up against the likes of Anakin Skywalker
Well, Jedi and Sith are trained to use the Force to see a future prediction of their opponent's movements. So, the reason why their fights are long is because it's a dance of who is going to out-predict and react faster to win. Jedi draw on complete serene focus and Sith controlling instinctual raging emotions. The downside is that if a Jedi loses focus or a Sith loses control of their emotions then it exposes them to a counter-attack. Also, both sides use the force to physically enhance their bodies beyond normal physical means, which means their strikes are stronger and they're enhanced by the plasma blade. Also, an experienced user can use the force to stop another one's blade since the crystals lightsabers are made of are infused with force energy.
13:08 I’d like to remind you, Matt, and also everyone else in the comments, that Jedi and Sith have some level of precognition thanks to the Force. It’s easy to forget when comparing it to real swordspersons, but it’s why they can block blaster bolts and generally give off the illusion that they have incredible reflexes. This is why Ahsoka’s kick wasn’t as risky as it appeared; she used the Force to predict where the saberstaff was about to go and used that information to direct her kick with precision.
so around 12:52 or so, the stomping thing during a strike was a basic component in the Korean version of Kendo (and arguably more aggressive than kendo)
Actually, with a double bladed light saber, you do have the option of using one blade at a time so you could still hold it with two hands directly in front of you.
Everyone is Europe is descended from Charlemagne... even I've been able to trace ancestry back to him. After like 600 years or so basically everyone is related to everyone.
5:29 double-bladed lightsabres can be ignited one blade at a time, so this isn't so much of an issue. In closer quarters they could just use it as a regular lightsabre.
Theres a few things you're not considering when it comes to what a lightsaber is and does, for example with the lightsabers stopping when they make contact, lightsabers attract to eachother making it difficult to slide them against eachother.
hi ! will you make a part 2 ? beacause there is so many fights in this serie. and maybe you could react to star wars rebels too, there are some interresting fights especially with the inquisitors and their double bladed spinning lightsabers.
The binding in star wars might have something to do with a rather recent idea that says the blades actually slightly sticks as the plasma connects. Almost as if the plasma has some magnetic like attributes. When it comes to the fight between Anakin and Bariss, Anakin is believed to be exceptionally strong. Not quite sure if this is due to his affinity with the force or just general strength. And someone has probably already commented this, but most double ended blades in Star Wars usually have more than one switch allowing one side of the blade to be activated without the other one. Some can even be detached from each other allowing for dual wielding.
Would love to hear you, one day, commenting on Thai Duel welding sword fight, it was used for the elite strike force back in the old days. Employing 2 short sword with longer handle, its focus more on high mobility, quick strike and disabling multiple apponent on the battle field through cutting limbs rather than killing. Also, if we are to compare 2 weilded short sword person to a person carrying a sword and shield, which will be more effective as the fighting unit in a hit and run scenario, where there is less chance of spear and arrows flying around?, or does sword and shield still be the best option for any battle unit to carry?
Yeah, that makes her style more conventional than Ventress style of dual wielding two full length light sabers. All the reverse gripping aside, with Ashoka's sabers one can definitely use rapier and dagger or katana and wakizashi techniques.
I'd like to ask you to review the other duels on Mandalore. The one between Pre Vizsla and Kenobi, the one between Pre Vizsla and Maul, and the one between Sidious and Maul. They're some of the best the show has. Also, the Kit Fisto/Grievous duel was cool, too.
A double bladed lightsaber can, presumably, have one on end activated at a time. It always bothered me a little how the films never explored temporary deactivation. It'd be one way to dodge a trust or bypass a defensive parry.
Touching on the point you made on using dual swords to fight several opponents, I'd like to hear what you think about the fight with Sir Arthur Dayne in Game of Thrones
Both things he notes are utilized in different duels. Palpatine crosses both his sabers when blocking against savage, and obi wan kicks while blades are locked when fighting two opponents.
2:12 Also something thats not hugely typical of real sword fighting.......is a sword made up of super hot photons that can melt a steel door in seconds 🤷♂️....just putting it out there. Lightsabers aren't swords and they obviously dont handle them like actual swords
The thing about the double-ended light Saber is that reach is less relevant considering force user can just zip it around Luke the needle from guardians of the galaxy.
Just wanted to note that anikin is stonger than barris who has never(?) used dual wield properly before so wielding it more like a thick single blade makes sense. also.. Ashoka uses one sabre up and one down because most of her career she has been fighting large numbers of gun wielding droids so a more defensive grip (like a baton or shield) for when she isnt duelling would be her go to.
15:28 "grabbing and controlling your opponent's shaft"
Now, that would be a very different ending for any Star Wars duel.
Matt like to dip into any double entendre he can.
A happy ending
Count Dooku's lightsaber hilt is supposed to be curved since his actor is a trained fencer in real life and specifically requested that the hilt be curved
Your sadly mistaken man
@@jeriah4k218 At Christopher Lee being a fencer? That part is definitely real. He was a master swordsman and knife fighter due to his time in ww2. Dunno about the part about requesting his hilt to be curved because he didn't do any of the lightsaber fights because of his age.
@@ColvyMolvy Sir Christopher actually filmed a number of the scenes from AOTC. In his book he states he was surprised at how many of his shots, all above the waist, were still in the film.
Sir Christopher Lee also requested his lightsaber hilt to be curved as a nod to the saber of Emperor Charlemagne which is of the magyar type. Sir Christopher Lee is a direct descendant of Charlemagne.
@@jeriah4k218 bc of Charlemagne
7:30 Anakin IS significantly stronger than Barriss Offee, yes. Actually he's significantly physically stronger than almost all human Jedi. He's considered abnormally strong for a human Jedi.
Exactly. On top of that, he uses form V which employs the strongest and most aggressive of strikes in lightsaber combat without dipping into Vaapad or Juyo. Barriss was right to use both blades to block.
@@nathanielwilcox4947
Because they're not using actual existing swords. They have technology that doesn't in all of the same ways as currently existing weapons, and consequently don't conform to all of the strategies used for real world weapons.
Plus, she has very limited experience dual wielding
@@lazydroidproductions1087 This.
She uses a lot both blade to parry, while Anakin, a far more experienced duellist - the strongest of the Order, for Windu -, barely uses both to parry. He usually use one, and strike with the other one.
Especially his right arm...
its a crime that they didnt include sidious vs maul and savage. that fight was sooo fluid and well choreographed
Yes, but no. Sidious was just d*cking around when dueling both, untill maul started getting upper hand while dual wielding his, and darksaber, and begun to remotely push sidious, he just ended the "duel" (more like execution) with the Force.
Or Maul vs Vizsla
The formalities and word exchanges going on there was just like a real knight's duel.
Small note about double ended lightsabers, they have two separate switches, meaning you can open only one of the two, making able to use it like a normal on but with a longer handle.
That would be the only useful way to ever use it. Two blades at once has no real advantage and many disadvantages. Or start out with one then ignite the second at the right moment to take advantage of an opening, then turn it off.
@@MrBottlecapBill it’s meant to put off balance your opponent as well as being deadly to somebody well trained with it
@@MrBottlecapBill In the hands of someone who trained with it for years(like Maul or Savage, for example), it can lead to a very aggressive style that keeps the opponent on their toes and will catch them off guard easier than a single blade.
@@AstralMuffin105 Savage only got a little training from Dooku before turning on him. Savage's biggest advantage was being a strong barbarian that his opponents weren't sure how to initially react to. More intimidation than actual skill. He was very straightforward and brutish. So while the aggressive style suited him, he did not train with any sabers for very long, let alone years.
Not true. Mual uses both ends at once. The lightsaber you are describing belongs to Warb Null in tales of the jedi.
Towards the end of Rebels, there is an excellent scene where we get a lightsabre lesson. It addresses the fact that the blades are 'sticky' and do indeed have mass.
just look how mando has to "fight" the darksabre , it looks lite he is wielding a 20 pound sledgehammer and not a basicly weightless energy blade since he doesnt "connect" with it, sabrine says in that episode that it beacme lighter and easier to wield after a while
@@ronhan9 The helt also has mass.
No they don’t have mass. They’re electromagnetic due to the plasma, that’s why blaster bolts bounce off of them
@@ronhan9 uhm no. That’s the force doing it, it weighs the blade the more your emotions weigh you
@@zzodysseuszz They must have mass because the underlying props have mass.
In ROTJ, Vader throws his lightsabre causing it to spin around its centre of gravity. This is the blade, not the handle.
The reason kicks and other non-lightsaber attacks are so common is cause getting even tapped by a lightsaber is 90% of the time gonna be a fight finisher. It doesn't make any sense that kicks land more often than lightsaber strikes, but then there would only be one actual hit for most battles. Realistically, lightsaber duels should probably be faster than irl sword duels which are really short.
How does that explain why kicks are common? You just restated why matt said kicks are a bad idea
@@sagebauer1077 I'm saying from a narrative perspective, there's a reason there are so many kicks that land in the fights. Kicks aren't fight finishers, so those are "allowed" to hit. Imagine the creators want to make a dynamic lightsaber fight that lasts more than two minutes. Getting hit with a lightsaber basically ends the fight, but so people actually get hurt during the fight they have to get hurt by something other than a lightsaber blow. Their solution is that characters hit each other with kicks or with objects thrown at them with the force. Obviously, realistically getting hit with a lightsaber is going to be more likely to happen than a kick.
@@sagebauer1077 he's saying kicks get plot armor so they can extend the cool factor of the scene
realistically? Imagine saying realistically when talking about jedi and sith LMAO
also, if you slowed down the maul v. kenobi fight, you can see that maul was able to safely do that kick because kenobi over extended his strike and his lightsaber was far off to the side. Also bear in mind, THEY ARE FRICKING FAST DUE TO THE FORCE. IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT REALISM, TALK ABOUT HOW STUPIDLY FAST THESE GUYS CAN SWING AND MOVE. with me pointing out this flaw in your understanding, you should realise that in fact, no. lightsaber fights *should* "realistically" last longer. And shocker: there are some very very short lightsaber fights. Like a couple seconds short. take luke and vader's first encounter. you seem to not know about star wars all that much ;)
Love seeing Matt coming onto these channels to give his thoughts on this series.
7:30 Not only is Anakin physically stronger, Barriss has no idea how to use two lightsabers.
13:10 Togruta have amazing spacial awareness. This was already showcases in the Clone Wars movie.
Let’s not forget that the curved hilt was uncommon. Really unless you were pretty skilled and experienced with the sword the curved hilt would be very difficult to get used to using especially at such a short notice. Take this into account when considering Barriss was also just a Padawan still when she turned and thus her skills with a lightsaber were in comparison to Anakin’s novice.
Duel wielding those curved hilted lightsabers as a Padawan against one of the most talented swordsman in the Jedi Order and the Galaxy really isn’t the best recipe for success.
@@liamhamilton9086Yeah she is pretty lucky that Anakin wasn't going for the kill, that would have been over quickly
Would have loved to see him react to Dooku vs Anakin and Obi-Wan from season 6. One of the most underrated fights imo.
An excellent analysis of the styles. However one thing with the idea of lightsabers sticking together. Conventional swords can slide along the blades, however a lightsaber is essentially a plasma torch. The energy will "stick" to the other blade, keeping sliding from being possible.
Should it not reflect instead? IE as a blaster bolt would?
According to star wars shows that display jedi training, the light sabers do tend to stick to each other. They are drawn to each others power like magnet to metal.
Real swords bind. Blunts slide along each other but sharp sword blades "stick" by notching each other.
Sharp swords will also typically bite into eachother if the edges meet, this isn't the case for blunt practice weapons.
If lightsaber is a plasma torch, what exactly is binding? If the hilt is shooting out a ray of loose particles, any force interracting with the spray would not travel back to the hilt.
The actor playing Count Dooku is an actual accomplished fencer in real life
He’s also Bond
Cristopher Lee
He also has a metal album.
And was knighted.
He also sang opera.
Let's just say Cristopher Lee was a man of many talents.
@@lucasbakeforero426 and fought in WW2
He's well aware, he already mentioned that fact during his analysis of the prequels.
I'd have to say in the animated series, the lightsaber duels we're so much better than anything ever put on the big screen. That being said, Anakin, Maul, and Dooku were the 3 most entertaining duelist to watch anytime they were on screen.
Obi-wan A.K.A the high ground is cool
A thing to note, that changes up normal fencing rules is that the use the force. They enhance their bodies, use it to read the opponents etc. So some flashy moves they do are actually safer than if we did them in a normal fight, as they sort of predict what the opponent is doing through the force and even their own mind.
That is why the ridiculous looking spinning from Episode 3 actually makes sense. They are looking for an opening, blocking, and then rejecting attacking countless times. The movement it to look for another and to keep the physical momentum going.
Also, if you're opponent can sense danger, it makes sense that you would mix up your attacks a lot and go all over the place in a attempt to confuse and overwhelm them.
@@hartfartpoptart even though it makes sense lorewise , it's still clear why Matt commented on that as impractical
@@Vlugazoide but IRL swords and spears are spinned,I think that even experts would be confused.....not star wars spinning tho
@@jun.subere4319 What?
In rebels when they train a non force user to use a lightsabre they says that the blades are drawn towards eachother, so that might be a "in fantasy" reason why they bind their blades so often - also in there is a very nice rematch between Kenobi and Maul.
You see a lot of stops in lightsaber fights because the blades attract each other, so deflecting attacks like a usual sword isn't as effective. The blade itself also becomes weightless for force users, so it becomes difficult to unbind two lightsabers unless you are physically strong.
Also, since lightsabers can cut at any angle, double bladed lightsabers are somewhat useful when taking a more aggressive approach and not needing to strike with an specific side of the blade allows for countless ways of using it.
Should of shown obiwan vs maul. That was a great 'fight' short and simple and used the middle shaft as an advantage. Instead of the flowy showmanship of other fights.
"Should of" finished primary school before choosing "yes, I'm over 14" when creating an account.
@@Halo_Legend Wow look at this guy with his perfect english! Zamn!!
@@Halo_Legend you’re not half as clever as you think yourself to be.
If you mean their very last fight, then that was from the Rebels series, so that's probably why it wasn't included here.
@@Halo_Legend seriously?
They should also do Maul vs Pre Vizsla and Maul and Savage Oppress vs Darth Sidious. It would also be cool to a fight scene with General Grievous. His four lightsabers should make for an interesting reaction.
Quote of the day: "Grabbing and controlling the opponents shaft is hugely important"
The reason you don't see film or tv have swordsman do fun things in the bind is the same reason hollywood never did grappling in fight scenes for so long. Standing apart and exchanging exciting attack flurries is/was just seen as more impressive looking. More dynamic. It wasn't until the proliferation of mma that this idea changed and now stunt teams and directors realize you can do cool stuff both with characters standing, and on the ground. Id wager that most stunt coordinators don't know about binding tactics, and those who do get vetoed by directors who want their fight to be the next anakin vs obi-wan.
The thing is there was grappling in Anakin vs Obi-Wan
@@williamcorey4700 yeah people forget there was a decent amount of grappling in that fight
Maul imo is a way more threatening duelist in The Trilogy because he takes advantage of the fact that he can disable his blades way more often. Which is objectively superior to have as a function cause the hilt gives adequate leverage of length to allow for some *CHONKY* swings.
Okay?
@@jacktheflash8478 why respond at all
Great to see more Star Wars fight critiques from Matt! Now it's animated.
Would've loved to see his analysis of Krell, and his speculation on the viability of duel-wielding double-bladed lightsabers with four arms.
Hope we see Ray Park back in star wars.
They also have the force to guide their movements so many of the things that are far from practical from our point of view make complete sense when you can call upon supernatural powers to assist your movements and reactions in battle.
Also, don't forget to work the shaft.... very important..
When you have the context of Anakin being famous for his physical strength and tendency to overwhelm enemies with sheer force, it makes sense that Barriss would be using both sabers on the defensive. There's no way she's stopping any blow from him with one hand.
I'd like to point out that in most Eastern martial arts staffs are used from the center most of the time. This gives the advantage of having two sides to strike from while also having excellent control of the "blades" so to speak. We also have forms using it as you describe but at least in my style (tang soo do) they were much more rare
It is canon that Ahsoka's reverse grip is suboptimal in most instances. Ahsoka is hard headed though and made it work.
Anakin has tried to make her quit using it in one of novel.
Would love to see his expert reaction to sidious vs maul/savage and grievous vs the multiple Jedi battles he’s been in, especially where he uses his multiple arms to surprise and kill the Jedi. When he talked about the benefit of dual sabers to bind but then disengage with one to surprise your opponent, grievous has done binding with two then stab with a third.
I'd like to point out that when Maul kicks Obi-wan in the second fight scene, he's using his kick to dodge a strike. He leaps over Obi-wan's horizontal cut to kick him in the face, then follows the momentum of the first kick to send him flying with another kick while he's stunned. It's still pretty impractical but there was a caulated reason for the kick other than "it just looks cool"
This guy should analyse the ending of The Last Duel if he hasn't already
he hasn't
Those if us that follow him already know his thoughts about it.
Astonishing.
We also need to keep in mind that Barriss Offee doesn't regularly fight with twin blades. She's used to a single blade, so she probably doesn't know exactly how to wield them effectively.
And they communicate that really well through that one block
Great video. About the reverse handgrip of a sword hilt. Some schools in Japan do teach the use of reverse handgrip. But only in close quarters combat. And usually in that combat scenario it's not for dueling. It is a self defense technique.
Should be noted that the disadvantage of the saberstaff not being able to do certain movements available to single blade, such as the forward tip point guard mentioned is entirely offset by the blade not being a permanent fixture, you can turn it on or off as needed.
Would love to see a look at the Star Wars: Old Republic's "Return" trailer
Two swords do make more sense with Jedi, as they can deflect blaster bolts with their blades. So you could use one defensively in a similar way that the shield does.
“Magic lightning bolts”
😂 I was dying at that part!
When the fight between Maul and Ashoka starts in the Show, you can see exactly when they switch from "just animating" to motion capture.
Maul and Ashoka are obviously bound to physics. In most other fights the caracters jump and swirl around as if there was no gravity.
Please do Rebels too! There are some great fights in that.
Ashoka vs vader
Ahsoka vs the Inquisitors. Kanan&Ezra vs The Grand Inquisitor.
With a Lightsaber the sword is the shield. Also the Jedi have the force which as Obi-Wan said partially controls your actions. Luke described being cut off from the force as akin to losing a limb or being blinded. So to a trained Jedi duel wilding would be almost second nature.
In the novels, the ideal is to almost reach a Zen like state where the Force puts your hands and blades where they need to be. This is not easy and it does not guarantee victory but the Jedi win every time in the end so...
2:07 OK do remember that lightsaber blades hold an attractive magnetic sort of connection to each other so then sticking is much easier to do.
A lot of points you're bringing up about the saberstaff are points that were valid in-lore, which goes to show how well-written that lore was.
The thing about Maul's kick though is that he'd jumped over Obi-Wan's swing, so he was well aware of where the blade was and knew it was safe to do that. Obi-Wan didn't have the time to react to it because his momentum was still in his own attack.
Now I'm waiting for a review of the final duel between Obi-Wan and Maul. "
That could be something.
3:23 Who knew Bloodborne's combat had a historical precedent?
6:33 On the right there is a long bind where both fighters try to push through.
The reason Ahsoka uses that backwards style is because it was uncommon at the time and caught opponents off guard
Lightsabers are magnetic towards other high energy sources, such as blaster bolts and other lightsabers. The bind happens the way it does because the blades are attracted to each other.
Barris was probably using the duel lightsabers slightly incorrectly because she usually use’s 1 blade
It's honestly a nice character touch - even if you know nothing about swordplay, you can tell from her wide, desperate dual-block that she's inexperienced with two weapons, and was not mentally or physically prepared to go up against the likes of Anakin Skywalker
My favorite part was when Ahsoka grabbed Maul's great, long shaft in the middle. ;)
Well, Jedi and Sith are trained to use the Force to see a future prediction of their opponent's movements. So, the reason why their fights are long is because it's a dance of who is going to out-predict and react faster to win. Jedi draw on complete serene focus and Sith controlling instinctual raging emotions. The downside is that if a Jedi loses focus or a Sith loses control of their emotions then it exposes them to a counter-attack. Also, both sides use the force to physically enhance their bodies beyond normal physical means, which means their strikes are stronger and they're enhanced by the plasma blade. Also, an experienced user can use the force to stop another one's blade since the crystals lightsabers are made of are infused with force energy.
That is my favorite sword expert!
13:08 I’d like to remind you, Matt, and also everyone else in the comments, that Jedi and Sith have some level of precognition thanks to the Force. It’s easy to forget when comparing it to real swordspersons, but it’s why they can block blaster bolts and generally give off the illusion that they have incredible reflexes. This is why Ahsoka’s kick wasn’t as risky as it appeared; she used the Force to predict where the saberstaff was about to go and used that information to direct her kick with precision.
The last 2-3 season of Clone Wars are absolutely fantastic TV, not even just animated
so around 12:52 or so, the stomping thing during a strike was a basic component in the Korean version of Kendo (and arguably more aggressive than kendo)
He'd love Rebels when Kanan just chops the double-sided blade in half, or how the Grand Inquisitor uses it as a boomerang.
Actually, with a double bladed light saber, you do have the option of using one blade at a time so you could still hold it with two hands directly in front of you.
With the two swords being used at once idea, the Romans had a type of gladiator called Dimachaerus. They weren't super common, but they did exist.
Next you guys should show him Old Republic cinematic scenes, he will absolutely love the style of some of the characters especially Malgus
Dooku’s hilt is curved in reference to Charlamagne’s sword, who Christopher Lee was a descendant of.
But.. Charlemagne’s sword wouldn’t have had a curved hilt
@@alteye1 you're right, i'm forgetting the reasoning behind it but there was something
Everyone is Europe is descended from Charlemagne... even I've been able to trace ancestry back to him. After like 600 years or so basically everyone is related to everyone.
@@nutyyyy sure but that's got nothing to do with the fact that Charlemagne's sword wouldn't be shaped like that
Sir Chris asked for a curved hilt because he preferred rapiers.
Speaking of attacking the middle of the double lightsaber, that is exactly what Obi-Wan does in Rebels and how he kills Maul.
5:29 double-bladed lightsabres can be ignited one blade at a time, so this isn't so much of an issue. In closer quarters they could just use it as a regular lightsabre.
Definitely worth the watch, if you've started. Yes, it only gets better
Wish he had done the Dooku vs. Obi-Wan and Anakin. That fight was fantastic
7:00 Maul and Obi would’ve felt a lot of deja vu in that scenario
Theres a few things you're not considering when it comes to what a lightsaber is and does, for example with the lightsabers stopping when they make contact, lightsabers attract to eachother making it difficult to slide them against eachother.
hi ! will you make a part 2 ? beacause there is so many fights in this serie. and maybe you could react to star wars rebels too, there are some interresting fights especially with the inquisitors and their double bladed spinning lightsabers.
Love this guys channel
My friend Jacob is a lot like you. He likes history and sword fighting.
The binding in star wars might have something to do with a rather recent idea that says the blades actually slightly sticks as the plasma connects. Almost as if the plasma has some magnetic like attributes. When it comes to the fight between Anakin and Bariss, Anakin is believed to be exceptionally strong. Not quite sure if this is due to his affinity with the force or just general strength. And someone has probably already commented this, but most double ended blades in Star Wars usually have more than one switch allowing one side of the blade to be activated without the other one. Some can even be detached from each other allowing for dual wielding.
Would love to hear you, one day, commenting on Thai Duel welding sword fight, it was used for the elite strike force back in the old days. Employing 2 short sword with longer handle, its focus more on high mobility, quick strike and disabling multiple apponent on the battle field through cutting limbs rather than killing.
Also, if we are to compare 2 weilded short sword person to a person carrying a sword and shield,
which will be more effective as the fighting unit in a hit and run scenario, where there is less chance of spear and arrows flying around?, or does sword and shield still be the best option for any battle unit to carry?
Season 7 episode 9-12 is easily some of the best Star Wars made
Another unique thing with Ashoka amongst dual light saber wielders - one blade is shorter, more like rapier/dagger treatises.
Yeah, that makes her style more conventional than Ventress style of dual wielding two full length light sabers.
All the reverse gripping aside, with Ashoka's sabers one can definitely use rapier and dagger or katana and wakizashi techniques.
"Grabbing and controlling your opponent's shaft-"
"...so to speak"
If your opponent has a big long handle, it's very important to grab it firmly.
I'd like to ask you to review the other duels on Mandalore. The one between Pre Vizsla and Kenobi, the one between Pre Vizsla and Maul, and the one between Sidious and Maul. They're some of the best the show has.
Also, the Kit Fisto/Grievous duel was cool, too.
"middle is weakness" - haha show him duel of Maul vs Ben Kenobi )
Aww, Palpy vs Maul and Opress got skipped over
A double bladed lightsaber can, presumably, have one on end activated at a time.
It always bothered me a little how the films never explored temporary deactivation. It'd be one way to dodge a trust or bypass a defensive parry.
Touching on the point you made on using dual swords to fight several opponents, I'd like to hear what you think about the fight with Sir Arthur Dayne in Game of Thrones
Should have seen sidious here even with him being a airbender sith lord
Tessie also notice that Count Dooku is fighting while impaired
Yay for Scholagladiatoria!
What did you think of Obi Wans dual wield fight against Maul and Savage?
Need this with the other duels
7:05 sounds really familiar...
Both things he notes are utilized in different duels. Palpatine crosses both his sabers when blocking against savage, and obi wan kicks while blades are locked when fighting two opponents.
The Power of CONTEXT Is A Pathway To Many Abilities Some Consider To Be Unnatural.
Wish you saw s6 anakin and obi wan vs dooku
One of my favourites
you should react to Star Wars Rebels lightsaber combat's too, would be funny to watch.
May the fourth be with you
All duelists. Anakin, Barris, A. ventress(3 nightsisters), Obi-wan Kenobi, Asoka tano, darth maul, count Dooku and darth mauls brother.
Grab them by the shaft to control them, pretty much sums up my fighting style...
Controlling the shaft is key
2:12
Also something thats not hugely typical of real sword fighting.......is a sword made up of super hot photons that can melt a steel door in seconds 🤷♂️....just putting it out there. Lightsabers aren't swords and they obviously dont handle them like actual swords
8:25 at this point, Anakin is basically being nice. He is probably physically strong enough to make her play limbo against her own swords.
The thing about the double-ended light Saber is that reach is less relevant considering force user can just zip it around Luke the needle from guardians of the galaxy.
"That's a lot of lightsabers in one room"
Me: You clearly have never been to General Grievous's lair lol
Just wanted to note that anikin is stonger than barris who has never(?) used dual wield properly before so wielding it more like a thick single blade makes sense. also..
Ashoka uses one sabre up and one down because most of her career she has been fighting large numbers of gun wielding droids so a more defensive grip (like a baton or shield) for when she isnt duelling would be her go to.
I've been looking forward to this. A fine video.