- 'If you're not standing right, all is for naught.' - Jedi Baal Legato
Stance and basic Footwork :
Good footwork is the key to being a successful light saberist. One must allow the force to flow through the muscles, giving them strength and speed.
All movements will be described for a right-handed Jedi. Please reverse all directions if you are a south-paw (no disrespect intended).
Starting position
1. Place both feet together at a right angle, with your right foot pointing
forward and your left foot at a 90 degree angle, pointing left.
2. Move the right foot about one to one and a half shoulder lengths forward and bend both knees. Your upper body should remain upright, not bent over. Keep your backside in!
3. Hold your saber with two hands directly in front of you with the point
slightly forward. Hands should be directly in the middle of your body,
about the height of your belly button, and well away from the body, with
bent arms.
You are now in the center On Guard position (Center because of where your blade is, as opposed to one side or the other)
Practice standing normally and then slowly going the through the motions of putting yourself on guard. Pay close attention to each step and do not rush. Become comfortable with the position, and remember the following points:
*Keep your whole body, especially your arms and shoulders relaxed.
*Do not stick out your bottom
*Bend your knees
*Keep you right (front) foot pointed forward and your left foot point at a
90 degree angle to the left
Basic Footwork
When you walk normally, you put one foot in front of the other, then move
the back foot, putting it to the front, then repeat. This is but one way of
advancing. We shall call this the cross-step, and consider it an advanced
move.
The basic method of advancing is the opposite of normal walking. Instead of moving you back foot first, you move the front foot and then the back foot. This is similar to how a crab walks, if that helps you to imagine it.
1. Lift the toe of you front (right) foot.
2. Lift the whole foot and place it HEEL first a small step in front of its
previous position.
3. As you place the toe of your front foot down, lift the back (left) foot
and place it flat, a small step ahead of its previous position.
This action is called Advance forward. Reversing everything gives you a
Retreat Backwards. Practice this step very slowly at first, one step at a
time, first forward, then backwards, then both. Pay close attention to the
following:
*After every step is completed, you should be back in the Center On Guard position. Check all the points for that position and reset if necessary.
*Don't move quickly at first. Learn the footwork, and assume nothing. This is not a manner of moving that comes naturally to most people.
*Don't take too big a step. Better to take many fast small steps and one
big, slow one.
* Keep your eyes forward and your arms and shoulders relaxed.
Repeat until the On Guard and Advance and Retreat seem completely natural. Then repeat some more.
- Jedi Lowell
Next lesson:
Three basic attacks, and three basic parries.