Fighting strategies/techniques--Share 'em!

[Vaerr]

As I fought (and fight) more and more opponents in the JK series I came across a large variety of different fighting techniques and strategies. And I still do. I've seen people that spend more time in the air than on the ground, people who only walk to better their aim or throw off opponents, even some people who fight with their backs turned (didn't work too well on me). Since this is a centre of knowledge for combat, moreso saber combat of course, I find it prudent to ask the clan about their own experiences.

What techniques do you use or have you come across within saber combat? They can be general or situational. I like to hear about the various techniques and strategies within the guild/clan/union of forum trolls. I'll start it off with a double post (DEVIOUS of me), catalogueing a few of the more useful and some of the weirder fighting techniques I've come across.

[Vaerr]

Note: These are techniques and strategies. NOT FIGHTING STYLES. Fighting stlyes will be covered later on. Just divide how you fight (and how you've seen others fight) into defensive and offensive techniques, like I'm doing.

Alright, this post will contain a few of the techniques and strategies (lets just call them techniques for sake of simplicity) I've come across. Also, you may critique one person's veiws of certain techniques within this thread as well, or explain your own take of said technique. Try to offer a bit more than "He jumped lotz it maed me angry so i boot lolololol!" and perhaps we can answer, for some techniques, the great question: "What...the...?"

To begin with I will list a few of the more common defense techniques I've come across. These are not all of them, not by a long shot, but they are the ones that come to mind when it's 3 in the morning and I'm tired. Later on I will comprise a list of common offensive techniques. And please..PLEASE post. I may look like I'm doing a fine job all on my own but I really would like some feedback and response.

[glow=red,2,300]Bunny Rabbit:[/glow]A technique that was much more prevalent in the JO years of Jedi Knight, it has since gained much ground in the JA community, my first encountering it only a few months after release.

What is it?: It involves alot of jumping, mostly for dodging purposes. It is a technique of a more defensive nature, as being in the air tends to make it harder to aim. It is often used as a method of confusion as well, jumping behind opponents or otherwise trying to make them lose track of you. Basically, you're in the air. As often as possible.

Overall: Not that bad, but not very good. It doesn't have the defensive power offered by some strategies such as Turtle or Evade, and it fails greatly in that it pairs badly with most of the offensive department. However, it has a great ability to control the fight, but this depends on the skill and experience of both the opponent and the user.

[glow=red,2,300]Turtle:[/glow] This badboy has always been around, and it's alot more effective now than it was in JO.

What is it?: This technique is all about defense. Defense, defense, defense. It is comprised mostly of blocking opponents' attacks and waiting until a deflection or parry occurs, then moving in the for kill with a big hitter such as a kata or a red swing, or otherwise depending on the offensive technique you are using. If you're lucky, you'll knock his saber out of his hand, makeing it that much easier.

Overall: Much better defense than a Rabbit, however it does not always block attacks, and is unreliable in this regard. It has good offensive potential, but only in certain situations. Basically, it's powerful, but unreliable. It can make or break a fight. But I want reliability.

[glow=red,2,300]Evade:[/glow] The moment I realized the potential for this technique is the moment I started practicing it.

What is it?: This technique is about dodging. Unlike Rabbit, however, it doesn't comprise solely of staying in the air to avoid attacks. Cartwheels, rolls, small hops, large hops, wall runs, wall jumps, etc. These dodges generally come out fast and require good timing to pull off, but are highly effective. And they can offer interesting potential for follow-ups (covered in a particular fighting style later on).

Overall: My personal choice. It takes more practice than the others, but the upside is that it is an excellent defense as when you're not hit, you're not hurt. As well, it doesn't hamper offensive skill.

More to come. I need sleep now.

[Tanweth]

[glow=red,2,300]Footwork[/glow]

I usually just evade with footwork. It's the best evasion. You are on the ground, and you must admit, when you're in the air, it can be confusing for your opponent... and you. When you're on the ground, you can keep a good eye on your opponent, use intelligent footwork to go in for the attack and simply use footwork to move back and escape retaliation. Most effective in strong vs strong, but can be effective with strong vs medium or strong vs two sabers/staff (especially staff). It actually depends on your opponent's fighting style.

Footwork evasion is especially useful vs people who use bunny rabbit a lot for offense, usually using strong style (you can use bunny rabbit offensively as well as defensively). Usually people like this are very aggresive, launching themselves at you with a hop, swinging all the while. Also, with players skilled at bunny rabbit-offensive, if you attempt to dodge them by using bunny rabbit-defense, they could get a hit at you in mid-air. This technique can be useful, especially versus a novice, or a ground-based player who does not know very intelligent footwork.

However, bunny rabbit-offensive, has many flaws. For one, it is confusing for the person using it, and since these players rely on launching themselves at you, they cannot change direction or speed easily. You could step aside and get a swing in as they hit the ground, and they would have a hard time being able to dodge it because of their inability to do this. Intelligent footwork is also confusing for a bunny rabbit-offensive user, because these players are used to people trying to jump to evade them. Using footwork, you can outsmart them, evading them easily, and using their vulnerability just as they hit the ground effectively.

There are different levels of bunny rabbit-offensive, and with people who use it more mildly, only really using bunny rabbit to close in a distance between you and them, are potentially more dangerous. Their moves are more calculated and defensive. When fighting people like this, you may need to incorporate a little bunny rabbit yourself, because jump has a bonus over simply running. It increases your speed, and allows you to close distances between you and your opponent. If you use exclusively footwork, a smart player could use this technique of jumping to move close enough to hit you effectively. If you keep your feet on the ground in this case, you would get hit. However, jumping out of the way often can allow you to escape the hit.

Overall: I'd recommend this as the most often using evasion technique, but in the end, you need to use them all a little bit. Using just footwork, you are vulnerable, because if your other opponent uses jump, they can use it to help close in the distance between you and them, and this can be fatal blow if they manage to hit you. Being simply running on the ground, you may not be able to move quickly enough to dodge the blow. However, it is the most calculated and defensive of the techniques, and should be used often.

[Vaerr]

Good post. I have some more, but won't post them until next weekend. Keep in mind these are just the defensive halves---the offensive halves of fighting styles will come in time. Keep them coming, I know there are more than 4.

[Tanweth]

Wow, may sound funny since I outrank Xaevazt in both the clan and the academy, but it's comforting getting his endorsement.

[Vaerr]

I found out I had today off! So I'm going to do some more techniques. As soon as I'm done with vastly, incredibly, intensely important matters. It also gives me an excuse to double post. Such an evil man. Where dost he learn such evilness?

[Vaerr]

Before I continue, just want to point out that Evade can be used within Footwork, and vice versa. They are very similar in many aspects. That running speed not going to get you out in time? Throw in a roll and continue the footwork.

[glow=red,2,300]Keep-Away:[/glow]Annoying, annoying, ANNOYING. Not effective, just annoying! When someone stays as far away from you as possible until you do something like a twirl or kata and they run in for a lunge or otherwise. Not to be confused with counter-attacking, this is just fear of the other person's saber.

It works best with red stance, but I will say that it's not a very good technique. With poor offense and the probability that after 10 minutes of this your opponent is bound to figure out your pattern of "boldly" running away and just lead you with lunges. Terrible technique, I don't know why it's used.

I feel like some offensive techniques, and I'd like to hear what other defensive techniques people have come across---don't want the moderators to list them all.

OFFENSIVE TECHNIQUES

[glow=blue,2,300]The Spaminator:[/glow]The name says it all. This style was used with the red DFA back in JO, and since the introduction of katas, twirls, butterflies etc the JA community is swarming with people that fight like this

The basic concept behind this is to spam as many special moves as possible into as short amount of time as possible and hope to score a hit, preferrably causing high damage. This was useful when JA first hit the shelves, people would complain constantly about butterfly spamming. They even had rules against it in duels.

Alas (and good riddance) this style was soon put out of it's usefulness as people started developing counters for pretty much everything the spaminators used. It is still used, but it is terrible. You will be countered every time you make a mistake, and generally you make many mistakes with this. I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone.

[glow=blue,2,300]Onslaught:[/glow]As fearful as the name implies, onslaught is a complete lack of regard for one's safety in a vicious charge of murderous rage. This often takes opponents by surprise and usually works the first time. But it's usefulness degrades as the opponent learns your strategy. If you use this, you try to make every hit as painful as possible and you keep them on the defensive.

If you manage to get your opponent into a corner and on the defensive (such that his saber is flying wide every second. No I'm not kidding, I've seen it done and I've done it myself--you can't even swing in retaliation) then you're in good shape. Infinitely more effective than the spaminator (but so is everything else. I only posted it for those that are curious. Spaminator is DEAD. Don't use it) and very powerful in the hands of someone who knows how to use it properly. However it is the easiest technique to counter with the counter-attack fighting style, and it leaves little room for defense. Highly compatible with turtle---Deflect the saber, then charge them with all you've got.

[glow=blue,2,300]Counter:[/glow]The technique I use the most simply because of it's all around effectiveness, the dogma being that "there is a counter for everything". And there is.

This technique requires you to know your opponents' attack patterns or probable attack patterns. These come from experience or simply observing your opponent. Not to be confused with keep away: one is defensive and one is offensive.

Hard to describe at the best of times, you just counter your opponent. He twirls, you lunge. He does a forward swing, you sidestep and sweep him. It is compatible with many defensive techniques, but works excellently with footwork.

More to come...

[Master Morpheus]

Great work there Xae & Tan, much has been covered in your write up here.

There is somthing which you have left out, & i thaught i'd like to share it with you all. I don't know from observation & experience if any of you guys use it or not.

Bluff aka lure:
This is a technique i quite often use myself ( when appropriate ). You can use this skill whilst weilding all saber styles, & can come in handy in many instances. I'm sure the name is a good clue..

What is it?:
The technique is IMO a quite advanced skill to pick up or use effectively. It combines an "offensive" attack, then an "evade" to "counter-attack". This involves you to perform a calculated- timed offenseive manoeuver which is purposely performed in order to lure your opponent into attcking you. Once your opponent moves to attack you need to quikly evade their attack & counter this with whatever move you can produce at the time.
The speed & timing, along with your choices of attacks are most important for success when performing this skill.

Overall:
It is quite difficult to perform this skill successfully, however when / or if you can use the two techniques of "evade" & "counter" proficiently, this skill can be most usefull in allowing you to get those crucial blows of yours to connect.

Thats all i can think of right now guys, you have covered most area's of conversation here. I'm sure there is more to include in this topic, i will post more as it comes to mind.

[Vaerr]

More or less a battle of wits with the Bluff/Lure or what I call "Baiting", they all work. I find it most effective just to do something that you know your enemy is "hard coded" to respond to. For example, if I do a twirl, no matter how far away I am, most, if not all of you (yes you!), would think to counter it with a lunge. Knowing this I can simply do it from a sufficient distance away, and when you come up to lunge, though I may have finished the twirl, you will most likely lunge anyways out of habit. Then I get a free hit. One thing that works very well against lower class fighters is to simply stand still after the twirl finishes. They think they get a free hit and can't resist an opportunity to lunge against a "stationary" opponent. Just time it right and you can dodge/counter it easily.

[Raven]

wht is a twirl? is a twirl when u swing ur saber to the side?

[Shipmate Taffer]

Ask your ballet teacher.

[Raven]

kk

[Vaerr]

Twirl is Crouch+Forward+Primary attack with dual or staff. The dual version is much better, by the by, as it covers more range and has no blatantly obvious "hit me, I'm open!" moments like the staff one.