Swordsmanship,+Ataru

Form IV Ataru "Way of the Hawk-Bat" or "Aggression Form" (By Sam)(ael) (Return to Swordsmanship)

Noteable Practitioners : Yoda Qui-Gon Jinn Cin Drallig Quinlan Vos Aayla Secura Shaak Ti

Zaz-Kai ell ||
 * **Quote:** ||
 * " Ataru is the name given to the movements of this form - though it is aggressive, it is focused, and its best use is in combat against a single opponent ."

Philosophy and History : The history of Ataru stretched back through the Old Republic, to at least as early as the Mandalorian Wars, where it was commonly employed by Jedi of that day. Ataru continued to be a common form among the Jedi in the latter stages of the Republic.

An aggressive style, Form IV was fast-paced and effective against single opponents, though weaker in prolonged combat and confined spaces. Ataru was characterized by Force-assisted acrobatics, both for attack and defense, and fast, powerful strikes. Notable users of this combat form included Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn.

Cin Drallig ||
 * **Quote:** ||
 * " Form IV, also called Ataru, is the most acrobatic Form, filled with numerous elaborate moves, and relies heavily upon a Jedi's ability to run, jump, and spin using the Force ."

Ataru was an aggressive combat form relying on a combination of power, strength, and speed. Practitioners of Ataru were always on the offensive, attacking with wide, fast, and powerful swings. Form IV practitioners constantly called upon the Force to aid in their movements and attacks. By allowing the Force to flow throughout their body, they could overcome their physical limitations (including old age, as was the case with Master Yoda) and perform amazing feats of acrobatics, such as somersaults and backflips, not only for attack, but also to evade the attacks and strikes of their opponents. Jedi utilizing Ataru needed to incorporate all the Force powers that involved surpassing normal physical ranges of motion, speed, and agility in order to be successful. Running, jumping, and spinning were all emphasized in learning the elaborate kinetics of the form.

Vrook Lamar ||
 * **Quote:** ||
 * " This form is Ataru. Because it is such an aggressive fighting style, you should only use it against single opponents ."

Those who used Form IV could move at high speeds and could rain strong blows, jumping and attacking through the air. Powerful and quick spinning attacks could be utilized from all angles, either from ground or air. A master in Ataru combat could appear like a blur to their opponents, attacking from all directions—from the front, the sides, overhead, or behind. The Force not only allowed them to perform athletic feats not possible otherwise, but it also helped guide their actions and movements in combat.

Ataru proved to be an effective combat form when used properly, and was common among Jedi in the Mandalorian Wars. It was well-suited to close combat, particularly against single opponents.

Qui-Gon Jinn utilizes Ataru against Darth Maul on Tatooine.Because it was such an aggressive style, Ataru was not generally optimal for use against multiple opponents, and it was somewhat ineffective against blaster fire, particularly from multiple foes. Despite these weaknesses, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn were able to employ this form with great success during the Battle of Naboo against numerous B-1 battle droids. This form was also considered not as effective for prolonged combat, as the nature of Ataru could greatly tax the body. Fatigue was theorized to have been a contributing factor in Qui-Gon Jinn's defeat at the hands of Darth Maul. Another contributing factor in Jinn's death was the requirement of open space for the kinetic acrobatics of Ataru. Without ample space in the Theed Palace reactor core to move, Jinn was deprived of the key element in his defense, and thus could only attempt to block Maul's incessant barrage of Juyo strikes. This event influenced Kenobi—after his master's death, he changed his preferred form to Soresu, the most defensive of all forms.

Through the Force, Yoda was considered to have mastered Form IV to its highest level. He used it in almost all of his battles, and his mastery of the style caused others to describe him as virtually unstoppable against most opponents, including Separatist battle droids, despite his small size and advanced age. His moves in his duel against Count Dooku on Geonosis were revealed on close examination to be a fast-paced demonstration of the standard components of Form IV. Each action flowed from one to another in the smooth transitions characteristic of Form IV. In addition, three kinds of rotation, called su ma, figured prominently in his style: jung su ma (spinning), ton su ma (somersaults), and en su ma (cartwheels). These three moves represented the three possible axes of rotation in three-dimensional space. Together with Force-enhanced jumps, the rotational su ma moves composed most of his style, making the Grand Master exemplary of Form IV mastery. At one point prior to the Clone Wars, Yoda was known to give demonstrations of the form in use, some of which were recorded on databooks in the Jedi Temple. Yoda also employed Ataru against the clone troopers on Kashyyyk and Coruscant. Despite its weaknesses to blaster fire and multiple opponents, Yoda's mastery of the form was such that he was able to defeat the clones.

Dooku stated that he understood "every weakness of the Ataru form, with its ridiculous acrobatics." Dooku's Makashi would counter Ataru by launching a series of thrusts toward the enemy's legs to draw the opponent into a flipping overhead leap, so that Dooku could burn through the enemy's spine from kidneys to shoulder blades with his Makashi attack. The Count applied this tactic against Obi-Wan Kenobi onboard the Invisible Hand, who blocked Dooku's blows with Soresu.

Posture : The opening stance for Ataru was a balanced two-handed guard: holding the lightsaber vertically with both palms, either on the right or left side of the body.

Tactics : Ataru uses the force and strong physical discipline to give them a physical edge in combat. They use great speed, strength, and power to overwhem opponents and focus their skills on single opponents, though a master of the form would be able to modify their tactics to larger groups.

One of the key tactics of Ataru is it's angular attacks. Using mobile acrobatics, and a wide variety of attacks an ataru practitioner will attack their opponent from EVERY angle, with varying amounts of power. If you will watch the battle between Dooku and Yoda in geonosis, you will notice that Yoda attacked Dooku at every height, angel, and side and it was Yoda who did most of the offensive.

It takes a very good swordsman to be able to defend themselves from such pervasive attack (not to mention with such speed and power at odd angles), let alone to mount an attack of their own.

Unique movements : Ataru uses a wide range of acrobatic movements to dodge attacks or to mount attacks from. There are even several acrobatic attacks designed to produce more powerful strikes. Most unique movements are movements of the body combining swordplay and use of the force as augmentation.

Practice : There are two key parts to training in Ataru:

-Force body enhancement -Acrobatic and angular attack practice.

You should learn to use the force to enhance speed, strength, and to direct your actions all at once until you can perform all of the basic moves you will need.

Then you should practice using these skils to stretch your opponent's defensive bubble until it breaks.

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