Forging of a Warrior

[Brand]

Judicar nodded. The words remained sound, and he appreciated and added the advice to his knowledge of the form. Ataru itself required intense physical strength to maintain for any substantial period of time, something that Judicar was aided with in his massive size, but also hindered by.

"I seem have a hard time challenging warriors who favor strength over speed. They quickly swat away my attacks and break through my own barrier. I know Ataru is an aggressive and swift form, but does it have any defensive capabilities I could take advantage of, or integrate in from other forms? I can speculate that running or disengaging with acrobatics would be effective but even moreso tiring."

 

[Ols]

"Every form has defensive capabilities, but in the case of Ataru you have two options. One is based on the phrase "the best form of defense is attack" - if you are fast enough, and gutsy enough, you can keep your enemy on the back foot. With a series of thrusts and attacks they may be able to parry and defend, but they will lack the opportunity to counter attack. This is hard to maintain, however, and can be fatal if used against the wrong opponent, a learned practitioner of Soresu, for example, may simply let you do this, give you false confidence and wait for a tired swing or mistake."

"You're other option, is to learn, as I have, to deflect blows without absorbing them and being knocked back. Traditionally a technique associated with Makashi, as it is a finesse move, and Soresu, as it is an extremely effective defense that requires little effort. You must simply angle your blade, let your instincts guide you to do so. Rather than parrying head on, which against a strong blow can send you reeling, or even cause your defense to be broken, you allow the strike to clip your blade. You redirect the strike, and more often than not, your enemy's momentum will cause them to overbalance, as they are expecting a strudy defense, rather than a nick in the wrong direction. If you like, next time we duel I will show in practise how to do it."

"Now I have answered your question, you must answer mine. Why do you think I abhor the use of the force when it is lacking good reason?"

 

[Brand]

Judicar took in the information. "Yes, I'd love to test those techniques sometime," he replied eagerly.

"Now I have answered your question, you must answer mine. Why do you think I abhor the use of the force when it is lacking good reason?" the man asked in return.

Judicar paused, taking in the question. Thinking back on their duel he had little recollection of his master using the Force, besides his cloak. "As you said, it is a tiring and draining manuever. In my case, you probably had me bested with or without the Foirce, but during a normal duel with someone of close to equal skills as yours if a job can be done physically successfully than it is better to rely on yourself than an aid. If you were to rely on the Force to do certain tasks or attacks for you, and you would be left without it, it would serve as a crushing blow and make you incapable of simple tasks."

"As you mentioned, the Force is a valuable tool, but we must never forget that we are not only Force users, but warriors of the body and mind, and using the Force sparingly can help us understand that fact."

 

[Ols]

"In a manner of speaking, yes you are right," Nescius replied, "your limitations are something you must be aware of. This is not only in reference to your limitations with the force, or a lightsaber, but your physical and mental limitations without the force. If you do not understand yourself, how capable you actually are, you will find yourself with a reliance on the force, and when you come up against an enemy you require an edge over, you will have no edge left to draw on. Using the force to grab something from a table or open a door is not useful to you, while menial tasks can help to attune your sense and practice basic skills, constant reliance is something different altogether. Never let the force become a crutch that you have to lean on. It is something that can propel you to greater heights, not something that is required to maintain your standing."

 

[Brand]

Judicar nodded, remembering an old quote. "True strength derives from an indomitable will," he muttered to himself. "The power of the Dark side requires discipline and dedication to achieve, and the Force itself is only an additive, it would seem. The Bogan are fearsome enough with their power, and that is our key over the Jedi. We have a goal in store, and we will not falter from it, with the Force at our side or otherwise."