Form IV: Ataru

"Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you?"

- Yoda

Form IV: Ataru, the Way of the Hawk-Bat, or the Aggression Form, was the fourth of the seven classic forms of lightsaber combat. Form IV was one of the more popular fighting forms in the Jedi Order for many centuries, during and preceding the era of the Clone Wars. The opening stance for Ataru is a balanced two-handed guard: holding the lightsaber vertically with both palms, either on the right or left side of the body.

Ataru was an aggressive combat form relying on a combination of power, speed, and grace. 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, and allowed them to 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.

Those who used Form IV could move at amazing speeds and could rain strong blows, jumping and attacking through the air. Powerful and lightning fast 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 amazing athletic feats, but it also helped guide their actions and movements in combat.

This form was not as effective for prolonged combat, as the nature of Ataru could greatly tax the body. Nevertheless, Ataru proved to be an effective combat form when used properly. Jedi skilled in Ataru fought with amazing grace and eye-blurring speed, using Force-assisted acrobatics and maneuvers to attack their opponents with powerful swings and offensive flourishes, never staying in one place long enough for their opponents to mount a proper counterattack. Through the Force, masters can take Form IV to its highest level. Their moves flow from one to another in the smooth transitions characteristic of Form IV. In addition, three kinds of rotation, called Su Ma, figure prominently in the style. They are jung su ma (spinning), ton su ma (somersaults), and en su ma (cartwheels). These three moves represent the three possible axes of rotation in a three-dimensional space. Together with Force-enhanced jumps, the rotational su ma moves compose style, making a master of Ataru a whirlwind of destruction.

Users of other forms have criticized Ataru for its reliance on acrobatics, which tend to require large open spaces to maneuver. Makashi users often used this to their advantage by countering Ataru with a series of flashing thrusts toward the enemy's legs to draw the opponent into a flipping overhead leap, giving the Makashi user a perfect opening to disable or kill their opponent. However, Ataru was popular with smaller species as Ataru’s leaps and flips helped to put them on par with larger opponents and their small size meant that they didn’t need as much room to pull off Form IV’s movements.

Masters

 * Tulsar Leidias

Users

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Canon information courtesy of Wookieepedia. Please visit the provided link for the canonical Ataru.