Star Wars…WHAT!?!
So I know what your thinking , “here we go, another star wars fanatic ranting on about jedi’s”. To be quite honest, the movie Star Wars has so many hidden messages behind the lightsabers and jedi mind tricks, that its almost unbearable to not talk about. The one topic that i will talk about in this article is the correlation between the Movie “Star Wars” and Martial Arts.
Source: http://www.virginmedia.com/digital/galleries/aliens.php?ssid=13
Firstly, as we can see there is some proof of martial arts in the movie. They jump around and kick and punch and use the force to fight one another, but if you study it deeply you will see that the jedi study martial arts starting from a young age and develop this Taoist mindset. Their concept of the force and midichlorians matches so well with the philosophy and teachings of Taoism (dow-ism). The use of Energy/force flowing through everyone and everything, and to go with the flow of nature and the force is a big precept in Taoism called “wu wei”. Wu wei is the same as saying that you are doing something with out effort or going with the flow of things, knowing when and when not to do something.
So Which Styles are Used?
One thing that is hard to do is to pin point an exact martial arts style on what the jedi use in the movie. One thing that we can see a little bit of, is that of the Chinese fighting styles to an hint of some Jeet Jun Do. The biggest art forms that are hugely present in star wars though are Iaido, and Kendo. Why? They all deal in some aspect with the sword and sword techniques.
In Iaido, we can see that there is controlled movements and steps on how to effectively draw your sword, strike with either a cut, stab, or slice, followed by the removal of the blood from the sword, finally ending with the placement of the sword back in the scabbard. The Iaido forms are very short and quick. They are meant to deal a lot of damage with less movement. It’s so simplistic that it can be almost labeled a zen like characteristic. We can see this with the jedi in how they can easily charge their lightsaber and attack with simplistic movements (more in the older movies). We can also see this sense of kendo as well.
Source: http://self-preservationsociety.blogspot.com/2007/11/classic-iaido.html
Kendo, meaning “way of the sword” can also be seen as an art form used in Star Wars a well. Kendo is the most famous of the two and incorporates matches and duels between to kenshi, or swordsman. They use shinai’s or bamboo swords to practice with one another with protective gear (Bogu set). The matches are very exciting to see and the attacks are to the head, body, hands, and throat. The intensity of the matches can compare easily with the jedi and their duels. The only thing that the jedi have is that they use one hand sometimes instead of two for when they hold their lightsaber which makes it unique. Nonetheless the style and the background of how they fight with the lightsaber is very similar to that of kendo.
Overall, if your interested in trying out what the Jedi’s do, then i would recommend finding a dojo that practices kendo and iaido. In my opinion they are very fun art forms to learn and practice. They will improve your swordsmanship and develop your martial arts skills as well. They both teach very good lessons in attacking, and precision. For the less strikes with the most damage. Kendo is a good way to get a workout and will make you sweat of some extra pounds. Iaido is a great meditative art style that will get you in the zone and improve your speed and accuracy as well. Remember, don’t be biased to one art style, get out there and see what other styles have to offer and incorporate them into your own style.
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