Form III - Soresu

Form III, also known as Soresu, the Way of the Mynock, or the Resilience Form, is the third of the seven classic forms of lightsaber combat. Soresu was developed during the widespread emergence of blasters as an offensive weapon. Essentially a development on Form I blast-deflect training, Soresu relies on tight blade work and subtle dodges to provide maximum defensive coverage, minimizing exposure to ranged weaponry. Over time, Soresu has transcended this basic origin, and is considered the ultimate expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy.
Like Makashi, Soresu relies on economy of motion and energy efficiency, keeping up constant blade movement to build up momentum and minimize energy expenditure. Form III focuses on strong defensive technique to essentially outlast an opponent, waiting until they begin to make mistakes due to frustration or fatigue, before taking advantage of these lapses and countering. Despite its effectiveness, Soresu is heavily criticised for its lack of offensive capabilities, as it facilitates survival rather than victory. As an answer to these weaknesses, the highly aggressive Ataru and Shien forms were developed side by side.


Description
The Soresu form was devised to counter the widespread emergence of blasters, weapons that the previous Makashi form isn't equipped to combat. The pragmatic Form III has become the most defensive of the seven forms, and utilises tight moves, consisting of subtle dodges and efficient parries, intended to provide maximum defensive coverage, and minimize exposure to ranged fire. Over time, Form III has come to transcend this basic and pragmatic origin, and has become an expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy.
Soresu utilises tight motions, lightsaber moving every second in an attempt to achieve near-total protection, and expend as little energy in the process as possible. Form III stresses quick reflexes and fast positional transition, in order to overcome the rapidity with which a blaster can be fired. This technique minimises the body's exposure, making a well-trained practitioner practically invincible, which allows Soresu to be effective against both single enemies and multiple opponents, as well as blasters and lightsabers. Form III involves preparation for prolonged battles where the user observes and learns as much as possible about their adversary's technique while engaged in combat. Also, being more optimised for lengthy battles, a Soresu user has the ability to gain control of a combat situation, creating multiple options for the Jedi employing the form. A Form III user can choose to kill, disarm, or even reason with their opponent.
The core tenets of Soresu encourage duellists to place themselves "within the eye of the storm": to maintain a calm centre, undistracted and undisturbed by the conflict around them. In keeping with this idea, Soresu incorporates powerful defensive techniques that are flexible enough to adapt to almost any circumstance, at the cost of never reaching past the figurative "eye of the storm." In other words, Soresu focuses almost entirely on self-defence, often at the expense of offensive capabilities. The tactics encouraged by the style involve the reliance on pure defence while essentially waiting out the opponent, holding back until their frustration or fatigue inevitably causes their defence to lapse, then employ an alternate, more aggressive attack to take advantage. Overall, the whole point of Soresu is to deflect blaster fire out of harm's way and safely prolong a lightsaber fight in hopes of wearing an opponent down.
Truly focused masters of Soresu are extremely formidable due to their strong defensive technique, as well as the well-rounded nature of the form itself, effective against both blasters and lightsabers. However, Form III facilitates survival rather than victory, as Soresu possesses no dedicated offensive sequences of its own. Form III initiates are more than capable of defending themselves from attack, but they need considerable experience to effectively counterattack and entrap opponents. Masters have to maintain an incredibly strong focus on the centre of the combat circle, since the defensive tactics of the form include guards and parries that engage very close to the body. Jedi with small lapses in their otherwise strong defence leave little room to avoid injury. As a result of this defensive mindset, Soresu practitioners often have great difficulty seizing the offensive initiative in combat. Also, the goal of many Soresu practitioners is to prolong the fight, the idea being to cause the enemy to become fatigued or frustrated as they attempt to keep up their offense. However, this tactic runs the risk of fatiguing the user if said user faces an adversary who can maintain an aggressive but cautious offense.

Known Moves and Maneuvers
For the Soresu opening stance, the duellist holds the blade back in a one-handed grip, angled forwards with the blade arm held parallel, the other hand held up in a challenge. The dominant foot is positioned back. The brace-ready stance has much in common with the "Ataru guard," with the hilt held at waist height on the dominant side in a two-handed grip for greater control, extended vertically upwards. The dominant foot is placed back while the other is extended forwards and to the side in a brace position. A variation on this stance features the blade held high in a drop-parry position, though the foot positions are the same.
Against individual shooters, Form III duellists are encouraged to apply the "deflecting slash." This move serves the dual purposes of allowing a Jedi to redirect the momentum generated by deflecting an enemy projectile into a slashing attack at an adjacent target, and allowing the Jedi to advance and close the distance before the attacker can fire another shot. A careful application allows a Jedi to redirect the shot back at the attacker, though this skill is more commonly applied by Shien practitioners. Against multiple blaster-wielding attackers, the "circle of shelter" is advised. This technique allows a Soresu practitioner to hold off as many as twenty shooters by dropping into a moving meditation, relying on the Force to perceive the various positions of the attackers and the necessary movements to evade or deflect their shots. As this manoeuvre is executed while in a meditative state, prolonged use can open a Force-adept's mind to visions of the future.