"Sure thing." He took two steps back and shut down his lightsaber, although he still held the saber by his side in case Collan tried a sneak attack. "Yeah, exploring other styles couldn't hurt, but I'll pass on what Ch'lana advised me. Start training with Soresu next."
Niil thought back to Ch'lana's first instruction. "Shii-Cho was developed before blasters came out. Once blasters became mainstream as the ranged weapon of choice, the Jedi found out that Shii-Cho couldn't deal with the threat very well. That's why they developed Soresu. It's a defensive form, and it works against lightsabers and blasters. You don't really use it to attack, but to strengthen your defense. The idea is to create a strong barrier that the enemy can't penetrate, and you wait him out until he makes a mistake or tires out. That's where you strike."
Niil lit his lightsaber and started to demonstrate the Soresu form as if he were facing an invisible opponent Smiling, he said, "I've been at it for a short time so my form's hardly perfect, but notice how I move; how my lightsaber moves. Economy of motion, strength and energy. Stay light on your feet. Bend out of the way of attacks when you can instead of blocking or parrying them. Use the minimum strength necessary to deflect a strong attack . . . one doesn't always need to parry a hard strike head on; sometimes a light deflection can be more advantageous to you if it throws your foe off-balance. Let him burn his stamina out trying to get to you."
Niil shut off his lightsaber again. "So Soresu is all about survival. You use it to wear down your opponent, forcing them to expend more energy than you. But it's also a form of movement, so it's not the best choice for confined spaces. Still, it does have considerable advantages."
