Form III: Soresu - Description & Analysis

The third form of lightsaber combat, formally known as Soresu, also referred to as The Resilience Form, and the Way of the Mynock.

All footage from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) is property of Lucasfilm.
All footage from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) is property of Lucasfilm.
All footage from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) is property of Lucasfilm.
All footage from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) is property of Lucasfilm.
All footage from the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated microseries (2003-2005) is property of Lucasfilm.
All footage from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series (2008-2014) is property of Lucasfilm.

[ethanyeo]

“Even in his elder years, Kenobi remains a formidable Form 3 practitioner”

_shows an octogenarian and a 60-year old attempting to smack each other with sticks_

[darylfranklin]

Kenobi's pure mastery of Soresu is possibly why he's one of my favorite Jedi

[Rico-Thingol]

The footballing equivalent of "parking the bus" in front of goal. lol gotta love these defensive formations! Definitely my favorite form.

[TheHumanlpod]

The philosophy of Soresu (and other lightsaber forms) can be applied in real-life sport sparring for various martial arts. Using blocks and dodges to tire an aggressive opponent, wait for them to make a mistake, then unleash a set of counterattacks to score points, rinse and repeat.

[justinamey]

So Basically Form 3 of lightsaber combat at it's mastery level is the ultimate expression of the Rope-a-dope!? I can dig it :D

[rowangallagher]

Soresu is also recommended to be mixed with other forms, that reposte very useful in transition to form v or form I. Many of form i's basic movements flow right into and right out of soresu.

[DarthWill]

Excellent work, my friend, as always. There are a few points that I wish to point out, of course:
1. Another reason for Obi-Wan's final victory over Grievous was the General's most recent injuries, thus reducing the usual effectiveness of his bladework; until that time, Obi-Wan had never been able to take a hand or two from Grievous.
2. Darth Bane made Zannah focus solely on Soresu because she lacked any physical requirements for the more aggressive forms of lightsaber combat. However, after the events of _Dynasty of Evil, _ I would wager that Zannah had adopted other forms into her style while training Darth Cognus.

[kevinnorwood]

"12 strikes per second"?  I thought Grievous's maximum attack speed was 18 strikes per second?  Still, there's no question whatsoever that Obi-Wan Kenobi is the poster boy for Soresu Lightsaber combat.

[eugenewang]

When old Obiwan was fighting Vader on the death star, his old age combined with relatively weak force sensitivity especially relative to Vader, he was forced to rely on Shii Cho techniques he learnt as a youngling. He had to go back to the very basics as even Soresu was too demanding on his aged body.

[Arphemius]

My favourite form. Both philosophically and practically.

[ariesstorm]

The following is an excerpt from the novel Labyrinth of Evil, written by James Luceno, and shows that Form III is more than capable with blaster bolt redirection associated with Form V:

"Obi-Wan leapt to one side, raising his blade to deal with two bolts that got past Anakin. The first he returned toward its source; the second, he parried at a deliberately downward angle. Striking the grotto's hard-packed floor, the deflected bolt ricocheted to one wall, then to the ceiling, to the other wall, and back to the floor, from which it caromed squarely into the control panel that operated the tunnel door.
Showering sparks, the device shorted out, and a slab of thick alloy dropped from its pocket in the wall, sealing the tunnel with a loud thud!
Switching off his lightsaber, Anakin cast a complimentary glance over his shoulder.
"Nicely done, Master."
"The beauty of Form Three, " Obi-Wan said with theatrical nonchalance. "You should try it sometime."
"You've always been better at evasion than I have, " Anakin said. "I prefer more straightforward tactics."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Master of understatement.""

[PpAirO]

Jedi Consular 💚
🙏😌


My favourite forms:
Form I Shii cho
Form III Soresu
Form V Shien/Djem so
Form VI Niman

[jkthedudeman]

So glad that you are once again regularly making new videos, Jensaarai1! Thank you!

[noahweathers]

This is one style I can really get behind. Solid defense combined with tight, efficient movements to limit fatigue is something I can do. However, I do not believe I would have an answer for Soresu’s lack of dedicated offense. Like with Ataru, good, but not great.

[kasen]

this form is really just a tire out you enemies then strike pretty clever if you think about it

[SamuraiJedi]

So this AND a video from Preston about Dorne, you sir have once again made my day!

[tichneck]

This is Floyd Mayweather jr.'s lightsaber style

[lyconxero]

Another great video for the new playlist of lightsaber forms. I also think that you or maybe one of your Council compatriots should make a full video about the reverse grip detailing it's perceived strengths and weaknesses and how the different forms utilize it. There are few force users who seem to exclusively or at least mostly exclusively use it but we've seen tons of different people use it here or there. I initially thought it was strictly a form V thing but having seen it in several other forms now I would love a more in-depth analysis of it.

[davidhowe]

My favourite form. To be honest my cousin and I have our own duels and I use this form almost extensively. Sometimes also combining some of form 2 along with it, whereas my cousin uses form 5

[ryguy]

Can't wait to see form 6! By far the most underestimated form from what I see on the interwebs. 3 and 6 are my favs personally :D Also, GREAT job man. Very informative.