Light Sabers, Fencing, and lopping off your hand

Rating: Null/10 (24 November 2002)

Film makers, over the last several decades have endeavored to change those desperate and necessary battles with blades to something at least approaching the viewer's expectations.
In Episode 1, for the first time, the Star Wars saga caught up to the rest of Hollywood in the art of the blade. I was riveted by the fantastic leaps, quick movements, incredible agility, stunning foresight, and the amazing lethality of these weapons. Ah...what I wouldn't do for a lightsaber. Then I realized what would actually happen if I held a lightsaber.
Studying the blade is no easy task - even in a sport (and yes its a sport) like fencing. Whether you use a foil (for thrust work), or a saber (for targeted thrust or cut) cuts and wounds, or even the inevitable feeling of your opponent's blade upon your jacket, touches happen.
Now imagine practicing with a blade that slices through titanium like a gingsu knife through butter (or a tin can if you prefer). Imagine a blade that generates enough heat to cauterize a serious wound. Now imagine making a mistake with this thing and changing your sex in a miscalculated instant.
As Anakin, Luke, and even Han would say, "I have a bad feeling about this."
As a fencer, I find the stilted, halting battles between Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi and later between Vader and Luke to be much more realistic to the idea of this weapon. I'd be damned careful with a light saber. Oh sure, killing the opponent (or lopping of his hand) seems to be a surefire goal, but realistically speaking, how likely is this? Consider these facts:
1. Light sabers have no hilt. Did you ever play "swords" with sticks when you were growing up? How many times did your knuckles get rapped? Now you want to play with a lightsaber with no hilt?
2. Two handed or one handed? Fencers will tell you that swords can come in countless ways, however you can break them up into two types: Blades that take one hand, or blades that take two. We have seen many different styles of fighting: from Luke's heavy two handed hammer hold broadsword bashing, to Count Dooku's one handed pistol grip saber. If I had to fight someone with a lightsaber, I sure would like to know which style to defend against. Dooku would be disciplined, knowledgeable, and predictable, not to mention that his thrusts and slashes would be controlled and strong, but not jackhammer force. Fighting Luke would be like trying to block a meteor storm with a chopstick. The best swordsman in the world doesn't fear the second best, he fears the worst. The worst doesn't know beans and you can't anticipate his movements.
3. Peripheral vision and the light saber - One thing in all edged weapon battles that is paramount (especially on an unfixed arena) is peripheral vision. A light saber could blind this vision for the user.

Conclusion: Once again Hollywood has invented a weapon that is unusable. It's to dangerous to practice with, too unpredictable in its interaction with the environment, lacking in defensive capabilities, and to open for interpretive battle methods. If given a choice I will choose my own saber, over Luke's or even the B.M.F. engraved blade of Windu's.
I suppose, to avoid the mishaps, one must have the reflexes and foreknowledge of a ... oh yes! I know! A Jedi knight if one is to use a light saber.