The sixth form of classical Lightsaber Combat, Niman, focuses more on using the Force to coerce opponents to surrender.
Explanation
Form VI is a consolidation of many of the lessons taught by Forms I, III, IV and V. It was the most common style in use during the early days of the Clone Wars. Form VI does not require the intensity of many other forms but rather seeks to create harmony between all the other styles. It was sometimes referred to as the "diplomat's form" because its study allowed time for the pursuit of other fields such as politics, negotiation, and diplomacy.
The history of Niman is unusual given its origins in a dual wielded variant that continued to be practised remotely into the last days of the Jedi Order. With time the Jedi abandoned the aggressive practises of the older variant of Niman. During these old times, many years would be spent in study of the other forms, in an attempt to better round out the training of an individual Jedi.
After the conflicts ended, and combat became less of a focal point to a Jedi's training, the hard study of the various saber forms declined, and was codified into this very dtreamlined, and relatively easy to learn form. This freed up time to spend pursuing other studies as already said. In many ways modern Form VI is ideal for any situation because its diversity allows a master the freedom to adapt. In the recent past many Jedi chose Form VI because it did not require the rigorous training regime to master as many of the other forms, Instead relying upon their negotiation skills to avoid the actual violence of combat. This did not serve them well throughout the Clone Wars, as every single Jedi practitioner of Form VI present at the Battle of Geonosis was slain.
Today, those who prefer to avoid combat, and feel that their time is best spent in learning other aspects of the Force besides combat are encouraged to learn Niman.
Grip
Held in the middle of the hilt, this form alternates between several variations of handgrips, based upon the component styles.
Stance
The standard ready stance of Niman borrows from Soresu in that a turns sideways and lowers themselves slightly. Different from Soresu, Niman practitioners keep their weak arm angled toward their opponent, a slight modification in stance that Jedi Consulars believe makes a person more likely to surrender and listen to reason..
Striking
The saber of a Niman adherent moves only to defend, and to strike only when pressed in ways that would not kill, but nevertheless removes the opponent's threat.
Defence
Relying upon defensive strokes to defend themselves both from saber and blaster, this form sacrifices much of it's defensive ability when used as a secondary to the practitioner's negotiation skills.
Requirements
The student wishing to study Djem So must first attain mastery of the third circles of both Soresu and Shii-Cho as well as have a combined score of 30 in constitution and charisma.
Light-Whips
This is a form of whip that employs light energy to stun a target as well as lash out and cause wounds. The standard lightwhip is designed to harness energy around an extremely tough and resilient alloy core, often made out of a rare metal such as Mandalorian Iron. The product is a flexible energy whip typically somewhere between 2.5 to 4.5 meters in length.
The lightwhip has a number of practical advantages over more traditional weaponry. Its most apparent benefit, however, is its immunity to Cortosis alloys giving a lightwhip adherent a significant advantage over standard a lightsaber duellist. Though this level of skill requires years of training and beginners are as much a danger to themselves as to those around them.
For this reason alone lightwhip practitioners are rare, more so even than the limited adherents of the double bladed lightsaber variants. The real difficulty with the lightwhip, other than the self preservation factor, comes with its construction. They are exceedingly costly requiring a number of focussing crystals imbedded throughout the alloy core, all of which must be aligned precisely to ensure the weapon functions correctly.
More experienced adherents often even build numerous cores into their weapon, creating an extremely potent weapon with a number of energy thongs. This style of weapon was seen in the hands of Lumiya, one of the Sith trained by Darth Vader. Githany, one of the Sith Lords from the Brotherhood of Darkness shortly before the Battle of Ruusan, also used a lightwhip, though one of the more basic single cored variants. They were occasionally used by Jedi, Kit Fisto being one such example.
Lightwhips are considered exceedingly rare, let alone the very dangerous prospect of learning to fight with one, which is a feat probably best reserved for Masters of the Jedi Arts.
Adherents