When Darth Maul (one of the most iconic villains of the Star Wars universe) first appeared in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, a lot of fans were quite surprised by his menacing appearance, even more so by his weapon. The lightsaber he wielded was quite distinctive from what Star Wars fans were used to at the time.
Darth Maul’s lightsaber was a specialised type of lightsaber known as a double-bladed lightsaber or Saberstaff. The weapon featured a single hilt mechanism with two blade emitters (attached to both sides of the hilt). The unique features of this lightsaber, coupled with Darth Maul’s visually impressive appearance, fascinated the audience, and soon enough, the double-bladed lightsaber became a Star Wars fan-favourite.
As a lightsaber enthusiast, here are some impressive and cool lightsaber tricks you can do with a double-bladed lightsaber.
Investing in a Realistic Double-Bladed Lightsaber
In order to truly indulge yourself in the art of wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, you need to own a realistic replica of the weapon. A realistic double-bladed lightsaber is a replica that is accurately modeled after the weapon used in the Star Wars movies. Realistic lightsabers typically come equipped with quality parts and immersive lightsaber features such as motion-sensitive sound effects, power options, blade lights, brightness, RGB colour-changing, and other visual effects.
These features are what make wielding a double-bladed lightsaber fun and thrilling.
Double-Bladed Lightsaber Tricks
Basic Spin
The basic lightsaber spinning trick is a trick that you can do with your double-bladed lightsaber. However, the trick is for when you activate only one of the blades of your double-bladed lightsaber.
This trick serves as the foundation on which other advanced lightsaber tricks are built. Mastering the basic spin makes it significantly easier for you to perform more advanced and top-level tricks with your lightsaber.
To learn the basic spin, start by holding your saber’s hilt at your side (around your waist level) and slightly in front of you. This positions the blade of your lightsaber such that its tip is pointed upward at a 45-degree angle. Proceed to slowly swing the blade by rotating your wrist and hand away from your body.
As the blade swings and changes orientation, try opening your hand to grip the saber’s hilt between your thumb and forefinger while continuing to rotate your wrist. This way, the blade swings behind you in a clockwise manner before spinning back around. Once this full spin is completed, you can tightly grip the saber’s hilt to stop its movement.
Because a double-bladed lightsaber has a significantly longer hilt than a standard lightsaber, you need to exercise more caution while doing this trick. Chances are, you won’t get the hang of this trick on your first or even your tenth try, but with constant practice, you’ll be spinning your lightsaber in no time.
The Twirl
This is a trick you can do with both blades of your double-bladed lightsaber activated. The lightsaber twirl trick allows you to carry out multiple and continuous spins that travel in a 360-degree circle around your body.
To carry out the trick, start by holding your activated double-bladed lightsaber (saberstaff) in one hand at your side, then begin to slowly rotate your hand as you bring the saber’s hilt across your body to your other hand.
Grab the rotating hilt with your other hand and swing the saber behind your back while leaning slightly forward to accommodate the spinning weapon. Proceed to bring the hand that initially held the hilt behind you from the opposite direction to reclaim the hilt and swing the lightsaber back to your front (the second changeover of the hilt should happen in the middle of your back).
When doing this trick, ensure that the hand holding the hilt is rotating at all times. This is to maintain the spinning movement of the lightsaber.
This double-bladed lightsaber twirl trick can take some time to master, but once you get it right, it can look very cool and intimidating. To help you get the hang of it faster, you can check out several lightsaber-spinning videos on YouTube and TikTok. These videos will show you a complete breakdown of the twirling motion.
Dual Lightsaber Wielding
Some models of double-bladed lightsabers allow for the saber to be split into two separate blades. If this is the type of double-bladed lightsaber you have, then you can also try dual lightsaber wielding. This art of wielding two lightsabers simultaneously can be seen in Star Wars with the lightsaber combat form known as Jar’Kai.
As you would expect, wielding two lightsabers is no easy feat, but there are some tips you can use to master the Form quicker. First is to opt for a double-bladed lightsaber with shorter blades. This way, you can avoid accidentally banging the sabers against unwanted objects or each other.
Another helpful tip is to practice using a lightsaber with your non-dominant hand. Since dual lightsaber wielding involves the use of both hands, you can significantly improve your skill by spending a considerable amount of time manipulating a lightsaber with your non-dominant hand.
Conclusion
A double-bladed lightsaber is a fascinating weapon, and wielding one can make you look really cool. Above are some of the impressive tricks you can do with a double-bladed lightsaber. If you would like to try some of these tricks, make sure that you are using a realistic and high-quality double-bladed lightsaber.