The Echani Martial Art
The Echani martial art is an art steeped in Galactic tradition. One of the oldest known martial arts, and also arguably one of the most famous, the Echani martial art is both beautiful and deadly. Its fame (and its name) comes from the white-haired Echani people of Eshan who, to a fault, study it and propagate it across the Galaxy. Their penchant for using it as a method for communicating and learning more about their opponents just from the way they fight is renowned all across the Galaxy. It is said that an Echani can learn more about someone in five minutes of fighting than they would from hours of discussion; this is a testament to the depth and complexity of the art at its highest tiers. So too has it been adapted by a wide variety of military groups such as Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guard and the Thyrsus Sun Guard, for its lethal efficiency.
Echani is very much about motion and application of force to the correct place at the correct time. Many describe it as overly showy, which in many cases is intentional to mask the true intent of the techniques on show. It is a powerful yet flowing art that can be adapted to almost any situation with a wide variety of applications, teaching sound combat principles that have survived many millennia in their efficiency. There are some spiritual elements to the art that certain detractors complain about, but it has withstood the test of time nonetheless.
This guide is not a be-all and end-all for everything one needs to know; instead, it is intended as a reference material that explains the core basics required for Echani, which can be adapted to suit personal tastes. At its heart, that is the essence of Echani: it is a personal journey in which one expresses their spirit and ideas in their own way. This guide will cover many things, including basic techniques, the idea of forms, weaponry, an explanation of internal energy and the ideas needed to make use of Echani martial arts.
Studying Echani
Like many martial arts, Echani’s basics are easy to pick up but difficult to master, taking years of training and a deep understanding of the martial art as well as a finely honed body. Learning Echani is fairly accessible as Echani schools are available all across the Galaxy, for the right price. These schools are typically able to teach the basics of Echani and take a student to intermediate levels even at the most commercially oriented schools. To reach higher levels, one must seek a well-renowned school with a tried and true master, one who is well versed in the art and can express ideas and concepts well. Eshan is a very popular place for students to make a pilgrimage to study the art in the heartland, as it were.
Echani is taught in three tiers, each with its own set of techniques and concepts, some of which are unique to the school that the student learns from. Some take on the characteristics of certain animals from across the Galaxy. Some teach special internal arts that focus on the precise manipulation of pressure points across the body. Some are more dedicated to extreme feats of the body. No matter what school the student is from, every school is fairly equal in the measure of their tiers; almost every school universally teaches the first tier exactly the same. The third tier is generally very different, but being of this third tier denotes a mastery of the art—whereas mastery denotes a sound knowledge of the techniques of the first two tiers and their applications, as well as the ability to adapt those techniques and learn new ones, while comprehending their meaning and use. Mastery is not in any way a reason to say ‘I am perfect’ – in fact, the more a good student learns, the more they realize they know very little. Generally, those on a higher tier can teach those of a lower tier with a great degree of proficiency.
The Echani martial art is an art steeped in Galactic tradition. One of the oldest known martial arts, and also arguably one of the most famous, the Echani martial art is both beautiful and deadly. Its fame (and its name) comes from the white-haired Echani people of Eshan who, to a fault, study it and propagate it across the Galaxy. Their penchant for using it as a method for communicating and learning more about their opponents just from the way they fight is renowned all across the Galaxy. It is said that an Echani can learn more about someone in five minutes of fighting than they would from hours of discussion; this is a testament to the depth and complexity of the art at its highest tiers. So too has it been adapted by a wide variety of military groups such as Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guard and the Thyrsus Sun Guard, for its lethal efficiency.
Echani is very much about motion and application of force to the correct place at the correct time. Many describe it as overly showy, which in many cases is intentional to mask the true intent of the techniques on show. It is a powerful yet flowing art that can be adapted to almost any situation with a wide variety of applications, teaching sound combat principles that have survived many millennia in their efficiency. There are some spiritual elements to the art that certain detractors complain about, but it has withstood the test of time nonetheless.
This guide is not a be-all and end-all for everything one needs to know; instead, it is intended as a reference material that explains the core basics required for Echani, which can be adapted to suit personal tastes. At its heart, that is the essence of Echani: it is a personal journey in which one expresses their spirit and ideas in their own way. This guide will cover many things, including basic techniques, the idea of forms, weaponry, an explanation of internal energy and the ideas needed to make use of Echani martial arts.
Studying Echani
Like many martial arts, Echani’s basics are easy to pick up but difficult to master, taking years of training and a deep understanding of the martial art as well as a finely honed body. Learning Echani is fairly accessible as Echani schools are available all across the Galaxy, for the right price. These schools are typically able to teach the basics of Echani and take a student to intermediate levels even at the most commercially oriented schools. To reach higher levels, one must seek a well-renowned school with a tried and true master, one who is well versed in the art and can express ideas and concepts well. Eshan is a very popular place for students to make a pilgrimage to study the art in the heartland, as it were.
Echani is taught in three tiers, each with its own set of techniques and concepts, some of which are unique to the school that the student learns from. Some take on the characteristics of certain animals from across the Galaxy. Some teach special internal arts that focus on the precise manipulation of pressure points across the body. Some are more dedicated to extreme feats of the body. No matter what school the student is from, every school is fairly equal in the measure of their tiers; almost every school universally teaches the first tier exactly the same. The third tier is generally very different, but being of this third tier denotes a mastery of the art—whereas mastery denotes a sound knowledge of the techniques of the first two tiers and their applications, as well as the ability to adapt those techniques and learn new ones, while comprehending their meaning and use. Mastery is not in any way a reason to say ‘I am perfect’ – in fact, the more a good student learns, the more they realize they know very little. Generally, those on a higher tier can teach those of a lower tier with a great degree of proficiency.
