Overview:

Makashi is represented as elegant and focused, based on balance and footwork to outmaneuver opponents and strike at their weak spots. Rather than strength, Makashi relies much more on the fluidity and precision of the user, as Form II heavily utilizes jabs than the sweeping hack and slash movements of Shii-Cho. Compared to Form I’s strength in dealing with multiple adversaries at once, Makashi is much more powerful and efficient against one opponent. 

Origin In response to the failings of Shii-Cho against a single adversary, a form tailored to dueling was created: Makashi. The Way of the Ysalamiri’s primary purpose was the exact opposite of Shiicho’s; prevent disarmament at all costs. Makashi is focused on precision, unlike its previous form, Shiicho. With maneuvers similar to that of fencing, a practitioner of Form II would be able to block with minimal effort but would have to be more offensive to prevail. In contrast to Shiicho’s emotionally heated mindset, having a level head is vital for a Makashi practitioner. As previously stated, Form II requires a great awareness of surroundings, utilizing footwork and blade work in unison. It ultimately strikes the weak points of the opponent, using contentious opportunity. An offset in the user's mindset could - and most likely would - cause them to create an opening, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Due to Makashi’s strengths in one-on-one dueling, the number of Form II practitioners drastically increased in events such as the Hundred-Year Darkness. However, by the time of the Great Hyperspace War and the Old Sith Wars, the chances of a Jedi encountering a saber-wielding opponent were slim. As blaster technology improved, Form II's flaws would become exploited. Since it was created strictly for blade-to-blade combat, it lacks any effective manner to countering and engaging in blaster warfare. Because of this, Makashi lost a great deal of practicality as technology continued to advance. 

Makashi in practice The typical Makashi flourish tends to rapidly move the blade in an x-shaped pattern in the air, almost identical to fencing. The idea is that the lightsaber is no longer a standard sword, as shown with Shii-Cho. Instead, it is now more similar to a rapier, as the saber is held in one hand, brought up vertically in front of the user's face, and then swung into a flourish. For this to successfully occur, the practitioner would have to ensure that the grip on the saber hilt was not too tight, as this potentially restricts the fluidity of movements. Similar to Shii-Cho, Makashi had two Marks of Contact; the Sun Djem and the Shiak. Unlike Form I's focus on disarming an opponent, Sun Djem focuses on destroying the enemy's weapon while potentially harming their fingers too. The application of Shiak consists of moving in a back and forth line, indicating a certain sense of skill and control over the situation. It also allows the Makashi Riposte's implementation into the duel, which was designed to slightly alter the angle of an opponent’s attack with a counter-strike following. Practitioners of Makashi would also tend to construct a saber with a curved hilt. Equipping a curved grip is ultimately more effective because it fits better into the palm, in turn granting better blade control and allowing for greater precision and strength. They would sometimes also include blade guards in case a higher grip of the hilt is required. (edited)

Notable Practitioners Count Dooku (Darth Tyranus) was one of - if not the most - the most notable practitioners of Makashi. He emphasized emotional level-headedness and was proficient at identifying the weaknesses of his opponents. His methods led to his exquisite fashion of knowing how to provoke them and predict their movements. He was a heavy user of feints, which allowed him to entrap his opponents with his unpredictable offense and effortless defense. His apprentice, Asajj Ventress, was also a renowned practitioner of Makashi, but her form was “sloppy" and "unrefined," as she was incapable of maintaining a level head during a duel, allowing her rage to fuel her, but cloud her sense at the same time. However, both Master and Apprentice shared the same weakness. When being engaged in a duel with a user of Djem So, they failed, as they merely were not physically strong enough to counter it. This flaw led to his [Dooku] death by Anakin Skywalker, a profound Djem So user.