User blog comment:LordWeirdo/(Spoiler-free) Concise opinion of TFA/@comment-27873954-20160201135813/@comment-5510093-20160201171528

An actual fight would have a lot more desperation then say, fencing. In TPB, the fencing matches were mainly about showing off your skilllz, not just trying to kill the other guy (all except the last fight when Montoya does kill the guy, which is a very different fight then when he and the other guy are fighting when they first meet). Fencing is a sport, fighting is someone trying to kill you. :P Plus some of the point, especially with Finn, is that he was a stormtrooper - he likely didn't have any lightsaber training.