Are the Sith always trained in lightsaber combat?

Question

Unlike the Jedi, who systematically train multiple padawans in lightsaber combat at the Jedi Temple, the Sith are only two in number at any given moment: the master and the apprentice.

Dooku and Anakin were already trained in the art of the lightsaber by the Jedi before becoming apprentices to Darth Sidious. (Although Kylo Ren is not advertised as a "Sith", he is a Dark Force user who was initially trained in lightsaber combat by Luke Skywalker.)

If an apprentice is not a lapsed Jedi, does a Sith master expect him or her to be already trained in lightsaber combat? Will the master directly train the apprentice in the art of combat, if necessary?

Or is lightsaber mastery not mandatory for the Sith?

Answer 1

There have been relatively few Sith apprentices (in canon) who weren't fallen Jedi; however, as far as we know all of them were trained in lightsaber combat by their masters:

• Darth Sidious obviously was

• Darth Maul, who was plucked from his Dathomiri village by Sidious, also obviously was

• Ventress, Dooku's first apprentice, who used dual lightsabers during the Clone Wars

• Savage Oppress, Maul's brother who was taken from his village by Mother Talzin to serve as Dooku's new apprentice, was trained in lightsaber combat by Dooku:

That's four Sith apprentices, none of whom had association with the Jedi prior to their induction, being trained in lightsaber combat. It would appear that lightsaber training is part of the Sith package.

Answer 2

If you consider video games canon, there are plenty of dark force users in jedi knight II and III that either use no weapon, or a blaster. But they are not "true" siths, they are just "cultists".

According to Wookieepedia

A Sith Cultist was a member of any Sith cult. More specifically, "Sith Cultist" was used with reference to the members of Tavion Axmis's Sith cult, the Disciples of Ragnos.[...] Members of the cult had been empowered with the Force by Tavion's Scepter of Ragnos and wore different color battle suits depending on their abilities. Some of Tavion's Sith cultists were Force-users, carrying no weapons and instead using offensive powers such as Force Grip and Force lightning as well as acrobatics. Others were armed with a blaster rifle and had basic knowledge of several dark side powers. However, most were trained in the basics of lightsaber combat.