Would any sane person do this?

Wow...that seems very dangerous to me @_@ I'd hate to be one of the guys holding the person up off the ground, cause if I move, he could die >_< However...it is an impressive level of control and something that must take many years to perfect.

In a word, NO. That video is a display of absolutely nothing but luck. It has no useful purpose and should be frowned upon IMO.

There was a video similar that floated around a while back of the same thing only the fruit being cut was placed on the neck. The swordsman misjudged his strike and cut his assistant quite badly.

Just silly

;D

Oh dear not another "traditionalist" just because someone is using a sword in a way that you don't agree with doesn't mean it is necessarily wrong. Is haidong gumdo wrong? Alot of JSA martial artists seem to think so. Look at the youtube video of TPRoach, so many people came down on him for not respecting his sword blah frickety blah. The only way you learn the limits of yourself and of your weapon is to experiment, do it safely of course but don't be restricted by what others thing of as "wrong." Most of us "backyard" cutters are doing unspeakable things to our swords in the eyes of the true collector who buys his swords to look at. Yes a sword was designed to kill but they are also designed to protect and save lives to. I'm not so sure it is such a stupid thing to do as it is a display or speed and skill and trust. Is it a stupid thing for a shaolin monk to lie on a bed of swords with another monk on top of him, a slab of 6" thick concrete on top of that monk and then another monk smashing the concrete with a sledgehammer? To me it is just good clean fun. So the moral of the story is stop looking down on people because they do things that you don't necessarily agree with, if they have the training and the skill then shut the hell up, pull that rather pointy stick out from between your butt cheeks and applaud them for their skill.

Marabunta's right. You can do whatever you like with your swords, but the minute you bring someone else into harms way then you're going too far.

Wow a little emotional there aren't we? The fact remains the same the sword IS a weapon and it was designed with one purpose in mind and that is the purpose of KILLING. Certainly I agree that a weapon any weapon can be used to ever "defend" someone or "attack" someone that is what a weapon is made for. I'm more of a libertarian then anyone you will ever meet but lets be honest and grow up shale we?

I never said they didn't have the right to due stupid things like this but I also have the right to call them on it when they are preforming something that is highly stupid. I'd say the same thing to a group who was performing a "William Tell" event with a colt .45. Is it possible to shoot a apple off a mans head with a pistol without harming him? The answer of course is it. Do I recommend that anybody even the greatest of marksman try it? No it way to dangerous of a challenge and is truly ultimately asking for trouble, and anyone who truly understood and loved firearms could understand the countless possiblest that could happen that could in the end screw it up and cause someone there life at worst and at best a sever injury.

Likewise with this stupid "display" of "talent". He could have easily chosen another way to show his skill without putting to risk one of his students. The true respect of a weapon is understanding its deadly powers whether its a sword, gun, bow, hammer, ax, spear, or blow tube. These items where designed as weapons to kill period. That is the purpose of there existence.

Now do they have a right to perform this stupid thing? Of course. I think people should have a right to perform in a duel if they desire. I believe people have a right to shoot cocaine up there noses and to nail there hands to a piece of wood if they desire to, but that doesn't mean I approve of it or will tell people to go out and do it to prove themselves in one way or another.

To me this doesn't show any respect to the art forum they are learning. No matter what titles or ideas you may put behind any sword school of thought you are learning a way to kill with a sword. That is what you are doing, learning the ability to kill with a blade. Now most people don't learn swordsmanship to learn to kill, they due it for the concentration it requires and the physical and mental strain and exercise it is to maintain the art forum. Still though you are learning the art of killing period. That can't be denied. Cheap moves like this only weaken such respect for any of these art forums. Men (and women to a extent) lived and died to preserve these teachings no one should ever forget that. especiallynot someone who claims to be the "safety" expert of this board.

I'm not a "traditionalist" by any stretch either. I'm all for discovering new ways to not only improve skills but also improve the structural integrity of blades. But I am a traditionalist I guess when it comes to understanding and respecting a sword. They are weapons of death not toys, and should be seen and used with respect.

Oops, sorry i keep forgetting how emotion comes across in type i didn't mean to be that gung ho about it. I just think that in some places we come down in ways we shouldn't. I mean when the TPRoach thing was posted he got jumped all over yet he wasn't doing anything stupid and was a martial artist, traditional martial artist as well. I just think we need to be as careful with our opinions as we are with our swords. No question we should be safe and i have nothing wrong with traditional sword arts, i am even tempted to find a school that can teach me iaido or gumdo. I have been doing some kendo against a friend of mine and that is quite awesome and i do live steel reenactment so i understand the necessity for safety. So please don't misunderstand me, sometimes things that arent necessarily what we view as traditional have some merit. Once again my apologies if it appears that i am condoning idiocy, im not, i'm just saying that sometimes we need to be careful how we look at certain things, like my example of the shaolin monks.

Yup.