Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Aug 19, 2012 13:23:10 GMT
I'm confused. From tutorials I've read and videos I've watched, they say that I'm not supposed to pull back when I come down from an overhead cut, and keep my arms straight... but I thought that we weren't supposed to chop with kattanas? Where's the slicing coming from if I'm not pulling the sword as it connects?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2012 13:32:52 GMT
Lead with the tip, and not your hands (right hand specifically)
My Sensei tells us to think of an overhead cut (whether waist/head) as if we were casting a fly fishing rod, or ribbon dancing etc..
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Aug 19, 2012 13:51:38 GMT
The slicing comes from the curved nature of the blade, I believe. I think of it this way: The straight blade connects with a flat surface area when it strikes, resulting in the chop; slicing is the action of moving the blade back and forth, so if you pull the blade towards you as you strike, it results in a slice rather than a chop. On the other hand, the curved blade connects with an obviously curved surface area; as your armspan shortens the further the blade drops, even if you keep your arms straight, the curved surface area of the blade will naturally create the slicing motion because the blade is sliding along the same spot as it comes down.
... I hope that made sense. That's just the way I think of it and it makes sense to me, but it may not be correct, so take it with a grain of salt.
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Post by Google on Aug 19, 2012 14:05:47 GMT
Don't pull back the sword. Your arms natural movement is a circle, just keep that natural movement of the circle, with your shoulder as the axis.. It is not a chop and neither a pull-back, as both of these break the circle.
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Post by socho on Sept 3, 2012 9:57:32 GMT
What he said. That's the baseline, no need to add anything. Other variations possible, of course.
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Post by EvilDragonX on Sept 3, 2012 13:18:48 GMT
That's what we were told as well. The katana cuts best when moved in an elliptical motion so the blade can probably slice, so the power is generated as the blade is above your head (just like casting a fishing pole) the rest is allowing your arms to follow their natural path. Just don't drop your elbows straight down that's where the chop will come from. My 2 cent's of course.
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Post by ouroborus9nine on Sept 3, 2012 17:52:21 GMT
Waist torsion through the cut also helps the slice action, says this observer.
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Sept 5, 2012 21:52:52 GMT
OK, so I'm being told and taught by Sensei Internet Articles and Videos that I'm not supposed to use my wrists at all the way we use them to swing just about any other weapon (baseball bat, lead pipe, hammer, longsword) for more force/acceleration. So how do I get more power with my cuts for heavier/thicker/harder targets? Do I just have to keep swinging heavier weights for my shoulder and back "rowing" muscles to build up? I need some help on this, because now that I'm trying to refrain from using wrist action, I'm having a hard time getting through thicker and denser targets.
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Post by EvilDragonX on Sept 5, 2012 23:07:17 GMT
No you shouldn't use your wrists, also your grip should never change. What are you trying/ wanting to cut?
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Sept 5, 2012 23:13:52 GMT
Double/triple mats and soaked single/double Sunday New York Times (with advertisements). I haven't tried bamboo yet, since I haven't had any to cut, but if I can't make it through the previous mentioned items, I don't see myself getting through harder targets.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2012 23:28:17 GMT
Sharpness comes from the tension in your fingers, they should be relaxed over head and then snap shut on/near impact.
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Sept 6, 2012 0:17:24 GMT
OK, so the pushing and pulling is like how with bats and whatnot, we flick our wrists?
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SeanF
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Post by SeanF on Sept 6, 2012 0:30:11 GMT
Regardless of how much wrist motion a style of swordsmanship may or may not use the most power in the movement is going to come from the hips.
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Post by Derzis on Sept 8, 2012 15:56:31 GMT
Very true, but for someone who's just starting to use the sword is not easy to understand. Even trying to explain it's hard. At one point, the movement will come. Or not. I participated lately to a seminar with Tomoharu Ito Sensei - Kendo 8th Dan and Iaido 8th Dan, the former Shuseki Shihan (Chief Instructor) of Taihojutsu (Arresting Technique) at the Metropolitan Tokyo Police Department. He was reinforcing the "relaxed shoulders and no wrist whip" in the cut and that all the movements are coming from hara. To watch him at a couple of meters cutting, was quite an experience. I didn't see a more relaxed person during the cut.
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Post by yamakage on Sept 17, 2012 16:05:06 GMT
Swing dynamic, just like pretty much else, varies style by style. Some styles use a bit of the wrist, others don't. In Ishiyama Ryu the movement is initiated from the hara, and the wrists cast forward to open up the swing and accelerate the kissaki as the arms unfold. However, engaging the wrists improperly can really screw up a cut, which may be why there are styles which are not proponents of that approach. Even within those that do use wrist movement during the cut, how exactly that is employed varies as well. I would say how it is employed is determined within the context of the whole swing itself, and not really something that can be parsed out alone.
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Post by K. Vander Linde on Sept 17, 2012 17:57:56 GMT
I've never used a katana so I'm going to tell you what my friend's dad (from Japan) said "With every path the blade may follow there are many cuts, just as in walking there are many (different) steps, the path you take is your own." .
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