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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2008 20:16:11 GMT
I have no training. I just bought a sword and practice with bottle in my back yard. Mainly I just find different ways of holding the sword that feels natural to me. Any tips appreciated. If possible if anything looks good or dangerous try to let me know. Like "Try to swing more like swing 7" "Swing three was dangerous youll cut yourself" Anyway aftermath As you can tell I was just mellow and relaxed, I wasn't swinging real hard. You'll notice on some swings as I raise my sword I just open my hands and close right before swing to get comfortable. One swing I cut with the tip, one near the tsuba. The video isnt that good with poor light but I'm using a Kaze with a tenchi tsuba wrapped in a black suede print grip that I made slightly thicker then normal. Almost all bottle bottoms landed in the recycling bin, just a couple inches behind the stand. The only bottle in the pile I did not film myself hitting is the one you see with the giant yellow lid. It was a salsa bottle that was really thick, I don,t know what it was made of but it almost broke rather then cut, it had a saw like jagged edge like the bottle was thick but brittle. Every thing else cut pretty easy.
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Post by YlliwCir on Jun 13, 2008 20:48:47 GMT
OC, your cutting looks pretty good to me. I'd say go through the cutting techniques thread if you haven't already, some good pointers there. One thing, I'd keep that left leg back.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Jun 13, 2008 20:57:09 GMT
Great cuts Outside! yes indeed I COULD see you were very relaxed. that is really important. watch my vids and you'll see a guy NOT very relaxed. . . I'm normally pretty mellow but cutting and sword swinging gets me revved up. your edge alignment seems to be very good. ok now I'm not a super-ninja-samurai-to-beat-all but I think I can say you want to try a few things: (just remember to keep that great relaxed attitude while you do them) 1. body mechanics. there are two very basic body movements to swinging a sword. because we swing with our bodies not our arms, or rather not just our arms. 1a. imagine you have a roasting spit running through you from the top of your head, through your spine, out your butt, and into the ground. rotate your whole body around that spit without leaving it. this rotating motion powered from your feet, through your legs, hips and body is what drives and powers your swing, your arms are only there to guide and aim the sword. 1b. ok this one is harder to describe but. . . Imagine your feet are wheels and you stand on a U shaped track that is about one good step in length. (without a sword at first) roll yourself back and forth on this one-step-long-U-shaped track. feel the momentum build in your body. if your arms are hanging loosely at your side they will start to swing back and forth. Always move with the utmost of smoothness but work at moving with more power. once you get it going really well you will feel blood pooling in your fingers from the force as your arms swing naturally. this is also a very powerful way to throw a punch. Once you have the feel of this and can build good amounts of force put your sword into the mix. BE CAREFUL! this force you are generating can be transfered into your sword the same way the rotating force did. dry handle this technique until it feels natural, preferably with an Iaito, boken, or stick at first. 1c. (I know I said there are two. patience) you can use both techniques 1a. and 1b. at the same time. again practice with a stick, iaito, boken, other less-dangerous-than-a-live-blade tool first.
2. foot work (one of my weakest points) you want to keep your heels on the ground and step naturally. do not come up on the balls of your back foot (like I do a lot) take a step forward if you feel you need that extension. your feet should not ever come to rest right next to each other and they should keep a natural wide base for you to support yourself with. keeping your knees flexed and loose helps too. there's a lot more to this but enough for now.
3. hands. the most basic of hand positions is part of what JSA guys call Jodan no Kamae (or Daijodan no Kamae if you are a ninja, don't ask me why it's different). in this position your hands are above your head and you are looking through your arms. try to keep your elbows from sticking out. this position gives you a powerful high base from which to start your swing and will allow you to swing to eiter side (I noticed you only swung from the right. your head was in the way).
ok that should keep you busy for a while. I know it's kept me busy. rest assured there is a LOT more out there but there's no need to flood and my knowlege is limited. good luck, good cutting, thanks for sharing. (karma to you) and keep the vids coming.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2008 20:59:34 GMT
Thanks for the tips. Yeah I was a LOT worse with that left leg till I saw the post in the general section. I was really trying to make a conscientious to not lead with my leg as much but it still creeps up their sometimes.
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Post by ShooterMike on Jun 13, 2008 22:54:18 GMT
OC, I only see one thing to critique. On several cuts, especially common with the ones starting with the sword held horizontal above your head (cuts 4, 5, 9, 10, 15, and especially 17 & 18), you are cutting downward from right to left, but you have your left foot planted well forward and it stays there. I believe that's usually a distance closing cut that happens with a step forward with the right leg to close distance. If you look closely at those cuts, you'll see how your lower back torques during the last part of the cut. It's kind of like a batter's stance, but where you lined up facing first base instead of the pitcher. You'd have to swing a long way to connect with the ball and by then most of the power is gone. This is to be avoided as it reduces the power and reach of the cut AND it can cause lower back problems if done at speed. OUCH! Those cuts with the left foot forward would work out fine if you make the cut go left to right, ending with the sword in the same position except on your right side. Otherwise, I think it looks good. Lots of fluid, controlled movement. Nicely done.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2008 18:26:07 GMT
Exalted for asking intelligent questions. Ian is right, try starting from a proper Jo-dan-no-kamae: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Ddan-no-kamaeBeginners should start by stepping when they cut. This ensures that you engage your hips, rather than just using your arms. When you cut, keep your left hand lined up with your centerline. In other words, don't let it wander off to the side. the center is where the power is. Don't cut over your leg, that's dangerous. I mean that when you finish your cut, the leg on that side should not be forward. I am not a big fan of bottle cutting. If you want a real challenge that will help polish your form, stick to cutting tatami.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Jun 19, 2008 20:59:36 GMT
well Kortoso I agree that bottle cutting isn't all that satisfying but tatami are not cheap. never the less I will be getting some in a few months (for when I get home full-time) also for a very technical explaination of cutting from Jodan read this: www.toyama-ryu.com/toyama_ryu_jodan.htmsame site also has grading scale for tatami cuts. lots and lots of good info here dig around in it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2008 19:36:26 GMT
well Kortoso I agree that bottle cutting isn't all that satisfying but tatami are not cheap. never the less I will be getting some in a few months (for when I get home full-time) also for a very technical explaination of cutting from Jodan read this: www.toyama-ryu.com/toyama_ryu_jodan.htmsame site also has grading scale for tatami cuts. lots and lots of good info here dig around in it. That's weird. I've been training in Toyama ryu for a year and I've never heard of "Seagon Kamae". Jodan is a kamae, not a cut. I'll have to bring that up with sensei.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Jun 21, 2008 5:37:59 GMT
I know Jodan is a kamae, you'll notice I said cutting FROM jodan. also in my previous post I was calling it a position.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2008 16:59:07 GMT
I know Jodan is a kamae, you'll notice I said cutting FROM jodan. also in my previous post I was calling it a position. I know; I was referring to the site that you linked.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Jun 21, 2008 20:00:24 GMT
Oh I see, sorry.
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