Building Blocks of Japanese Sword Techniques

Here Are a Few Basic Techniques;

Please find below some general basic cuts that form the foundation of any Japanese Sword Techniques;

I would like to remind you that, you will find each style is different. Some of the techniques begin having the sword further back than others, However, some techniques finish with the sword closer to the ground. None of the techniques are wrong, they are just different teachings from different masters and/or Dojo's. However, they still create the same result in the end.

Looking at the traditional Japanese sword training, we find these sword techniques are practiced by the students and masters several thousands of times, before they claim any degree of profection, This is why I stated in an earlier post that it is vital that you get the proper direction. Taking on this lifetime path yourself without a sensei to guide you, can quite possibly take you down the path of creating some very bad habits that would seriously take you years to untrain.

However, having said that a couple of times. Please find below, from a illustration view point, one of the three general cutting techniques. The other two will be in the next two post.

BASIC OVERHEAD CUT

This is the most basic, yet fundamental Japanese sword training cut. From (1) an overhead position, with the sword perfectly horizontal (check in the mirror to make sure) it is (2) cast out, much like casting a fishing rod by pulling with the left hand at the bottom, much like a lever until (3) it makes contact with the head or shoulder of the opponent and then (4) simply drops down to stop horizontally again. The action should be done without ‘power’, allowing the blade to drop down.

A common mistake is to use too much force in the right hand, which is really only just guiding the blade. One way to minimize this is to practice the casting movement holding the sword in the left hand only.

For more information on the sword arts click the link at the top of this page.