Katana VS Longsword: Cutting Techniques

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[SellswordArts]

Paper cutting is mostly to test edge alignment, and in this test, the difference is negligible at most.

I'll do some more tests with thicker targets like tatami to see if anything else comes up, but so far these weapons feel very similar in their usage.

[glowstickofdestiny]

No matter where or when they were made, all of our handheld weapons use the same human biomechanics

[shkotayd]

Fail: You didnt try to cut spacetime with either :P

[Interrobang]

They're very similar? But if the reality is balanced and nuanced I don't get to have my raging internet debates! 😢

[Kili_]

I went to a HEMA club yesterday and trained actually for the first time and it strengthened my interest in this channel so much! I love it before and it brough me to try it out but now I'm even more interested in all sort of this. Ive definitely found my sport

[sirgwan]

Everyone usually pits the Longsword and the Katana against each other as if the two were sworn enemies. What people might not realise is that the Katana and the Longsword are actually just twins but one moved to Europe and the other moved to Japan

[Late_Guy]

Katana is just pretty cool, you can also cut space, time and reality itself according to vergil🗿

[danielmouatt]

This reminds of a passage in the Book of 5 Rings: There are only so many ways to cut someone and a child picking up a knife for the 1st time instinctively knows most of them.

It then goes on to talk about how while doing the cuts correctly requires training and focus what the focus of his teaching will be instead how to get to the cut and not the act of cutting.

[Bastikovski]

I just think the long sword looks cooler. And it also has better hand protection

[Cerberusarms]

With a katana you want to plant your foot before the cut. It took me awhile to get used to cutting with a longsword because the cut is meant to land before your foot which is opposite of how I trained. They're similar but definitely have their differences.

[carlosbarreto]

Anime fans:

- You're not using the proper technique with the Katana. You're using it just like an ordinary longsword.

[jankarieben]

I’ve been telling people, weebs mostly, this very same thing for years! Thank you!

[sentientcalcium]

In a nutshell, Longsword balanced out its skill points while Katana min/maxed into cutting

[Nerukenshi]

Ok, so I think there's an important distinction being missed here.

You can use HEMA and treat the Katana like a two handed falchion. That is effective, surely, but not specialized to this weapon.

Kendo, Kenjitsu, Iaido and Iaijutsu are the martial arts traditions that have developed for over 600 years with a single weapon in mind.

Yes, you can use your general purpose swordsmanship to be very competent in use of the katana. I would wager that you may struggle to accomplish certain advanced techniques within, say, Kendo, without taking another look at your basics. HEMA uses an entirely different set of philosophies to accomplish a different set of tasks.

Also, speaking of spacing, hema tends to use a more forward stance that makes it easier (at least for a kendoka) to see your effective range at a glance. Kendos tight upright stance hides your arm length and allows for a quicker extension which is valuable for splitting wooden helmets and for deceiving your opponent into getting too close.

[JRSenseio_o]

The only difference for me is the martial art of it... its like to compare karate and kickbox... the principles are the same but there are some different technics. But the final objective is the same.

[vin_]

You look so exhausted with doing these katana vs longsword videos lol

[vintetia]

It's so cool that the paper just rolls up when it's cut properly

[tyrian]

I wanna kbow where this war between "eueueueugh katana are better than longswords" and the "aoaoaoaoaoaoagh longsword supreme" started ?

Cant we just agree that some people prefer using the katana, and some prefer using the longsword ?

Like do we need to prove anything ?
And if yes, then duel it out with your respective choice of sword

Aka. Legalize the carry of swords and legalize duelling so we can settle this 🤣👍🏽

[theaprentice]

I found a use for reverse grip! Today at work I realized that I hold the little scraper for our flat top in a reverse grip. It prevents imaginativity so that I keep a predictable pattern. It’s not practical for fighting but I never said I found it useful in combat.

[roycehuepers]

This was my experience as well. It's interesting that with lightsaber combat my base is form 5. Form 5 pretty much is kenjutsu and longsword. I personally think shien is closer to kenjutsu and djem so is closer to longsword, but there's a lot of cross over