Why use a Katana left-handed?

In response to the many questions and comments on our katana vs rapier and sabre videos, and a look at why certain adaptations are made in a fight.

[hailhydreigon]

If it helps you win the duel, do it. Tradition is nice, but don't let it kill you.
If going against tradition makes you a better fighter- do it!
The Katana is just a sword. No style comes attached to it.

[Sklzky]

Btw Matt Easton encourages learning to fight with the off hand and I'm a proponent of it myself, there are many reasons for it from muscle and even skeletal imbalances to the mythical dual wielding

[ralynedin]

Being lefthanded i learn righthand and train ambi. It is always fun to mess with my friends when I switch hands

[DamonYoungYT]

Lovely explanation of the body mechanics, and how we need to be nimble (physically and psychologically) to exploit them well. And your rapier example was spot on: even against a broadsword, I had trouble maintaining blade control with my light rapier.

[carlatabet]

Well, I love being ambidextrous because it's so practical if you need to change hand, you just need your brain to get used to it.

[sakurashin]

Regarding the cut on the exposed right forearm, there is a katana blocking technique for that is used by Samurai. To defend an exposed forearm. But shifting from left to right grip is also a good adaptation.

[timothystevens]

To throw out a historical source for fun"The usual method for using a sword is in the right hand. However, skilled
students may, according to the situation use both hands or the left hand." Kendo Kyohan 1909. It should be said this manual is for essentially teaching One-Handed saber kendo but still it allows one to wield the sword to the wielder preference.

[jayim]

Yagyu Shingan Ryu was know for switching to a Left-Handed grip in the middle of a strike. This was one of arts Morihei Ueshiba studied and incorporated into Aikido.

[sakurashin]

I totally agree, yes there is old traditional way. But to be smart in training you have to be balanced so you can adapt to various situations.

[KlausBeckEwerhardy]

I have trained ambidextrous all my life and I must say it really balances the body out. In my learning and teaching-experience, trainig your not-dominant hand regularly makes your domunant hand more precise and faster.

[adam-k]

For the short time I was taught iaido. And the teacher always made a point practicing both right and left handed.

[fengxuezhou]

Saitō Hajime, a famous samurai 19th century, he is one example of using Katana both hands.

[TurfSurf]

I have been practice for awhile, and I still can't get used to with the righthanded grip even though I am right handed. I draw my sword with right hand, then I will switch to the left hand. I found furnther back my right hand is on the grip, more power I have when it comes to cut and slash. I guess it's like crank a lever, longer the lever, less effort needed to crank. Also my balance is better, my footwork and my movement are smoother if I grip lefthanded. I thought I was the only one prefer the left hand grip until I saw this video!

[raphlvlogs]

the katana can be effectively used by both left and right handed people because it has a symmetrical hilt.

[Poohze]

I love mixed weapon sparring, it really makes you think on your feet!

[SheShootsTrad]

Thankyou for this. I'm acctually left handed and hold the Katana left handed. I'm told off and told to hold the sword 'correctly'. It's like I'm some sort of curse. By modern standards it's actually discrimination.
It does make me more determined to master the way of the left handed blade. I can see how left handers can create and attack openings & angles that right handers may not see coming

[velazquezarmouries]

Well my reason is i being left handed and being pretty much useless with my right hand

[ttneiltt]

Got to say, I’ve heard repeatedly that ‘there is no such thing as a left handed swordsman’ referring to use of the katana. Always struck me as strange. Yes, Ritualisation and the ‘right’ way of doing things does seem intrinsic to Japanese culture and martial arts but surely the advantages left handed fighting, much like a southpaw in boxing, would have been recognised and exploited, albeit not in formal honour based duels, but in other life and death situations.

[joshuaclabeaux]

Funny you should mention formation fighting, because, as it happens, I learned that ancient Spartan warriors WERE ALLOWED to fight left-handed, BUT NOT when FIGHTING IN FORMATION (Especially the phalanx! where the alignment of the shields needed to be perfect to work properly) because positioning needs to be uniform in formation-fighting. So this IS a valid point, historically, and since most people are right-handed, they usually (if not always - I'm not aware of any left-handed fighting formations) designed military unit formations for right-handed stances and positioning.

[nirfz]

Woe interesting! This goes to a question i asked under an Academy of Steel video! As someone who never fenced myself i wanted to know if (and if so why?) it seems uncommon to switch hands with 2 handed weapons in HEMA. I was asking because when i use a twohanded axe (non sport use) or a shovel (also non sportive ;-) ) i do switch hands (sides) regularly, to avoid tiring and to adapt to the situation. I would have expected it to be the same with all two handed weapons.