Quote:
Originally Posted by Delvo
The back is nifty for that in terms of material strength. I just forgot to mention it because it gets impractical due to geometry and ergonomics. It's like trying to swing a bat in the right-handed direction using a left-handed grip or in a lefty's direction using a righty's grip... except that in addition to the weakness and awkwardness in terms of how human bodies and lever mechanics and such work, it also involves pointing your own blade at yourself while some force is being applied to it from the outside in a way that would push it right to you. In the brief kenjutsu I studied, it wasn't warned away from for risk of breaking the sword, but it just didn't come up because it isn't a very practical way to use your body and its leverage/dynamics. The spine is tough enough to be used for blocking if the situation to use it that way ever arises, but that situation wouldn't arise often.
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The way I learned it, the blade isn't turned to have the cutting edge toward you at all. In response to an overhead strike, the cutting edge is turned to the right by rotating the wrists, then the curve of the back of the blade is used to either guide the other sword down to the tsuba (hand guard), or to flip the other blade clear to the left side, placing your own blade back in a high neutral position for a follow up strike, The cutting edge is never more than 45 to 90 degrees off line from that of an attack. This was called "dashing"
The first iai-do cut I learned was a level horizontal cut to the abdomen with a left crossing step followed by a a hard strike to the back of the opposing blade with the back of your own (while untwisting your feet) to clear the way to take one or both hands off at the wrist. It wasn't the least bit awkward. The first strike itself is made with one hand on the sword, and coming across the body like a right handed batter swinging from a left stance.
I was taught that in a pinch, a direct block with the bottom 1/3 of the blade was acceptable since most of the cuts were made with the remaining 2/3 anyway.
Back on topic, I saw
1408 this weekend, so I thought I'd add a classic. Air vents that are big enough, and strong enough to crawl through.
Also, whenever someone needs wiring for anything, the can pop off a light fixture and pull out about 50 extra feet of the stuff.