This morning at 6 a.m. I was out back of my dojo slicing open bottles with a katana. Really!
Once a year, the teacher who does weapons training at my martial arts school brings in his real katanas and lets everyone have a go at trying to slice milk cartons and plastic bottles full of water in half. It's harder than it looks. Make contact too hard and you just dent the bottle. The trick is to slice as soon as your swing connects.
It took me a couple of tries, but I managed to cut one very nicely in half.
Here I am holding the (very, very sharp) katana.

Lining up to take a swing.

Missed it by that much.

Success!

Once a year, the teacher who does weapons training at my martial arts school brings in his real katanas and lets everyone have a go at trying to slice milk cartons and plastic bottles full of water in half. It's harder than it looks. Make contact too hard and you just dent the bottle. The trick is to slice as soon as your swing connects.
It took me a couple of tries, but I managed to cut one very nicely in half.
Here I am holding the (very, very sharp) katana.

Lining up to take a swing.

Missed it by that much.

Success!

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Date: 2012-06-15 11:58 am (UTC)And speaking of meeting me in a dark alley, you'll note that I'm standing on the driveway for the apartment building behind us. When I was getting ready to take a swing, a car came up from the building and drove past me holding the sword and all the rest of the class swooped out behind me. I have to say, the driver seemed remarkably calm about running into a small, middle-aged woman holding a sword on his driveway.