Recently I have come to respect the practice of paper cutting as a way to help train edge alignment. I first saw the paper cutting from haedong gumdo. The video I saw was Master Choi cutting a 6 foot piece of newspaper. The paper was hung on a clothesline and he was cutting the edge of the paper. It seemed easy enough watching him do it, but when I tried it was much tougher than cutting tatami or bottles. The trick is not only to cut the paper, but for the cut piece of paper to fall straight ...
As fun as swinging a sword against bottles, jugs and when available, mats is, physical training is a very important variable when trying to improve. Getting your muscles to do what your mind intends it to do is not always easy. Preparing w/ proper stretching and breathing, a real gameplan in your training regimen and not giving up the minute fatigue sets in is just as important as the technique is. Just my thoughts. Rook
This will be the first year I have started with clear goals in mind for my training. Since there are no avenues here for me to train under a teacher, I rely on my friends from afar to help me improve. This has become more than just a hobby for me. It has become a way for me to improve myself both mentally and physically. (Safety is always foremost in my mind.) It really is a super feeling to look back to when I started cutting ( about a year ago ) and where I am now. I am close to grasping the basic ...
Hey guys, just practicing sharpening knives, and boy is this one sharp! Take a look, I don't even have to really move it too much to just slice through some newspaper. Gotta make my Katana as sharp as this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34cZIGw0gOg
When I am cutting I have noticed that visualizing the lines before I make my cut helps keep my cuts clean. For complex cuts I typically take a few seconds to place imaginary lines where I plan to make my cuts. I look the mat up and down then place lines in my minds eye on each section and imagine the reaction I want from the mat. I have talked to several other people who also use this same technique when cutting. I am not sure why it seems to help but I have noticed better results when I use ...
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