Some of my friends and I from New Orleans were able to do some test cutting this weekend in a nearby town in Louisiana. We were able to handle and cut with some of the finest replicas currently available, overall about 25 swords from at least 4 different makers, though primarily by Albion Armorers.
Up until this point, my only "test cutting" had been with machetes and an old beat up WW II Japanese military issue kataana, so this was an extremely interesting and valuable opportunity for me.
http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=4598
My two major impressions were A) how hard it is to cut properly (you can see a photo of me botching one cut in the Myarmoury website) and B) how dangerous those swords are! You just don't get any real sense of it from blunts. For anyone who has been doing WMA training but hasn't had an opportunity to test cut with a really good replica sharp I highly reccomend it to enhance your understanding of these weapons and the entire concept of martial arts with swords.
This also makes my appreciation of Hollywood depictions of swords even less. Because they use aluminum blunts etc. in those movies, the physical awareness of the swords, the body language and attitude of actors toward it, is way, way too casual. I got to say it again, these things are DANGEROUS! It's definately like handling a loaded gun, thats the only thing I an compare it to.
All in all a very fun day and an invaluable learning experience. I can't wait until my sharp arrives from the Czech republic next week so I can start practicing my cutting technique. Integrating the skill and concentration needed to cut properly into WMA fighting techniques is even more of a challenge, just thinking about it it's starting to dawn upon me how long I have to go...
Jeanry
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