One of my personal pet peeves is the "I sliced your wrist argument" after a clumsy exchange - that's very hard to do on a mobile opponent. You can cause some damage to the thumb tendons, or the finger tendons, but to do both requires very particular circumstances and skill because these are at right-angles to each other.
I understand where you're coming from, here. To be honest, I think we probably agree more than we disagree. I noticed the videos you linked to in your above post were of Japanese fencing. Obviously, this isn't what I practice, but I have cross trained with a few Kendo \ Kenjutsu practioners. The erroneous belief that the katana is some kind of "super sword" that can cut through anything, distorts many practioners of the Japanese sword arts perceptions. A slight "brushing" of a sword simulator in bouting does not count as an effective slice in my book, either. I've had similar problems with this kind of faulty perception myself, though mostly in cross-training w\ Kendo \ Kenjutsu guys. Cross training is still valuable, though, (at least it is when you can get someone from the Japanese fencing community to deign to even talk to you, let alone spar).
As for tendons, the only tendon you need to snip is the thumb tendon to render the opponent incapable of wielding his sword. ANY tendon being cut is going to have a dramatic effect, however.
In my mind it's in the same lot as determining if a sword "tap" would cause real damage, a light slash using the wrist instead of the shoulder and arm. If you're at all in danger after executing this difficult to adjudicate technique, in a real sword fight you would be betting your life.
I understand your logic, here, but...I think you're underestimating the damage a strong, pressing slice can do. I'm not talking about a "light" slice...I'm talking about a forceful, fluid, swift action with the edge that inflicts
a deep, lascerating wound. Loads of katanaphiles tout their perferred sword's cutting ability to the point of wild exaggeration. But that doesn't mean a well-timed, well-placed slice can't be crippling. It can. In real, life-or-death swordplay, one always is "betting [one's] life."
I agree that throat slices are better than wrist slices if you wish from your example, face slices, not so much, the face has a lot of bone.
I'm a strong advocate of "do whatever you can, make sure it would end the fight" in sparring. If you have to sit there and argue about angles and force, it's clearly not decisive whereas many techniques are.
I'm an advocate of do it quick, make it decisive, too. But be careful. The German masters had a word for fencers who relied only on pure brute force, and it was not meant kindly:
püffel, or "buffalo." All strength and no art, in other words. A true understanding of what is effective, and what is not in reality effective is difficult to attain somethines in sparring. The best solution is to suppliment with test cutting and other excercizes to increase proper understanding of good martial intent. But that shouldn't leasd you into tunnel vision.
Experiment. There's no shame in sticking to your convictions, of course. But I think you may be understestimating something else: psychological impact. There are few things more frighting than having a sharp object come right at your face, let alone having your face cut deeply by a sharp object. Then there's the blood, gettuing everywhere, and quite possibly in your eyes. The eyes themselves can ve vulnerable to slice to the face. Noses can be clipped off, or at least badly damaged. Don't underestimate it.
-B.
BTW, a nick or two in a sword will not effect it's slicing abillity against naked flesh at all. Just saying.
