This is an older guide I dusted off based on some questions. While I might approach cutting – from a technical point of view – a little bit differently, the safety advice is all (naturally) still very important.
Test Cutting with sharp swords is both an important part of martial arts training and a extremely fun pastime. But as most (reasonable) people would expect any time you handle a weapon you need to give it the proper respect.
General Sword Safety
Think before you do anything
Swords are designed to be weapons, and although the odds are very small you will ever see one in a self defence context you need to respect the blade all the same. Make sure you think of it as a gun that is always loaded. Take the extra time to make sure you are always thinking about the consequences of your actions.
Think twice before you do anything
Seriously, 90% of any sword related mishaps (of which there are thankfully few) are caused by people not paying enough attention.
Check, recheck and keep a constant eye on your surroundings
Make sure you are cutting in a wide open area which is isolated from anywhere someone might walk into. Even if it is clear when you start there can always be people coming and going, so take stock of your surroundings before every cut. Pets and children will naturally be curious as to what you are doing, you need to ensure that will be kept away from the cutting area.
Keep track of your sword tip
Always keep the sword tip pointed up or down when anywhere close to anyone. How close is anywhere close? It only takes the slightest mistake, miss-communication or stumble for something to go very wrong.
Alcohol
Don’t drink and handle sharp swords. In fact, you shouldn’t really be using dull ones either.
Make sure the sword is appropriate for use
Ensure that you are using a sword that is designed to be use, not just as a decoration. Stainless steel or other wall hanger swords are not designed to cut and will likely break in very dangerous ways.
Blade Handling
Accidents cutting with sharp swords are very rare, and are most likely to happen when handling/moving/cleaning the sword. Why is that? Lack of attention.
Be careful when sheathing/unsheathing a blade
Remember what I said about thinking twice? When unsheathing a blade it is very easy to accidentally run it along some fingers positioned too close to the mouth of the scabbard. Trying to sheath a sword and missing will also have similarly unpleasant consequences for the fingers holding the scabbard. Sheathing and unsheathing the blade are not competitive events, take the extra time and care that they are due.
Clean blades slowly and deliberately
Cleaning the blade is the least fun part of using it, but don’t be in a rush. A slight slip can lead to some nasty cuts to the hands, or possibly worse. A few extra seconds on blade cleaning is many times quicker than a trip to the hospital.
Place blades in safe places
When you put a blade down make sure it is in a place where it won’t cause harm to anyone who may not know it is there. This includes you walking out of the room and forgetting about it when you walk back in. Be especially sure that the point isn’t overhanging something.
Test Cutting
Finally, we get to do something with the actual sword rather than worry about hurting ourselves and others. Does that mean we are all in the clear? Of course not!
Check, recheck and keep a constant eye on your surroundings
I can’t emphasize this enough. If you do something stupid and hurt yourself it is one thing, but if you inadvertently cause harm to yourself it is another. (Though anyone hurting themselves while cutting casts a black mark against training with sharp swords in general, so don’t think I don’t care about your safety as well. 🙂 )
Always maintain your balance and grip on the weapon
If you are cutting in a balanced stance with a proper grip on the sword there are only a few things that can go wrong. If you are off balance, or lose control of the sword all bets are off.
Do not cut towards the lead leg
Of the few things that can go wrong if you cut in a balanced position, cutting into your lead leg is one of them. Make sure you cut away from your lead leg. (Cutting towards the lead leg is completely fine if you know what you are doing, but that is at the level of “I’m no longer reading internet guides on basics” level of proficiency.)
Make sure you have good footing
Obviously you should never be cutting if you have a chance of slipping. Keep track of the ground condition over the course of your cutting session. After going through a few targets the debris can start to accumulate and present a tripping hazard. Keep the cutting area clean! Also remember that most cutting targets involve water, and as the ground gets wet it can get slippery.
Keep your hands clean
Hands can get wet from handling cutting medium and make it harder to grip the sword. It can also be a problem if oil from the last blade cleaning is left on the hilt, so make sure the sword has a good grip as well.
Mount the target properly
Given enough time spent cutting you will fail to cut the target and/or miss and hit the stand. Make sure that the stand you are using is appropriate and will not cause a dangerous reaction (such as collapsing unpredictably while you have a sharp sword in motion.)
Do what you know
Test cutting is meant for you to test the skills you have practised in regular drilling. Introducing new cuts or footwork patterns is best left for appropriate simulators and not with live blades!
In the movie ‘Enter The Dragon’ an antagonist is trying to demonstrate their skill to Bruce Lee’s character by performing an impressive board breaking maneuver, to which Bruce Lee famously replies “Boards don’t hit back.” This, in addition to being a great one liner, is most certainly an interesting quote from a martial arts training point of view. It is relatively easy to do something impressive looking to an unresisting target, it takes much more skill to perform an action against a resisting opponent.
Some people use this quote, and line of thought in general to discount test cutting. Chances are if you are reading this article in the first place you already see some sort of value in test cutting. If not, then I disagree strongly with you and you can read one of the many articles I or others have read about it’s utility and role in martial arts training.
The reason I used it was to illustrate the point that cutting targets do not challenge us in the same way resisting opponents do, and as such we always have to keep the broader perspective in mind. The goal of test cutting is to make sure that the mechanics you are using in your regular training and sparring are effective attacks. If you are performing your test cuts differently than your sparring what are your really testing?
A common action you see in test cutting is large balance shifts to facilitate the cut. This can allow you to throw a lot more weight into the blow, and not need as much connection between your core and your hands. But is this really something we want to see in a fight? It is relatively easy to cut through a tatami mat, but can you do it without shifting your balance to facilitate the cut?
Another concern is stance and footwork. Throwing that horizontal cut from a horse stance? When was the last time you used that to throw a horizontal cut in sparring? Do you have to set up in a tail guard to throw an undercut? Do you feel comfortable doing that if someone has a point on your face. Do you have to measure up before the cut? When is the last time the tournament director let you do that prior to the start of a match?
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t start with training wheels. Since there are safety concerns with sharp swords we can’t just jump right into it like with weapon simulators (and appropriate protection!). But just like we all wanted to be big boys and girls with real bikes we should be looking to move beyond simply making cuts to making cuts using the same balance, footwork and guards we use when fighting.