Katana Question

[bushido_man96]

Because I know that a Katana can slice a speeding bullet (if you want to see the video just ask)...

You also have to take into consideration:

Katana=steel

bullet=lead

sharp steel vs lead=cuttage

I have seen guys throw playing cards into watermelons as well. It doesn't really justify anything, though. Its the same thing with the bullets to the katana bit, in my opinion.

[Comfy Chair]

Your bones commonly shatter bullets and they aren't even sharp.

[Neo Dragon]

Tornadoes have been known to drive pieces of straw straight into tree trunks. So I seriously doubt the molecular makeup of the steel in a weapon really matters agains a bullet.

[Jeet Kune Do]

I watched a Samurai Jack episode and I learned that although his sword could cut anything (Fictionl unbreakable sword forged by the human spirit), he couldnt cut titanium....why???

Because He wasn't strong enough to cut it, but his sword could, so he wore a robotic strength amplifier and Cut through the titanium robots like butter

[Hwa Rang Warrior]

The Katana can't cut through anything. There was an episode of myth busters where they tried to get one to cut through a gun barrel. Everytime they tried not cut.

[Hwa Rang Warrior]

i got a katana in my hands once. I have huge respect for weapons. and i wanna see dah video *looks through posts*

Here's a video of a katana vs. a .50 caliber machine gun. The katana successfully slices 5 bullets before bullet number 6 destoys it (being destroyed in the process as well). While this feat is certainly impressive the odds of ever pulling it off it nothing more than movie magic. Besides, you'd still have the bullet fragments to contend with.

Katana Video

This video is kinda cool but (and military guys correct me if I'm wrong) but I think that bullet is designed to break apart as it goes through its target to cause more damage

[Jeet Kune Do]

The Katana can't cut through anything. There was an episode of myth busters where they tried to get one to cut through a gun barrel. Everytime they tried not cut.

Like I said, mabye they were not strong enough to cut through a gun Barrel

[bushido_man96]

i got a katana in my hands once. I have huge respect for weapons. and i wanna see dah video *looks through posts*

Here's a video of a katana vs. a .50 caliber machine gun. The katana successfully slices 5 bullets before bullet number 6 destoys it (being destroyed in the process as well). While this feat is certainly impressive the odds of ever pulling it off it nothing more than movie magic. Besides, you'd still have the bullet fragments to contend with.

Katana Video

This video is kinda cool but (and military guys correct me if I'm wrong) but I think that bullet is designed to break apart as it goes through its target to cause more damage

That may be the case. I am no expert, but different rounds are designed to do different things.

[Tempest]

it looked to me like they were using a millitary issue .50 machine gun, which generally would mean ball ammo. The .50 is not designed to break up like that because they are supposed to be a high velocity round at long range. Its just really cool that a katana can cut through that. But it depends largely on angles. At the right angle a katana can cut most anything you'd likely want to cut with it, i.e. bamboo, bodyparts...whatever, get the angle of the cut wrong and instead of slashing through your target what you'll get is either it bounces off, or just sticks into it.

[Justin Treadaway]

I really dont want to get into an argument, and this is solely my opinion, but,

I believe that the curvature of the blade does offer a small strategic advantage.

Please, bear with me and try to think "centerlines".

If you were to get a person (say a kendo-ka) with their sword held at chudan-kamae, {Ie) if your facing them, then their sword (a straight bamboo shinai) is pointed at you eyes, shaft vertical}, and you aim to do a simple tsuki or "thrust" into chest directly behind the area being covered by the opponents weapon.

Now,

If you have a straight sword (gim, shinai, raiper), this is virtually impossible without first moving your entire body into a different position to locate an opening for the tsuki, or by widely moving ones arm outside the centerline to get past opponents weapon to locate their centerline. Ie, one creates an opening on themself in order to find an opening on the opponent.

If you have a curved sword (katana, dou) this is achievable by only a simple flick of wrists to 'turn the blade facing outwards' (<<--hope this makes sense), and no opening need be created for the tsuki, as the tip of the blade can find the centerline of the opponent going around their weapon without ever moving ones position or moving ones wrists away from centerline.

I hope this makes sense. Its trick to explain, and I worded it poorly.

Im by no means saying that Katana is the "ultimate weapon" (though i do love to train kenjutsu), Im just saying that in my opinion, the curvature of the blade, away-from and then back-to the weapons center of balance, does offer a small advantage over straight bladed swords.

I think the previous comment by Jay sums it up. "99%user and 1%sword"

Cheers.

I know this is lame but its bugging me, because its the sword our style trains with, its spelled dao. We also use the Jindao(straight Blade) and dadao(2handed dao). I prefer the dao over the katana, to me its faster. I also agree the main thing is on the user, but of course if you have a knife and they have a spear, the odds are against the knife