This is indeed a good place to start. This video gives you the basics quickly without throwing in all the details. After learning the stuff shown here you can then move to the full series if you are still interested.
@@LIERHEMA LOL, I will stay interested. I've spent almost 60 years in martial arts, never looked at my own culture's history until a few years ago. That changed. I will stay interested.
Thanks again for your concise videos. You mentioned warming up at about 7:10. This is a very important aspect of training that is often overlooked. I have not seen many good videos on this topic, but Bjorn Ruther does demonstrate a very thorough warmup routine on his channel. I don’t do as many reps as he does, but I’ve found that his routines hit all my problem areas.
Great instructional series, well done! Random question, What are your thoughts on using a handshake grip on a katana? All I do is backyard cutting. Thanks.
From a mechanical perspective it will work just fine and I would use it. Taken into consideration the hilt length on most katanas and how the ones I've handled handle I would personally leave full 1-2cm between my index finger and the tsuba. A handshake grip will work well on any one or two handed sword which has a relatively straight blade and is not too much longer than a longsword. It is simply a way to grip which allows for good extension and a stable wrist. When cutting with a sidesword I still use a handshake grip. From a historical perspective I have no idea. There might even be differences on how different schools hold the katana in Japanese martial arts. You would have to ask an actual practitioner for that. You can basically use a katana just like a single edged longsword from a cutting perspective. Naturally there are differences when it comes to optimal use because of the differences in dimensions and blade shape. Is it historical? Don't know but probably not. Is it optimal? Don't know, probably not and haven't used a katana enough nor received any training for it to say any more.
