Jie

[Linda Heenan]

This morning I was practising Jie cuts on plastic bottles for the first time. When doing the Dao form, the cuts seem to be gentle and I doubted their ability to cut through anything ...... proven wrong there. Laoshi told us, in another thread, to make them more percussive, for test cutting, so I did, but not very much more. The first Jie cut went straight through the bottle as if it wasn't there. I was using a Huanuo Dao. Obviously, the cut began where it is low on the bottle.

I've posted a picture of the results of that cut, in the hope of getting some good advice. I stepped into Jie with a suibu and had the back of the sword braced with my hand at point of impact and beyond. The main question is whether the edge angle (highlighted with waterproof mascara for easy viewing), is steep enough. In the form, this cut is fairly vertical. If it's possible to tell, from viewing the picture, how can I improve the direction of my Jie cuts?



Also, it's worth saying something about wet ground when employing stepping movements into cuts. I suppose Chinese soldiers would have been working on slippery ground too. I'm not quite sure how to be completely safe while stepping quickly into a cut, with a very sharp sword, on ground that is already wet. Comments?

[Scott M. Rodell]

... it's worth saying something about wet ground when employing stepping movements into cuts... I'm not quite sure how to be completely safe while stepping quickly into a cut, with a very sharp sword, on ground that is already wet. Comments?

First of all we should note for eveyone's sake, there is no safe testing cutting. This is an inherently dangerous practice. And yes, most certainly, cutting water filled plastic bottles can quickly create a more dangerous situations by soaking the area & making it slippery. So either practice on concrete or plan on moving your cutting area frequently during practice.

[Linda Heenan]

Thanks, Laoshi. Sometimes we students need reminding of the obvious. I took a look at what used to be the safest cutting area on our property - a rough concrete path with the stand on the end of it. It has become overgrown with long strands of grass, waiting to trip someone up, or force them to enter a cut from the grass area to the side. I've got used to checking the sword, but forgotten the ground underneath was slowly changing itself. That path will be cleared of grass and weeds before the next cutting session.