josh stout wrote:... The liao cut you show is a powerful chop... Others do this move without the chop as more of a draw cut to slice the femoral artery...
Whether liao manifests itself as more of a percussive cut or more of a slicing cut depends on whether one steps or not. Most of the time, in the Yangjia Michuan Taiji Jian form, it is used with a step, so it has a lot more slicing action than can be seen in the short clip of my double liao. This short clip is part of longer demonstration of several cuts with both jian & dao. During that demonstration I cut two mats wrapped around a bamboo stalk with a liao as I step thru & forward. I think you will see more slicing action in that cut.
To practice the slicing version of the liao, simply add a forward diagonal step to your cut. If you want to practice the double liao, with both as slicing cuts, just set up two target far enough apart to allow a step between the two.
Which ever type of liao cut you want to practice, keep in mind that both have some of the other, for example, the more percussive versions certainly has a good deal of slicing action from the way the blade is arced thru the cut & vica versa.