Quote Originally Posted by fusilier View Post
So, sword design is a part of the equation. But for me, tatami mat cutting seemed surprisingly easy! I never got a chance to try my falchion on one though. :-)
Some people just have the knack right out of the gate. I was an 'ok' cutter the first time I cut*, but I used to do landscaping for a living for a while, so I was already pretty used to cutting things with a machete... Some guys in my group cut much better than me their first time, others took months before they could cut anything other than a milk jug (milk jugs are super easy).

I'd liken it to shooting. Some people just get it intuitively the first time, others have a little trouble and have to be shown certain things to do or not do; don't jerk the trigger, remember to breathe (exhale before squeezing the trigger), don't 'limp wrist' (when shooting pistols), hold the stock firmly against your shoulder (for rifles) and so on.

Also there are tatami and then there are tatami, it depends first of all how thick they are - I've seen anywhere from 2" to 7". There is also a difference in the mat itself, or so I've been told. We usually just use regular cheap rice mats, but the 'official' tatami are a little harder, and you may or may not put a dowell or a bamboo pole inside of them which also adds some difficulty. Of course they are supposed to be moist when you cut them too needless to say.

But you don't even need to bother with all that. From what I've seen, if you can consistently cut through a (water filled) 2 liter soda bottle with your blade without knocking the bottom over, you can cut tatami. Then the trick is to cut like that without a long preparation; to do it like you would in a fight, quick with no hesitation or telegraph... that's hard!

G

(*I've got a bit better since then but I'm still basically mediocre. Nothing like as good as Edelson is in those videos.)