LogFAQs > #896017180

Zeus posted...

At any rate, where longsword and katana is concerned, it's somewhat hard to compare the two since he longsword had a lot of variety whereas the katana's design was more standard.

Katana designs were anything but standardized, unless you're talking about relatively recently. Size and shape were highly variable, from short swords to swords that were longer than the samurai using them was tall. Even the characteristic curve of the modern katana wasn't a universal design and, particularly in its earliest incarnations, straight-edged katana do exist.

Babbit55 posted...

No offence here, have you trained with a longsword at all?

Admittedly not much - most of my knowledge on longswords is second-hand through friends that have done more training with them than I have. That said, I have had the chance to train with them briefly in the past, so I have a passing familiarity with their mechanics.

I still stand by what I said that the katana is generally the faster weapon, though the difference is small (and dependent on what form of longsword you're using).

Babbit55 posted...

But yes, they are used in very dfferent ways, even if they are often compared (I would say a more acurate sword to compare would be a Falchion personaly)

Which is honestly why I find the discussion a bit silly whenever "katana vs. longsword" comes up. They look similar, but they are different weapons created under different conditions to address different battlefield issues. It's like comparing a steak knife to an ice cream scoop - which one is more effective depends entirely on whether you're eating steak or ice cream.

Babbit55 posted...

I have, not used them in a fight (obviously!), though every bit of defence I have been taught about Katana work as been deflection and avoidence because the blades clashing is not a good thing (not that the edged parts of long swords are either to be fair!)

Avoidance is certainly preferable, but there are blocks for when it's not possible or practical. Even beyond that, simply standing in a ready position with blade-to-blade you will feel the swords catching on one another - it's actually very weird to experience and it only happens with sharpened blades.

Babbit55 posted...

They are not as heavy as you might think, they are pretty top heavy though! Saying that, it is easier to smash a leg with a vague hammer blow than a precice pierce with the point, specially while the other person does not what that to happen!

You don't really need precision when you're driving a spike through someone's chest, though. You're basically doing the same thing with both swings, just using different sides of the weapon.
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