My First Time Handling That Curved Blade
Alright, so I finally got my hands on one of those weirdly curved swords, a Falcata. Honestly, it felt different right out of the shipping box – heavier near the tip than I expected, kinda awkward, you know? Not like a straight sword at all. Figured it deserved some respect, so step one was just getting used to the weight and feel. I stood in my backyard, empty space around me, just gripping the handle. Felt weird at first, like holding a big, unbalanced knife. Started swinging it slow, real slow, getting a sense for how it moved through the air.
Tried holding it the way I’d hold a normal sword. Felt wrong. Awkward. The curve seemed to fight me. Looked up some basics online (just text stuff, no fancy videos). Realised you gotta grip it kinda firmly, but not death-grip tight, focusing on controlling that forward-heavy tip with your wrist. Started trying that. Still clumsy. Kept adjusting my fingers. Took maybe 10 minutes just standing there, shifting my grip slightly, doing slow up-and-down motions, feeling the balance point shift.
Starting Simple: The Basic Cut
Once the grip started feeling slightly less alien, I moved on to trying an actual cut. Started super basic: just trying to swing it down in a straight line. Aimed for a spot on a cardboard box I’d put out. First few swings? Total miss. Either swung too wide or chopped too close to the handle. The curve makes the blade want to travel in an arc naturally. Thought I was swinging straight down, but the tip was drifting sideways. Super frustrating!
Focused harder on my stance and my arm. Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Made sure my shoulder was driving the motion, not just my wrist. Tried again, pushing my shoulder forward as I brought the blade down, aiming through the cardboard target. Heard a satisfying thwack that time! Didn’t cut super deep, but contact! Progress!
- Key takeaway: Shoulders lead, grip controls the curve, aim THROUGH the target.
- Struggle: Keeping the tip from wandering off target because of the curve.
- Feeling: More arm ache than expected! It’s a workout.
Feeling Like I Wasn’t Fighting It Anymore
After landing that basic cut a few more times (hitting the box more than missing, finally!), I felt a bit more confident. Still miles away from skilled, but the sword wasn’t actively fighting me as much. Tried shifting my weight a bit with the cut – stepping forward slightly as I swung. Added more power naturally. Also practiced bringing it back up smoothly after the cut, ready for the next move. Tried some simple diagonal cuts too. The Falcata really likes that slicing motion diagonally – felt much smoother than trying to chop straight down on hard stuff. Finished sweaty, a little sore in the shoulder, but that initial awkward feeling was mostly gone. Still gotta drill these basics a ton, but man, making that blade actually do what you want, even just a little, feels good. Don’t underestimate how different this curved blade feels – it takes dedicated effort just to get the simple stuff right. Go slow, focus on control, and expect to work for it!
