by which I mean in the vicinity of his chest. From here the recipient may use the sword's weight against the attacker or unbalance the attacker generally preparing him for the throw or failing the ability of the attacker to be thrown the clean break, either at the wrist, arm or neck. Again the range of motion of these joints reduces the number of options considerably.
When both parties are armed with the long sword then the situation is quite different. For one thing the distance is twice as great between them. I have often seen people with training weapons standing at least 10 feet apart, its discomforting to watch because it lacks the intimacy. In this case the attack is a true lunge like in fencing where the trailing leg is dragged forward by the advance of the torso onto the leading knee. Largely on account of my diminutive stature I prefer a much shorter distance from my opponent.
Working with a live katana blade is incredibly uncommon and can only be done using one sword between two people. There is no training possibility when both are armed. Its simply a duel in that case. Live katana work should be terrifying but its not, instead the mind is focussed on the immediate and wanders not into the realm of 'if'. The stakes are obvious and for that reason one hand leads the defence, the other remains tucked firmly behind one's back. The trailing hand never trails because the movement of the body is always off the line of the attack, a trailing hand would be immediately dispossessed. The placing of the trailing hand behind one's back accounts for the posture of fencers it is not a pose it is essential and one of the first lessons of swordsmanship. Also the movements are larger than in unarmed defence, its normal to allow a fist or blow to run along the surface of the body for fast close-up work, obviously this does not translate to sword work.
I have only done live katana work twice in my life and I suspect that for 99.999% of students this is twice more than they have. Its not something a person should choose for themselves. In senior gradings and only in the presence of a senior instructor or sensei should the live katana even be unsheathed yet alone swung in anger. My first attempt was with my longest standing sensei at University when I was 20 and probably not quite ready, as he was at pains to labour afterwards. He could have done me a favour and pointed that out beforehand and saved me the risk. The second time was a dozen years later and came at the end of a black belt grading at another club. With sweat in my eyes and a heart that was thumping audibly in my chest, pretty much finished from the hours of work of a senior grading, which consists mostly of people being tossed like rag dolls. We took it in turns to attack and defend with a katana in what we call 'open practise' which means any technique. The focus required is probably only available after hours of continuous attack and defence as there is little scope for error. Any distractions to either candidate should be made apparent during unarmed practise beforehand. Also, I wasn't aware in either case that I would be using a live blade until it was handed to me. This has to be intentional as the foreboding of using such an object would clearly be a distraction. Its fast and over quickly, time definitely passes more quickly except for the moment the attack is initiated which opens up before you. Hesitation is not an option nor is trust optional because this is not a duel its practise with a live blade which is completely crazy. You have to trust the other person with your life because you are doing so for the entire duration of 'live' blade practise. I seek not the rematch nor do I ever wish to own a 'live' katana blade of my own despite the remonstrances of my previous sensei. These objects are wonderful to look at in museum displays together with the fine adornments which were worn by real samurai, alongside the calligraphy and art of a master swordsman. They are not fine whistling through the air towards my precious brain. In the words of my last Sensei, whose katana we shared that day;
'they don't like cold steel.’