Safety
Far from dangerous, a shinai is used as a practice sword in order to simulate the weight of a katana or a bokken without injuring the user or the target. The four slats tied together are specifically designed to reduce the force of impact of a blow. Upon hitting the target, the four staves flex and compact together, spreading the force of the blow over a longer period of time. This significantly reduces the harm it can impart on a target, leaving only a bruise even when wielded by the strongest users.
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Famous quotes containing the word safety:
“An evident principle ... is the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities, and their right to live on equal terms of liberty and safety with one another, whether they be strong or weak.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“The high sentiments always win in the end, the leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)
“[As teenager], the trauma of near-misses and almost- consequences usually brings us to our senses. We finally come down someplace between our parents’ safety advice, which underestimates our ability, and our own unreasonable disregard for safety, which is our childlike wish for invulnerability. Our definition of acceptable risk becomes a product of our own experience.”
—Roger Gould (20th century)