Forging, hardening, quenching, sharpening – Ep129

This episode is a discussion of how the creation and construction of a Japanese samurai sword, or katana, is an excellent analogy for training in cycling. I break down these concepts in parallel so we can have a better understanding of how cycling training is performed in the proper sequence, and I explain how and why modern cycling is attempting to bypass this sequence to the detriment of the athlete. 

Phase 1 Initiation: 

Start with sand: this is you at the start. Raw material. 

Apply heat. Heat is the equivalent of intention. A dream, goal or objective.

Yin vs Yang. Heat is masculine, cool is feminine. The dream is what gives drive to the training, it crystalizes intent. Shape the dream.

Phase 2 Hardening: 

Hammer molten steel.  The initial training: repetition. Not super hard, but hard enough to shape. Too hard and you will shatter the molten steel or flatten it. You want to shape it, not shatter it. This is endurance training. 

Smelt - stick pieces together. You can’t see the metal, you judge when it’s’ ready from the color of the fire and from intuition. 

The color of the fire is training intensity - Intuition = feeling of when it is time to remove from the flame

Phase 3 Purification: 

Fold the steel many times to get out the impurities. Folding = intervals. “Strike while the iron is hot”. Adjust the carbon content of the steel. This takes lots of work and power. At lunch, the sword makers hands may be shaking. If you stop half way through, the sword will break. The process must be complete. It’s a battle against the heat: heat is the dream, you are shaping the dream and working with it.

“Pray and move your feet”

“Dream and move your ass”

If you miss a hit on a thin sword, it becomes dented and damaged. You must strike with precision. 

Final shape is decided so concentration is required. 

Finish with clay - this is applied to form the Hamon pattern, which comes out when the tempering is done. Apply the clay to the metal, this creates the Hamon pattern, which indicates the hardened steel from the spine of the sword, the cutting edge. Each Hamon pattern is unique to each sword. This is your exact expression of fitness in a given race: your speed, reactivity, ability to execute tactics, corner, sprint, climb, endure.

The clay is heated to 720-800 degrees C, then plunged in water repeatedly. This is when the soul is infused in the sword. The curved nature comes out, as the sword warps during quenching. This is the final process that makes the sword both flexible and unyielding, the blend of these two attributes gives it true cutting power. 

Phase 4 Sharpening:

Blade is sharpened. Final step. A sword sharpener studies for 10 years under his master. It takes 2 months, 8 hrs / day for 6 days/ week to complete one Katana. It is a difficult, honorable task.