Katana Warmup is the only warmup in the family that asks you to bring something: a staff, a broom handle, a training stick or - if your household is more interesting than most - an actual practice sword. Eight exercises at 10 reps each, one pass: overhead raises, side-to-side twists, behind back twists, side-to-side lunges, the figure-8 of katana infinity, and light vertical cuts. Holding an object changes everything - your shoulders work honestly, your grip is engaged from the first rep, and every movement acquires a reference line you can see.
The sequence moves from carrying the weapon to using it. Overhead raises and the two twist variations use the stick as a lever - held wide, it forces both shoulders to travel the same arc together, and behind the back it opens the chest further than empty hands ever ask. Side-to-side lunges bring the legs in while the stick stays level across your thighs, a moving balance check. Then the weapon work begins: katana infinity traces a continuous figure-8, teaching the wrists and shoulders to steer weight through curves without stopping, and light vertical cuts finish with the cleanest line in swordsmanship - raise, cut, arrest. The cuts are labeled light because that is the technique: a controlled cut that stops where you decide is worth a hundred wild swings, and the warmup version is where that control is built.
Grip the stick firmly but without strangling it - tension in the hands travels up to the shoulders and ruins the flow. Keep the overhead raises and twists wide and smooth, letting the stick's length keep both sides honest. In the lunges, sit into each side with the stick level as your built-in spirit level. Draw the infinity pattern slowly and continuously, leading with the wrists. Make every vertical cut complete: raise fully, cut on a straight line, stop it cleanly at the end - the stopping is the exercise.
A sword is only as warm as the hands that hold it - ten reps per pattern and both of you are ready.
Make it Harder: Not with force - with precision. Slow the cuts down and make every stop absolutely still before the next raise.
Make it Easier: Use a shorter, lighter stick and halve the infinity and cut reps.
