you can use the sword from a seated position. when in took Shotokan once you reached brown belt you learned how to use a weapon and I chose the katana. One of the training exercises for laijutsu/kenjutsu is to learn how to defend your front sides and back while sitting. Samurai sat in a line and te person to your right was better then you but the person to your left was under you so if they killed you they took your place hence why you had to learn to use the sword sitting down.