Iaido Grading Criteria

Judging Criteria during Iaido Gradings and Taikai
By Kim Taylor,
Copyright © EJMAS 2002. All rights reserved.
The following judging criteria are the viewpoint of one judge only (me), and not all
judges will look for the same things. Nonetheless, for a competitor at a tournament or a
challenger at a grading, there are always two more or less exclusive goals. At a
tournament the object is to get noticed, while at a grading the object is to become
invisible. Iaido tournaments are side by side knockout format so a competitor wants the
judges to notice him and raise the flag on his side. On the other hand, during a grading
the judges, while not actively looking to fail people, tend to take note of "hitches" in the
performances of the challengers, so the idea is to go unnoticed.
That said, all iaido students should always strive to do their utmost no matter what the
occasion.
Some of the factors involved in a good iaido performance include:
1. Technical competence. Of course the first thing needed is to perform the
kata correctly. All the correct movements should be done, and in the
correct order. The student should also be consistent in his movements,
and all cuts of a certain type should be on the same angle and stop at the
same place. Variation within the kata or between kata is a sign of lack of
practice.
2. Smooth movements. All the motions should feel and look natural. There
should be no "hiccups" in such things as the cut. Sufficient practice must
be done so that whatever movement is made, it looks comfortable.
3. Timing. Students must understand the concept of correct timing. This
does not mean that everything is done fast or slow or all at the same
speed. Certain movements are done at one speed, and certain others are
done at a different speed. There should also be a feeling of acceleration in
certain places. Timing is what allows you to avoid an attack and
counterattack during the time when the opponent is recovering from his
failed attack.
4. Imperturbability. No matter how much distraction, or how bad the
mistake, the performer should not allow a perceptible wavering of
concentration.
5. No added flourishes. Every movement must have a purpose, and there
must be no purposeless motions in a kata. It is not enough that a
movement "looks good," it does not belong in a kata unless it has a
meaning beyond appearances.
6. Seme (pressure). There must be a feeling of danger that extends toward
the imaginary opponent throughout the kata. Motions that do not threaten
the opponent are wasted motions. The tsuka kashira (pommel), kissaki
(tip) or monouchi (cutting surface of the edge) must be aimed at the
opponent at all times. Any time none of these are threatening, there is no
seme. Wasted motions such as hands adjusted on the hilt, feet that shift
around for no reason, eyes that twitch side to side, heads that tilt and twist
are examples of lack of seme.
7. Kasso tekki (imaginary opponent). There must be a sense that the
performer knows where the opponent is and what he is doing at all times.
8. Metsuke (gaze). The gaze does much to fix an opponent in place, and so
the eyes must not only be fixed on the opponent, they must also focus on
the imaginary point where the opponent would be. Since a blink means
that your eyes are unfocussed for about half a second, enough time to
miss a strike, blinking is strongly discouraged.
9. Posture. It is impossible to strike forcefully from an off-balance position,
and the effort will leave you open and exposed to a counter-attack. The
posture must be under control and in balance ("centred") at all times, no
matter what is happening in the kata. The back and head should be over
the hips, the hips should be between the knees or the feet. The rear foot
must be in a position to push forward, even if the rear leg is straightened.
10. Breathing. The judges should not see or hear the performer breathing.
Of course we need to see movement from the hips and centre, the techniques
don’t work without them. Such nuances get more and more important the further
up the food chain you go. Indeed, at higher dan levels you can actually make
mistakes in the kata and still pass since the judges are looking for something
other than "put this foot here and then turn there". For example, I've heard
complaints about a grading panel passing people who went down on one knee
when that wasn’t part of the kata. Well the explanation is that the person making
the mistake did it so very well that the judges didn’t notice it. Remember that
they’re looking at 3-5 people at a time, and so it’s easy to forget that the kata the
guy started isn’t the kata that he’s finishing. Thus you think, "Yep, that’s the right
way to go down on your knee," and it never occurs to you to think, "Hey, you
aren’t supposed to go down on your knee for that one!" (Beginners, not knowing
what else to look for, tend to look for the dance steps while the panel is looking
beyond that.)
This is mentioned as one reason why it’s hard to grade your equals or those at a higher
level unless you restrict the judging criteria to the stuff you know. In other words, a judge
with a more trained eye may be judging using different criteria. Still, as long as the judge
is consistent and not intentionally biased toward or against a school or style, then there
should be problem, whatever criteria he uses.

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Judging Criteria during Iaido Gradings and Taikai

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