The Five Challenges
To reach taikai matches, contestants will face up to five, two minute qualifying challenges, designed to test your kendo skills:-
Challenge One: The Hayai Suburi Speed Trial
Challenge One: The Hayai Suburi Speed Trial
How many hayai suburi can you cut over two minutes, while correctly hitting a target placed at head height in front and behind.
Challenge Two: The Hiki Men Mawari Men Trial
Challenge Two: The Hiki Men Mawari Men Trial
You must cut Men on two targets at opposite edges of a circle – using hikimen footwork to reverse from the target and turning within a defined target space before approaching the second target using suriashi footwork.
Challenge Three: The Hiki Men Trial
Challenge Three: The Hiki Men Trial
From a start line, step forward, cut Men correctly and return to chudan kamai, stepping back over the start line.
Challenge Four: The Kote, Do, Men Trial
Challenge Four: The Kote, Do, Men Trial
From chudan kamai, step forward to a marked line and cut kote, move back across the starting line, now step further forward to a second line and cut do, return again, finally step forward to the further line and cut men, return to the starting line and keep going!
Challenge Five: The Tie-Breaker Sit-Up Trial
Challenge Five: The Tie-Breaker Sit-Up Trial
As many sit-up as possible over two minutes while cutting men and reaching a specified height target. Shoulders must touch the floor after each cut. This trail will be used as the tie-breaker to eliminate equal scorers from the first four Trials.
Okay, so now you are in. Well done. You have already proved your basic skills. Now you face one final test. The taikai challenge...
