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10th Annual Orlando Tai Kai
August 8 , 2009
by Aria Steele
Photo by Gary Lau
When asked what they like to do on a Friday night, the
average teenager my age will say
something along the lines
of, “Video games, shopping, or going out to a movie.” What
do I say? “I learn how to use a sword.” In the beginning,
the main reason that I started was to spend more time with
my father, and to have something we could bond through.
Toyama Ryu became something much more than either of
us had anticipated.
I have been studying Toyama Ryu Batto Do for around
seven years now. The most basic definition of Batto Do is
you draw, then cut. In Toyama Ryu Batto Do we do not spar.
We try not to give the opponent time, because the more time
you spend fi ghting, the more time he/she has to kill you. We
do cut physical targets called Tatami. Our Tatami is the top
layer of a fl oor mat, rolled up and bound, then soaked for at
least twenty-four hours. Our goal is to test the accuracy of
the angles of our cuts and the sharpness of our swords. The
perfect angle is forty-fi ve degrees, and this is a goal we are
constantly striving for.
The average class schedule and routines vary from dojo
to dojo, yet the basics remain the same. We start out class
with the same warm ups. After that everyone goes over the
basic cuts. As a class, we review the Kata several times.
Kata is the set cuts and steps that make up a form. There
are eight forms in all. In each form you are attacked by multiple
opponents from multiple sides. Everyone does this, from
the most beginner students to the
head Sensei. The class
then spits up for the students to work on their own individual
weaknesses, and to get help from the Sensei. After a while,
everyone will reconvene to set up
for cutting. The cutters will
cut and be critiqued by their classmates.
Our yearly Tai Kai is one of the largest sword competitions
in the United States. It is the closest thing to a real battle that
most of us will ever come. It starts early in the morning and
lasts most of the day. There are up to three rings of competitions
going on at one particular time. Each ring has three
judges, and many competitors. Whether it is cutting or Kata,
there are always two competitors going at a time. After each
competitor has done their Kata, or cutting pattern,
the judges
will then chose a winner to go on to the next round. It is single
elimination, so you
have to do perfectly the fi rst time, or you
are metaphorically dead.
Over the past few years I have competed in the annual
Tai Kai, and have won several awards.
Some awards I have
earned include the gold medal in both the Junior Kata Division
and the Shodan and Under Kata Division. Compition
is tough due to the many competitors,
and the high level of
skill that is involved. Yet, seeing everyone, from old friends
to the newest students improve year-to-year makes all the
hard work worthwhile.
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