It is often said that competition (shiai) is a very minor part of Karate or that it is unimportant in the overall context of training. To some extent, this almost relegates a significant aspect of training to a position of irrelevance. It may be true that training specifically with shiai in mind and thereby ignoring everything else is not the correct approach, however a good argument could be made that shiai practice is a prominent and very important aspect of JKA training.

The establishment of the Japan Karate Association over half a century ago almost coincides with the formulation by the JKA of a set of competitive rules to test the efficacy of the various techniques (waza) in a combat simulated situation for Kumite and in an individual display of Karate skills in Kata. In other words, shiai has been around nearly as long as the JKA itself. Indeed the first JKA all Japan Championships took place in 1958. Since that time the rules have been modified only slightly, signifying their longevity by standing the test of time.

A good indication of the success of any set of competition rules is the results achieved under those rules over an extended period. In terms of outright sports such as Soccer or Athletics, deciding a winner is relatively easy and for the most part, no-one questions the outcome. For example, with very few exceptions, the winner of the FIFA world cup Soccer event is the best team of the tournament, likewise the winner of the Olympic 100 metres sprint race is the fastest person competing in the event. In JKA competition, the same degree of consistency is present among the winners. It is very rare indeed for an inexperienced player or one without a best-in-tournament level of speed, timing and clean waza to repeatedly emerge as champion.

No doubt mistakes of judgement are sometimes made and clearly, when there is a high level of subjectivity in the hands of the officials, it is hard to say with one hundred percent certainty who has scored first or, if a particular waza was effective enough to “score”. That aside, it can be said that the JKA rules have provided honest outcomes and good decisions consistently over time.

Rules by definition cannot be perfect, nor can they present the best outcome every time. This applies even at the Olympic level, note the following;

"Rules that govern gymnastics scoring are made by the "FIG" (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique). At major competitions, four to six judges sit at each piece of apparatus. Two judges determine the start value based on difficulties and bonus met. The other four to six judges deduct for execution and composition only. Each of the judges arrives at a score independently. The high and low scores are discarded while the remaining scores are averaged. Because gymnastics uses subjective judging, the results of a competition are sometimes disputed by the fans, federations, and coaches. Overscoring can be the result of home advantage, a gymnast's popularity, judging bias, and other factors. These same factors can likewise contribute to underscoring."
Source: www.usa-gymnastics.org

To effectively test fighting skills, the rules of a Kumite match had to be such as to emulate real combat between 2 exponents in a free fight with the outcome determining which player would be the victor in a real situation. Of course, rules set limitations of space (the size of the fighting area), time (the duration of the match) and importantly, subjectivity (the judgement of the referee and his assistants) and therefore create an artificial environment for the participants.

Adam Pearce - 2003 JKA Australasian Open Kumite Champion

This last point is critical in assessing how successful JKA shiai actually is at testing whose waza is the most effective in any match. In the case of Kata, aside from some practical rules, (eg that the Kata must be performed within a designated area) there is only the judges experience to depend upon for the purpose of deciding the result of a match. Here again, we can draw parallels with outright sports.

In Olympic Gymnastics, judges are required to apply a score within a certain numerical range. The judges have specific addition and deduction criteria that are applied in order to reach a final mark. These marks are then averaged then announced as the competitors final score. Diving events are similarly adjudicated, as are Figure Skating events. JKA Kata judgements in the competitive arena are made in essentially the same way.

JKA competition relies very heavily on the ability of referees to definitively proclaim a winner within stated rules. This is a big responsibility and one that is for the most part taken seriously by the individual officials and by the group at large. In supporting the judges efforts, the JKA ensured that a system of back-up and assistance for the centre judge was put in place right from the inception of its competitive rules.

The basis for this is that the line of vision of one person is limited and therefore may not pick up activity that is obscured by the centre judge or the players themselves such as off-sighted blocks or strikes. The assistance of 4 other seated corner judges each with a different fixed line of vision and therefore another perspective on the match, limits the margin for error. These 4 (and sometimes more) sets of eyes actively participate in the judging process by indicating what they see during the match to the centre referee by way of a system of flags. This way, consensus applies to the decisions and any disputes are dealt with by conference, after which the centre referee announces the decision.

JKA NZ Competitor returns to her line after scoring on her Japanese opponent - Taupo 2003

In a JKA Karate match, the skills, knowledge and experience of the adjudicator, as in Olympic Gymnastics or Figure Skating, is paramount in delivering a fair and accurate result.

This brings us to the point, that the JKA Kumite shiai ‘near combat’ situation is so close to the Budo principle of Ikken Hissatsu (to kill with one blow) and so removed from sport as it is most commonly known, that any training done in preparation is valid as proper Budo Karate training. Training that is indeed as much a part of JKA Karate as any Kumite or Kihon drill.

The same applies in Kata. Practicing Kata in terms of Budo and in terms of JKA competition need not be different. Technical excellence is routinely scrutinised in the JKA Dojo on a direct one-one-one basis between Karateka and Instructor. In competition, the rules are such as to allow the same scrutiny to be applied in a formal competitive environment. The only difference is that the observer simply awards a score and does not communicate any further with the Karateka.

“Sports Karate” training in isolation, in other words practice that prepares players specifically to win at competitions is valid, it has a definite place and is fine so long as the absence or loss of Budo is acceptable. As we have seen, in JKA Dojo training, there is no hard distinction on a superficial level between Budo and Sport, the training reflects both, giving the participant the benefit of a well-rounded and holistic Karate experience.

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