Team Rankings for Tournament

[swrdply400mrela]

Well since it's tournament season, and this is my first tournament, I was wondering if anyone could go into more details and expectations of the team rankings for tournament. For example, I was told the highest ranking member of the team was called taisho, sort of like a team captain. They aren't the fastest, but their sword of style represents the dojo.

[Neil Gendzwill]

For a team of five, the names of the positions (from lead through captain) are: Sempo, Jiho, Chuken, Fukusho, Taisho.

Traditionally, the positions correspond to the weakest through strongest players. However you can place them anyway you like if you think that gives you a better chance to win. For example, if your team is weak maybe you might "front-load" the positions so that your best players are first. There's a lot of strategy to it, especially in the case where the coaches know the other teams well.

[AlexM]

You can have any order you want, depends on your stategy.

If you have a weak team then go with a "front loaded" squad: Your best fighters in the first positions. You want to get ippons quickly and dominate their first fighters (assuming they've gone with a more classic configuration of keeping the veterans for the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots).

If you have a veteran or stronger team go with the classic outlines:
Senpo: 1st fighter. Strong, fast, sets the tone for the other matches. Dominates the adversary and basically sends a message to his teamates and adversaries (i.e. "you're dust"). Probably doesn't have a tendency to tie: either wins or loses. Youthfull enthusiasm.
Chuken: 3rd fighter. Controlling. Dominating but in a different way: Calm, composed and able to control the match. Maybe not the person with the best chance of getting ippon, but the one with the most experience in shiai. A veteran. Probably where you put the best fighter you have... or the guy most likely to tie (it's usually M.Raymond's reserved spot on the Canadian Team).
Taisho: 5th fighter and captain. If all else fails this guy has got to win or tie... or even just look good in defeat. Typically the most senior ranked person on the team or somone with some kind of prestige or experience. He'll look good even if you've already lost.

Obviously, these are all stereotypes and I've never really seen a team built totally in a "classic" fashion (nor kendoka that really fit any "mold"). You can put anyone anywhere you like. I prefer my teams to be frontloaded personaly, with chuken (3rd) being the position with the best fighter: But that's just me (I'm more a senpo (1st) or jiho (2nd) type: win or lose, never tie). Of course, you can put anyone, anywhere depending on your preferences.

Hey, does anyone know how the national team coaches selected the orders for their teams at the last WKC? Tenken? Moocow? amatsuda? Little insight?

[swrdply400mrela]

Thanks for the replies and insight guys.

AlexM: The classic description of the team you speak of sounds like what my sensei was talking about.