Originally posted by AlexM

[snippage]
Two important points seem to be:
1) Watch the fight as if you "are" the opposing fighters and try to sense the flow of a match (helps in atticipating what will happen and not get caught "sleeping").
2) If you make a call be ready to justify your decision because it will be questionned (not right away but later on).

Hmm, not sure that I agree with these. Can you explain what you mean by 'as if you are the opposing fighters' ? When judging, I try to do the 'looking at the far mountain' thing - there are a lot of things to take into account -
You are not just a single judge that happens to be in the company of another two. You need to work as a team in controlling the match. Besides looking for valid cuts, you must also be aware of your position in relation to the other shinpan, your position in relation to the competitors as well as watching for things such as safety hazards and foul play. I think it's important to remain as detatched as possible from the play so that you are free to make decisions instantly.

As for your second point, unless you are at a venue that is specifically teaching you how to shinpan, imho, you do not need to justify your decision to anyone. ever. If they disagree with the decision you made, too bad. You were the shinpan, they were not. It's that simple. People make mistakes, even at the highest level, however the nature of kendo shiai means that once a decision is made, it is final, right or wrong. That is where it should be left.
I do not apologise for 'mistakes' that I make when judging, nor have I ever been asked to justify them. I have also been on the receiving end of some harsh decisions, I'm sure everyone has. Nonetheless, unless you have proof that a judge is biased against you, you have to let it go.
My other comment on judging is - respect your own judgement. The thing I hate more than anything when judging, is someone that puts his flag up because one of the other judges do. Don't be a follower - it shows and no one respects it.

just my $0.02 worth.