Abstract
Kendo judges are required to give an instantaneous judgement of yuko-datotsu-. During such judgements, it is very important for each of the three judges to be in a position from they can watch competitors actions and to judge them from positions that afford an adequate view of evevts. In this paper, we examined the emergence of inadequate positioning at -yuko-datotsus calls- in both male and female kendo matches held at National Sports Festivals in Japan. Inadequate positioning of judges appeared in 21.0% of all the -yuko-datotsus- calls in matches involving males, and 23.3% of all -yuko-datotsus- calls in female matches. We believe that such research will improve the accuracy of judges' calls and avoid poor judgements being made in kendo matches.
