Basic Cutting

Sometime after six months of training you will be allowed to start tamishagiri.  The first six months of cutting you will perform hidari kesa, migi kesa, hidari kesa, migi kesa, hidari kesa, migi kesa and these cuts will be your foundation.  If they are not a correct forty-five degree cut, you will continue with these two cuts until they are forty-five degree.

US Batto Federation

Shoden Forms:

• Ipponmei - cut kesa, switch stance, cut kesa
• Nihonmei - cut kesa, cut gyaku kesa
• Sanbonmei - cut kesa, horse stance, cut suehei
• Yohonmei - cut kesa, switch stance, cut kesa, cut gyaku kesa
• Gohonmei - rokudangiri (combination of first three forms)

Competition Tameshigiri

Godangiri - five cuts - cut kesa, switch stance cut kesa, cut kesa, cut gyaku kesa, cut suehei.

Rokudangiri- six cuts - cut kesa, switch stance cut kesa, cut kesa, cut gyaku kesa, cut kesa, cut suehei.

Inazuma - three cuts - cut kesa, gyaku kesa, kesa OR cut gyaku kesa, kesa, gyaku kesa.

Namigiesh - Using two wara, side by side, seperated by cutting stand legs.  Cut kesa through first wara to middle of stands, turn sword and cut gyaku kesa on second wara, cut both wara with a suehei.

Mizugiesh - two or three cuts - cut gyaku kesa (middle), cut suehei (top) OR cut kesa on draw (top), cut gyaku kesa (bottom), cut suehei middle OR cut gyaku kesa (middle), cut suehei (top), cut kesa (bottom).

Dodan cutting - one cut - Gedan cut through several large goza rolls (layed flat and stacked).

Yokonarabi - one cut - Kesa cut thru many goza (goza spiked side by side).

Futomaki - one cut - Kesa cut through large goza roll (spiked on stand).

Free style - Show your stuff on multiple targets (opponents).