Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

How to win at kibasen (mounted cavalry battles). A thorough guide to team assignments, horse formation, and tactics.

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

Kibasen, one of the classic events at school sports days, is a competition where three people form a human “horse” as the base and one rider mounts on top to battle.

You win by either snatching the headband or cap worn by the opposing rider, or by knocking the opposing rider off their horse.

It’s one of the most heated events at a sports day.

In this article, we’ll thoroughly introduce tips for kibasen, where the determination of “I absolutely don’t want to lose!!” clashes head-on.

We’ll explain in detail everything from staffing and how to form the horse, to tactics during matches and even training methods.

If you’re a competitor who’s set on winning at kibasen no matter what, be sure to use this as a reference!

Tips for Team Battle Tactics (1–10)

Aim for a mounted opponent whose horse is shorter than your own

If you’re unsure which mounted team to attack during a match, aim for one that’s shorter than yours.

This strategy is based on the premise of cavalry battles that attacking from above gives you an advantage.

Targeting a smaller team lets you strike from above, increasing your chances of grabbing their headband or hat.

It might sound a bit underhanded, but sometimes you have to get gritty to win!

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Does not work on its own

From here, I’ll introduce the playstyle tips you should keep in mind to avoid losing.

First, it’s important not to act alone.

If you’ve already mastered the basics of attacking, you may know this, but a lone cavalry unit is easy to target—such as getting pincered—and is much more likely to be defeated.

Therefore, it’s best to avoid spreading out and advance the match by coordinating closely with your fellow cavalry.

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Don’t confront them head-on.

While there are exceptions in one-on-one matches, in team battles it’s generally safer to avoid head-on collisions with the opponent’s mounted players.

As mentioned in the initial strategy of pinching the opponent with two riders, the key in team play is to coordinate with your teammates to attack together.

If you’re on a taller mount initiating the attack, approach from the opponent’s side or rear whenever possible and aim for their headband or hat!

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Don’t leave an opening behind you.

Japanese school 🏃 Kibasen (cavalry battle) at an elementary school sports day

Don’t leave an opening behind you.

In a cavalry battle, attention tends to be focused forward, and since members other than the rider can’t look behind, it’s fair to say the horse’s weak point is its rear.

Therefore, no matter how heated the match gets, the rider should also keep an eye on the back and avoid creating openings.

If you notice an opposing mount approaching from behind, immediately call out to your team to change direction and avoid being attacked straight from the rear; this is recommended.

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Tips for one-on-one duels (1–10)

Hibarigaoka Gakuen Junior and Senior High School 2013 Sports Festival Cavalry Battle

After sharing tips for team battles, I’ll move on to strategies for one-on-one rules.

The tips I’m about to introduce are also effective when a duel situation arises during a team match, so players who compete in team battles should definitely use them as a reference.

Attack mainly with cavalry

In a one-on-one match, the basic tactic is to charge straight at the opponent’s horse formation.

What’s crucial then is that your “horse” takes the initiative on offense.

In other words, have the horse formations push against each other and aim to throw the opponent’s horse off balance.

If you can upset the opponent horse’s balance, the rider will have to lower their head to regain stability—that’s your chance! Don’t miss that moment—snatch their headband or cap right away! If you’re using this strategy under one-on-one rules, it’s ideal to choose horse members who are stronger and more stable.

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