Karuta that is called “fast” often refers to karuta that involves attempting to take every card as quickly as possible. Of course, all of competitive karuta is, in a sense, about taking cards quickly, but in reality, one only needs to be faster than their opponent more times than their opponent is faster than them: there is no “bonus” for being “extra fast”.
To contrast “fast” karuta with other karuta, take the following example: one player is very good at 1-syllable and some 2-syllable cards, and tends to target them frequently. They will often start their movement very quickly, but are more likely to make a foul/otetsuki, and may struggle to quickly shift from one card to its friend card somewhere else.
This player may look like they play a “fast” karuta style, as when they do take cards successfully, it can be extremely fast and even flashy.
However, a more “careful” player may be more consistent in their speed and accuracy, or more adept at taking longer syllable cards, e.g. by defending/covering cards before the kimariji is read or employing strategies where their initial reaction does not appear to be “fast”, but they ultimately take the card first.
Their reaction speeds to lower-syllable cards and physical motions may not be the fastest, but they can make up for it through elements like being more ready for longer-syllable cards, being ready to take cards that the opponent is not targeting (consistency in speed over quick bursts of speed), not making as many fouls (which have a big impact on card differential), having better technique when taking cards (e.g. navigating to/touching a card directly instead of sweeping a row indiscriminately), or using certain strategies to gain some kind of advantage.
In Chihayafuru, it can be said that at first, Chihaya is more of a “fast” karuta player and Taichi is more of a “careful” one. In fact, part of Chihaya’s growth in the show involves learning to become more careful so that she commits less fouls and excels at more than just lower-syllable cards, as it does not seem to be enough to be simply fast or careful if one wants to do well at the higher levels of karuta.
To take cards quickly (ala “fast” karuta), one can employ various methods of targeting specific cards:
- based on location (top row, an area with more cards, an area you feel a card is going to be read from)
- based on the length of the kimariji (1-syllable, 2-syllable, etc.)
- based on one’s ability to differentiate a card’s kimariji quickly
One can also guess cards before they recognize the kimariji, though this isn’t usually recommended due to the potential to backfire through fouls.
A player who does not rely on being fast may be less likely to target cards, or may attempt to target ones different than a player that they feel is faster than them, as even a player not known for their speed can often take a card they are targeting faster than someone who is known for their speed but is not targeting a card.
As said, in the end karuta in general is of course about being fast, but the difference in appearance is that if one player just barely takes 10 cards while another quickly takes 7 cards but makes 2 fouls, the one who takes 10 is ahead even if their maximum speed (or average speed of their takes) is slower than the “fast” karuta player who quickly took 7 (while also suffering from fouls).
Of course, there is no reason to limit oneself to only one “style” of play, and one can be both careful and fast, or switch between the two based on their opponent, assessment of risk, or how far the game has progressed—in a game with many long-syllable cards and friend cards, it may be better to be careful, but in a game with many low-syllable cards, it may be better to prioritize speed instead. What’s optimal should be judged for yourself based on your studies, practice, and what players with more experience than you advise.