Quote:
Originally Posted by
MikeM 
Keep in mind that there are several aspects to conformation. The discussion thus far has only touched on one factor. At its heart, it is about conforming to the ideal body of a koi. The first level is 'simply' conforming to the basic physical attributes of a koi... fins, barbels, etc. in the right place. Then comes proportions... fins the proper size in relation to the body, head size appropriate for the length and bulk of the fish. Often conformation gets used to refer to 'big' or 'volume'. The more the better?....No. A koi can be big and have incredible volume, but be poor in conformation. A sloppy-bodied koi does not have good conformation no matter how big it may be.
It is also important to keep in mind that conformation in the context of judging at a show is not the same as in the context of selecting a koi to grow on. The ideal show body in a nisai may well make the nisai undesirable for the person looking for a koi that will have excellent conformation at age 7. If the goal is a long, high volume koi at age 7, the desired conformation as nisai is more likely to be relatively thin, because the goal calls for growth in length. Volume comes later. Such a koi can be considered to have poor conformation for show, but be described as having excellent conformation for the future. If the goal is a koi that lives to age 25, you might never want to see the type of volume typical of the highest ranked koi at the top Japanese shows. But, you would like to see the bone structure and musculature that could accomodate such volume if the fish was fed to create it.
As you read about conformation and listen to people talk about conformation, keep in mind the different contexts in which the word gets used. And, keep in mind that somebody tossing around the word a lot does not necessarily know what they are talking about, or may confuse you because they use the term in different contexts in the same conversation. It can be discouraging. Hang in. The concepts will come together as you see more and more koi.