COMPETITOR RESPONSIBILITIES

A competitor must wear a clean uniform and proper equipment. If they are not prepared to compete as deemed by the center official, the competitor may be penalized for delay of time or not allowed to compete.

It is the responsibility of the competitor to know the rules and be ready for competition when called to do so. They must be suitably attired and at the appropriate ring when competition begins. Three calls will be made for competition at ringside. If the competitor is not at their ring ready to compete, they will be disqualified.

LEGAL AGE RULE

All competitors have the option of competing in the same division all year long for rating purposes, by establishing a legal competition age for the year. The age a competitor is on June 30th of the current competition year is their legal competition age for that year. They can compete all year at that age so they can earn rating points in one age division all year. A competitor can always compete in their chronological age if they chose.

RANK RULE

Competitors must be matched against others at the highest belt level they have earned. For a competitor to compete at a higher rank requires permission of the competitor, tournament director, instructor and parent (if under 18).

Competitors must compete at the highest rank they have attained in martial arts. If they are a black belt in one style, but only a white belt in another it would not be fair to register as a white belt when they are in fact a black belt. Contact tournament coordinator for clarifications.

If a competitor has just received a new belt within 21 days before the tournament they can choose to compete at their previous rank. If a competitor chooses to participate at their old rank they must wear the correct belt.

Instructors are responsible for letting their students know what belt they can compete at. It is not possible to verify someone's belt level. We must trust that their instructor has signed them up correctly.

BELT RANK SPLITTING

The basic divisions for small tournaments are listed as Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Larger tournaments can break these down farther. It is the job of the Tournament Coordinator to generate a chart for each school invited as to where their belt rankings fall in the categories of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

The Tournament Coordinator should work directly with the invited school well in advance of the tournament on how their belt system falls into the divisions.

Small Tournament Breakdown by Gup ranks to Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

Beginner: 10th Gup - 9th Gup

Intermediate: 8th Gup - 3rd Gup

Advanced: 2nd Gup - Recommended Black Belt

Black Belt: 1st Dan +

Medium Tournament Breakdown by Gup Ranks

10th & 9th Gup
8th & 7th Gup
6th & 5th Gup
4th & 3rd Gup
2nd - Recommended Black Belt

Large Tournament Breakdown a division per Gup rank.

DIVISION

Competitors will be broken into different divisions based on rank, age and gender.

When the divisions are being grouped the day of the tournament divisions can be separated or merged with other divisions as needed. The goal is to have divisions with no fewer than 3 competitors but no more than 8. It is up to the head judges and tournament coordinator to adjust on the day of the tournament.

LATE ENTRIES

If a competitor arrives late to the ring after the last call for the division but before the first competitor of that division competes they may be allowed to compete. Once a division has started no competitor can be added to that division.

During a competition three calls will be made for competitors at ringside. If the competitor is not at their ring ready to compete, they will be disqualified.

FAIRNESS RULE

If a question arises that is not completely covered by this rule book the official rules arbitrator/tournament coordinator may overrule, modify, or change a rule if they believe that enforcing such a rule would result in an unfair outcome to a competitor. This should only be applied in extreme cases, and the update should be referred to the directors for consideration in future revisions of the rule book.

EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS

UNIFORM

All competitors must wear a complete (top and bottom) uniform in a good state of repair. The appropriate color belt must be worn in competition. Shoes may be worn in patterns competition if they are martial arts training shoes.

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED SAFETY EQUIPMENT

It is the responsibility of the competitors to have the proper equipment. KMATA mouthpieces, head gear; hand & foot pads, and cups meeting the following specifications are mandatory for all sparring competitors.

Hand Pads: must cover the back of the hand and fingers with soft padding.

Foot Pads: must cover the instep, sides, toes, and heel with soft padding.

Head Gear: top, sides, and back of the head must be covered with soft padding. Face mask is optional

Mouthpiece: properly fitted mouthpiece is required

Cups: male competitors are required to wear groin protection

Chest guards, face shields, shin pads, forearm pads, and elbow pads are optional for all competitors. It is up to the competitor to decide if they are willing to assume the risk of not wearing these additional pieces of equipment.

If the competitor’s equipment is deemed unsafe or does not fit properly they will be asked to change the equipment before they can compete. Equipment must be in a good state of repair and free of heavy taping, tears, or any other repairs that may cause injury.

Competitors are subject to the Delay of Time Penalty and may be disqualified if they arrive at their division with unacceptable equipment. Not wearing a cup during sparring can cause an instant disqualification.

THE RING

The rings must be a square with sides between 15 and 20 feet. The preferred length of the sides is 16 feet. Starting lines must be marked approximately four feet apart centered in the middle of the ring with marks at least 1 foot wide. Each ring should be marked with a ring number visible to competitors, officials, and medical personnel. There should be at least three feet between rings to allow for judges to move around the ring and a buffer zone if a competitor leaves the ring while competing.

SCORING RULES – POINT SPARRING

OFFICIALS/JUDGES

Each ring should have a Head Judge, and two to four other judges and a Time/Scorekeeper.

HEAD JUDGE

The head judge is the most experienced official in the ring and is thoroughly versed on the rules and order of competition. He/she promotes the safety of the competitors and enforces the rules. He/she starts and stops the match, awards points, makes penalty decisions, communicates clearly with the scorekeeper and timekeeper, and announces the winner of each match.

Responsibilities of the Head Judge:

Match starts and ends only with his/her command.
Has final decision on any disputes on score.
Has the power to issue warnings and award penalty points.
Can overrule a majority call to issue a warning or a penalty point.
Has power to disqualify a competitor who has received their final foul or for severe rules infraction.
Has power to issue time-outs. A competitor can ask for a time-out, but it is the determination of the head judge to issue one. Time-outs are for injury or equipment issues not for exhaustion.
Keeps track of score. (also maintained by the scorekeeper)

TIME/SCOREKEEPER

Time/Scorekeeper manages the time and score of the ring. Can be one or two people.

Responsibilities of a Time/Scorekeeper:

Track length of match and calls “Time” when match length is reached. (Uses a bean bag or substitute to toss into the ring to help signify the end of the match.)
Tracks points when called out by the Head Judge. Also informs the Head Judge of the scores when requested.
When the winning number of points is reached calls “Time” to end the match. Then informs the Head Judge of the winner.
Tracks winner and loser bracketing to determine the next match.

JUDGES

Each ring should have a Head Judge, up to four other judges, a Timekeeper/Scorekeeper(can be one person or two). The judges call points and infractions that they clearly see. They also can vote on disqualifications. The head judge does not normally call points but does call rules infractions. During a point call the head judge can call point, no point, warning, or disqualification. (The head judge should only add their call when the call is close or during a dispute.) Head judges make all final decisions on warnings/fouls but can consult with the other judges before making their decision.

CALLS A JUDGE MAY MAKE

When a corner judge believes there has been a point scored or a foul has occurred they will call out "POINT" in a loud voice. At this point the Head Judge will call out "STOP!" in a loud voice. The head judge shall then return the competitors to their starting marks and addresses the judges by saying "JUDGES CALL!" All judges cast their votes simultaneously and in the following manner.

Point - The judge will hold up the corresponding flag to the color of the competitor that scored the point.

When showing a point the judge does NOT tell what the technique was. The Head Judge can request that the Judge name the technique seen.
The Head Judge will look to each judge in turn and calculate if a point is to be awarded or not. No Point cancels out a good point. A total of 2 good points is required to score.
The Head Judge may add their call when necessary if they saw the technique clearly. If the Judges all see a point though the Head Judge did not see a point it is a point because there are at least two good points.
Once a point is determined it is the Head Judges responsibility to inform the score keeper of the contestant a point was scored. At this point the score keeper will tally the points.

No Point Scored – The judge crosses his/her wrist at waist level to indicate that he/she believes that a point was not scored. Either due to a block, did not contact legal target area, etc. A no point call negates a point call.
No See - The judge holds his/her hand over his/her eyes indicating that he/she could not see whether a point was scored or not. (It is not the same effect as saying "No Point". A "No See" does not negate a good point).

If the Judge cannot see the contact occur they must call 'No See'. Even if it is clear that the defender did not block and the attacker had good technique and you can even hear the attack land.
This means on a majority of calls there should be at least one 'No See'.

Clash – The judge makes a motion as though they are hitting both fists together, indicating that both competitors scored at the same time. A Clash does not add or take away a good point.
Foul - The judge holds the color of the offending competitor down to his side. The head judge may request the judge describe the foul the judge observed. An additional call on the foul may be called by the head judge by saying "JUDGES CALL", if the other judges will either agree, disagree or No See.
Disqualification – There are two ways for a competitor to be disqualified.

1) Upon receiving a 4th warning/foul.

2) A severe rules infraction (deliberate illegal technique, ignoring the head judge, excessive use of force, etc.)

If a disqualification vote is asked for due to a severe rules infraction, the head judge will explain that this is a disqualification call and explain the reason then say, "JUDGES CALL". The judges will then either agree, disagree or No See. If two or more agree with disqualification the competitor is immediately disqualified. The Head Judge has a right to make the call himself or request a call from the other judges.

More details on disqualification follow under the Fouls section

Judges should not say anything after "Judges Call" is said by the Head Judge. They will show their view on the point by the above mentioned hand signals. They should only speak when requested by the Head Judge.

Judges stay in call stance until the Head Judge finalizes the call as: a point, no point, foul, etc.

LATE CALLS

All officials should make their calls at the same time. If, in the opinion of the head judge, the corner judges are making a late call intentionally, the head judge can disqualify the call and/or judge (noise not allowing the judges to hear the head judge and the honest mistake of raising the wrong color should be taken into consideration not to disqualify the call or judge).

LENGTH OF MATCH

There are two main ways to determine the length of the match. Either a set time, usually 2 minutes or a race to a point number (usually 3 or 5) with a time limit. The type of match will be determined before the tournament starts by the Tournament Coordinator. All rings will use the same match length and it must be explained to the spectators and competitors. If a match is tied at the end of two minutes, sudden victory (first person to score a point) overtime period will determine the match. Matches can be either single elimination or double elimination.

The time keeper will start and stop a stopwatch to track the time of a match.
Time starts when the Head Judge says 'Start'.
When time reaches two minutes the time keeper will call out loudly 'Time' if they have a bean bag they will toss it into the ring to assist in showing time is called.
Time either stops at each point or goes continuously. Decided by the Tournament Coordinator and announced before the competition begins.

POINT VALUES AND WINNER DETERMINATION

All legal techniques that score will be awarded one (1) point.

AWARDING A POINT

Points are awarded by a minimum of two good calls from the judges (including the head judge). If a No Point is called it cancels a good point call. For instance three judges call point, and two judges call no point, this is a +3 and a -2 resulting in only 1 good point therefore no point is awarded. The majority of judges do not have to agree on the same technique being scored, only that a point was scored.

WHAT IS A POINT

A point is a controlled legal technique scored by a competitor in-bounds and up-right (not considered down) that strikes a competitor with the allowable amount of force to a legal target area. Attacks to the head can follow the “Halo Rule”. One point for all legal techniques.

HALO RULE (Optional)

If an attack is to the head but does not touch and the defender makes no movement to block or avoid the technique a point can be awarded. Halo rule is used to reward control by the attacker. The distance of the attack counting is dependent on the division. Measurements are approximate and left to the judges discretion.

Rank	Kick	Hand
Beginners	Within 8 inches	Within 4 inches
Intermediate	Within 4 inches	Within 2 inches
Advanced	Within 2 inches	Touch
Black Belt	Touch	Touch

The tournament coordinator determines before the start of the tournament if the Halo Rule is in effect. It must be announced clearly to competitors.

LEGAL TARGET AREAS

Sides and top of the head, ribs, chest (below the collarbone), abdomen (above the belt).

Attacks to these locations can score a point.

ILLEGAL TARGET AREAS

A downed opponent, face mask area, back of the head (4” wide stripe down the back of the head), back, neck, throat, legs and groin.

Attacks to these locations incur a foul.

NON-TARGET AREAS

Hips, buttocks, shoulders, arms, hands and feet. No point can be scored to these locations.

Attacks to these locations do not score a point.

LEGAL TECHNIQUES

All controlled kicks to legal target areas, and straight punch to the body are legal with light or medium contact except those listed as illegal.
- Punches must travel at least 12" distance or length of forearm (whichever is shorter) to count.
Back fist to the side of the head with light contact with nothing crossing over the face mask area.
All techniques to the head MUST be light contact.
4th Gup+: Straight punch to the padded area (not face mask) of the helmet is added to the list of legal techniques.
Black belt adult (age 17+): Front of head (face mask) added to legal target area for all legal techniques.

ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES

Hard contact (head judge makes the call if a technique is thrown with too much force)

Contact is considered hard if it causes instant swelling, bleeding, a very loud impact is heard, major deflection of the body or minor deflection of the head.

medium or hard contact to the head
- contact is considered medium if: a loud impact is heard, a minor or major deflection of the head. If it causes any visible injury or distress.
open hand techniques or hammer fist
attacks below the belt
spinning hand techniques

Technique is not considered a spinning technique if the attacker pauses after turning around then executes the hand technique.

head butting, biting or scratching
elbow or knee strikes
eye attacks of any kind
take downs or sweeps
grabbing or holding
pushing with arms, torso or shoulder
falling down or fleeing the ring to avoid sparring

Falling down or fleeing must have been on purpose to be a foul
This type of foul cannot cause disqualification only additional points to opponent

uncontrolled blind techniques and any other uncontrolled dangerous techniques that are deemed unsafe by the Head Judge.
Attacking a downed competitor or attacking while being downed

A competitor is considered 'downed' when any part of their body except their feet are touching the ground.

OUT OF BOUNDS

To be considered out of bounds depends on the ring

Flush flooring: When the ring and out of bounds are the same level then the competitor must leave with both feet to be out of bounds

Raised Mat/ring: when the ring is raised above the out of bounds (even by 1/2") if a competitor is considered out of bounds if either foot is out of bounds.

This type of foul cannot cause a disqualification only additional points to opponent

NON-SCORING TECHNIQUES

The following is a list of techniques that are legal but will NOT score a point:

These techniques are listed to discourage a 'boxing match' from breaking out.
Limiting the types of punches stops from having to rock-em sock-em robots just swinging punches at each other.
The goal is to see combinations of kicks and punches.

hooking punch or uppercut: scoring punches must be straight punches
"Piston Punching" (throwing more than 4 hand techniques in a row)
- Punches should be accurate and controlled not just spamming the opponent with lots of punches hoping one gets through.
back fist to the body
block kicks: it is legal for a competitor to use their legs to block attacks, or block an arm out of the way. These do not score points but can be used

FOULS

A foul occurs when a competitor uses an illegal technique or attacks an illegal target area. Also fouls can be called for unsportsmanlike behavior (taunting an opponent, arguing with the judges, over celebration, etc.) Fouls are in total not just of a single time. Any four fouls disqualifies a competitor.

1st foul is a warning
2nd foul opponent gains one point
3rd foul opponent gains one point
4th foul competitor is Disqualified

Any judge, even not assigned to the match, can request for the tournament coordinator to adjudicate a disqualification. The match will be paused and the tournament coordinator will hear the information and make the final call.

Egregious FOULS

An Egregious foul can cause instant disqualification. Egregious fouls can only be called by the Head Judge. Examples of egregious fouls are but not limited to: intentionally using an illegal technique, striking exceptionally hard, attacks that instantly draw blood or cause injury, arguing with the referee, etc.

"Pulling" FOULS

When a defender deliberately moves in such a way to cause an attack to strike an illegal area. The attacker will not get a foul since the defender caused the illegal contact. A competitor pulling a foul can get warnings/fouls for unsportsmanlike behavior.

PROTEST

The head instructor of a school or an appointee for the school may protest the results of a call or match. The head instructor will request the head judge to stop the match and call for the tournament coordinator to hear the protest. The tournament coordinator will hear the protest and make a decision based on the protest and information from the judges. Protests should rarely occur.

A school that protests and is overturned on multiple occasions may be disallowed to protest for the rest of that tournament at the discretion of the tournament coordinator.

INJURY

If an injury occurs have the other competitor return to their starting spot face away from the injured competitor and take a knee.

The Head Judge will determine if the injured contestant can or cannot continue.

If an injured contestant cannot continue:

From a legal technique they forfeit the match.
From a non-scoring or illegal technique the injured competitor wins the match.

DISQUALIFICATION

Competitor is listed as the loser and the win is given to the other competitor.

The Tournament Coordinator can be brought in if the disqualification may require more actions outside of the current match (removal from the tournament, banning from future tournaments).

NO CONTACT SPARRING

For Beginner divisions the option to do no contact sparring is available. This can also be used for young competitors as well.

A ring for no contact sparring will have a head judge and an even number of other judges.
The competitors are lined up similar to sparring.
When “Start” is called the competitors will take turns doing two kicks followed by a yell. They will NOT make any contact. They will go back and forth doing two kick combos until the head judge calls “Stop” (about 30 seconds).
At this point the head judge will call "Judges Call" then each judge and the head judge will point to which competitor won the match.

The competitors are judged on: Kicking technique, variety of kicks, strong yell, keeping hands up, movement.

SCORING RULES – CONTINUOUS SPARRING

OFFICIALS/JUDGES

Each ring should have a Head Judge, and two to four other judges and a Time/Scorekeeper.

HEAD JUDGE

Responsibilities of the Head Judge:

Match starts and ends only with his/her command.
Has the power to issue warnings and award penalty points.
Has power to disqualify a competitor who has received their final foul or for severe rules infraction.
Has power to issue time-outs. A competitor can ask for a time-out, but it is the determination of the head judge to issue one. Time-outs are for injury or equipment issues not for exhaustion.

TIME/SCOREKEEPER

Time/scorekeeper starts and stops time as instructed by the Head Judge, and records penalties and points.

Responsibilities of a Time/Scorekeeper:

Track length of match and calls “Time” when match length is reached. (Uses a bean bag or substitute to toss into the ring to help signify the end of the match.)
Tracks penalties during a match and records points at the end of rounds.
Tracks winner and loser bracketing to determine the next match.

JUDGES

Each ring should have a Head Judge, an even number of corner judges, a Timekeeper/Scorekeeper(can be one person or two). The judges count points while the Head Judge manages the flow of the sparring match and calls fouls.

Two methods of corner judges recording points.

Scoring for Both Competitors

Judges have two counting devices, one for each competitor. As they see a point scored they click the number of points they observed. At the end of the round they report to the score keeper the number of points for each competitor.

This method is used with experienced judges or when only one round of sparring occurs.

Scoring for One Competitor

When there are two rounds of sparring and an even number of judges each judge can be set to score points for just one competitor. For round one a judge will score for one competitor give the points at the end of the round, then count the points of the other competitor in the second round.

This method is used for all level of judges and is easier on a judge to score.

POINTS AND FOULS

When a corner judge believes there has been a point scored they tally a point for that competitor. If they see a foul they can all for a stop in action by yelling "Break".

Point - Tally the point on whatever device used to keep score.

Foul - When the judge sees a foul they can yell "Break". The head judge put the competitors back in their starting positions and ask for the judge to explain the foul. If the foul is agreed upon a warning/foul is given to the competitor.
Disqualification – There are two ways for a competitor to be disqualified.

1) Upon receiving a 4th warning/foul.

2) A severe rules infraction (deliberate illegal technique, ignoring the head judge, excessive use of force, etc.)

More details on disqualification follow under the Fouls section

LENGTH OF MATCH

There are two main ways to determine the length of the match. Either a single round of a given time, example 2 minutes. Or broken into two rounds, example 1 minute per round. The tournament coordinator sets the length of the rounds. Which may different between ages and ranks.

POINT VALUES AND WINNER DETERMINATION

1. Hand techniques are worth 1 point

2. Kicks to the body are worth 2 points

3. Kicks to the head are worth 3 points

WHAT IS A POINT

A point is a controlled legal technique scored by a competitor in-bounds and up-right (not considered down) that strikes a competitor with the allowable amount of force to a legal target area.

LEGAL TARGET AREAS

Sides and top of the head, ribs, chest (below the collarbone), abdomen (above the belt)

ILLEGAL TARGET AREAS

A downed opponent, face mask area, back of the head (4” wide stripe down the back of the head), back, neck, throat, legs and groin.

Attacks to these locations incur a foul.

NON-TARGET AREAS

Hips, shoulders, arms, hands and feet. No point can be scored to these locations.

Attacks to these locations do not score a point.

LEGAL TECHNIQUES

All techniques to the body are legal with light to medium contact except those listed as illegal.
- Punches must travel at least 12" distance or length of forearm (whichever is shorter) to count.
All techniques to the head MUST be light contact.
10th - 7th Gup only hand technique to the head that is legal is backfist
6th Gup+: Punches to the padded area (not face mask) of the helmet is added to the list of legal techniques.
Black belt adult (age 17+): Front of head (face mask) added to legal target area for all legal techniques.

ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES

Hard contact (head judge makes the call if a technique is thrown with too much force)

Contact is considered hard if it causes instant swelling, bleeding, a very loud impact is heard, major deflection of the body or minor deflection of the head.

medium or hard contact to the head
- contact is considered medium if: a loud impact is heard, a minor or major deflection of the head. If it causes any visible injury or distress.
open hand techniques or hammer fist
attacks below the belt
spinning hand techniques

Technique is not considered a spinning technique if the attacker pauses after turning around then executes the hand technique.

head butting, biting or scratching
elbow or knee strikes
eye attacks of any kind
take downs or sweeps
grabbing or holding
pushing with arms, torso or shoulder
falling down or fleeing the ring to avoid sparring

Falling down or fleeing must have been on purpose to be a foul
This type of foul cannot cause disqualification only additional points to opponent

uncontrolled blind techniques and any other uncontrolled dangerous techniques that are deemed unsafe by the Head Judge.
Attacking a downed competitor or attacking while being downed

A competitor is considered 'downed' when any part of their body except their feet are touching the ground.

OUT OF BOUNDS

To be considered out of bounds depends on the ring

Flush flooring: When the ring and out of bounds are the same level then the competitor must leave with both feet to be out of bounds

Raised Mat/ring: when the ring is raised above the out of bounds (even by 1/2") if a competitor is considered out of bounds if either foot is out of bounds.

This type of foul cannot cause a disqualification only additional points to opponent

NON-SCORING TECHNIQUES

The following is a list of techniques that are legal but will NOT score a point:

Block kicks: it is legal for a competitor to use their legs to block attacks, or block an arm out of the way. These do not score points but can be used

Attacks after the 4th attack do not score. Competitors must disengage or the Head Judge will split them up after a combination greater than 5.
The goal is to discourage a 'boxing match' or all out brawl from breaking out. The goal is to see combinations of kicks and punches.

FOULS

1st foul opponent gains 5 points
2nd foul opponent gains 10 point
3rd foul opponent gains 15 point
4th foul competitor is Disqualified

Any judge, even not assigned to the match, can request for the tournament coordinator to adjudicate a disqualification. The match will be paused and the tournament coordinator will hear the information and make the final call.

Egregious FOULS

"Pulling" FOULS

PROTEST

A school that protests and is overturned on multiple occasions may be disallowed to protest for the rest of that tournament at the discretion of the tournament coordinator.

INJURY

If an injury occurs have the other competitor return to their starting spot face away from the injured competitor and take a knee.

The Head Judge will determine if the injured contestant can or cannot continue.

If an injured contestant cannot continue:

From a legal technique they forfeit the match.
From a non-scoring or illegal technique the injured competitor wins the match.

DISQUALIFICATION

Competitor is listed as the loser and the win is given to the other competitor.

The Tournament Coordinator can be brought in if the disqualification may require more actions outside of the current match (removal from the tournament, banning from future tournaments).

KMATA PATTERNS/FORMS AND WEAPONS DIVISIONS

TRADITIONAL PATTERNS/FORMS

All the competitors will be seated outside their assigned ring, preferably opposite the judges. Competitors should remain quiet; they can sit and stretch quietly.

The competitor will be drawn at random for the order of competition. Patterns/forms competition should have 5 judges and a score keeper assigned per ring. If the tournament is low on volunteers a minimum of 3 judges can be used. In the case of 3 judges all scores will be used. In the case of 5 judges the highest and lowest scores are tossed out using the middle 3 scores.

Competitors are called individually to perform their pattern/form:

All competitors will use a forms introduction given to them by their school. The following is an example:

When a competitor’s name is called reply with a loud "Yes sir" or "Yes ma'am" they should stand-up and ensure their uniform and belt are straight.
Quickly approach center back of the ring, bow and approach the center judge (about 3 feet away from the center judge) bow then ready position.
State:

First & Last Name
Name of Association or School and/or Martial Art Style
Pattern/form Name then the word pattern, form or kata
Ask permission to proceed “May I begin sir?”

Example: "John Doe, Vail Taekwon-Do, Do-San pattern. May I begin Sir?", "Judges my name is John Doe. I am from Vail Taekwon-Do. Today I would like to perform Do-San pattern. With your permission may I begin?"

Upon given permission snap back to attention and bow, and then walk backwards to where to start their form (DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK TO THE JUDGES). Once at your starting point bow then assume the pattern's/form's ready stance.
- Steps 2-4 may vary depending on the school the competitor is from. The above is a guideline on how the competitor can introduce themselves and declare what form they will do.
- Some school's introduction will have a request to be able to continue to start. It is the responsibility of the Head Judge to say 'Yes' or 'Proceed'.
Perform their entire pattern/form.
When the form is complete the competitor goes back to ready stance, bows then attention stance and hold.
Head Judge will call for "Judge's Scores" and the scorekeeper will tally the scores.
Scorekeeper announces the final score: "Final Score: X"
When "Final Score" is called the competitor will snap to attention, bow, say "Thank you Sir" and step out of the ring.
PATTERNS/FORMS ARE JUDGED ON

Correctness of Techniques: correct order of movement, location of techniques, etc.

There may be a variation in how techniques are performed. The end position should be the same but the transition may be different depending on the way the student was taught.
Look for consistency of technique. If all middle punches are in a consistent location they are deemed correct. If each punch is placed differently it is not correct.
If you do not know the pattern being performed go by consistency of technique location.

Stance: correct stance for the technique and the stance is correct

Look for consistency in stance. One martial art or even different schools in the same martial art may teach a stance a little different. Some use very deep stances other schools use shallow stances. Ask yourself does the first front stance look like the last front stance?

Attitude: respectful to judges and competitors and shows confidence and energy

Does the competitor talk loudly and proudly?
Do you feel their energy?
Does the competitor make you look forward to 'watching the show' or make you think of 'how many points you will take away'.

Power: techniques performed with power, strong breath control, and or yell.

Every competitor's full power level is different; think of what that competitor can do for power and judge them on what they should physically be able to do.
Are their hands tights? Does their foot flop when they throw a kick

It is up to each judge to decide what is most important to them and judge that way for all competitors.

Attitude may be the most important for one judge and least important for another.
As long as each judge is consistent the competition will be fair.
Break the four areas into points based on the point system used.
Judges will score some students the exact same score for different reasons. Do not feel compelled to increase a score because of the other judges.
Try to not think or compare the competitor to other competitors; judge them individually on their performance and let the total of scores determine the winner.

Multiple methods of scoring exist. Here are some examples:

Hands Only Method

Judges will show their score by holding up 6 to 10 fingers. If the judge’s fingers are 'blinking' it signifies a half a point. Holding up seven fingers that are blinking designate a 7.5.
Blinking is when the judge opens and closes his hands showing the score.
This method you can see the 4 areas as each one point, then award 0, .5 or 1 point on each of the for areas then add them together

10 point Method

Judges are given a base score and add a decimal value from 0 to 9 to the base score.
Based of 7 for beginners, 8 for Intermediate, 9 for advanced and black belts
This method requires some way of showing the score: white board, flip chart, etc.
This method you have a total of 10 points to split amongst the 4 sections, so 0, 1 or 2 points each with 2 extra points as an X-Factor

19 point Method

Judges will judge on a 0 to 19 points. These points can be converted to 8.0 to 9.9
0 to 5 points for both: Stances & technique, 0 to 3 points for each: Power & Pace, Chambers and Presentation/X-Factor
This method requires some way of showing the score: white board, flip chart, etc.
This method is an expanded version of the 10 point Method

When called to show the score by the score keeper saying "Judges Score" the judges will show their score and the score keeper will go down the line and record the scores. The score keeper will say out loud the score they are recording. All Judges will keep their score up until all the judges' scores have been recorded.

If the scorekeeper misstates the score the judge is giving that judge will inform the score keeper politely of the correct score.

FINAL SCORE

The score keeper will record the scores; throw out the highest and lowest value (when 5 judges) then tally the remaining three scores.

Once tallied the judge near the score keeper can review the math to ensure it is correct.

The score keeper will then announce "Final Score" then the score the competitor received.

TIE

If there is a tie the two thrown out scores are added back in to determine the tie breaker. If still tied the competitors will perform a "pattern/form off". The competitors will be called up in front of the judges and they will perform A DIFFERENT pattern/form at the same time. When competitors are finished the scorekeeper will call "Judges Call". At this point the judges point toward the winner.

(Optional) Instead of a pattern/form off both are awarded the same award. Example two people tied for 1st would both get a 1st place medal and the next a 3rd place medal.

RESTARTING A PATTERN/FORM

If a competitor starts his/her pattern/form over because of a memory lapse or any other reason due to his/her own negligence, he/she may perform the pattern/form again. The judges will score as though there was not a restart, but the head judge will instruct the scorekeeper to subtract a penalty from the competitor's final score. A competitor can only start over one time for scoring. If a competitor has to start over not due to his/her negligence, he/she will not be penalized.

Definition of Traditional Pattern/Form

These patterns/forms must capture the essence of classic martial arts movements, displaying the traditional techniques, stances, footwork, and weapons. Emphasis is placed on execution of technique, application of technique, balance, speed, power, solid stances, and focus. Patterns/forms may be unmodified or modified from what a system or school considers to be the original version of the pattern/form; however, performance of the following movements will result in a downgrade of the pattern/form, or upon unanimous vote of the judges, a “no score” as a pattern/form inappropriate for the division:

Movements that involve more than a 360-degree spin;
Require the body to be inverted more than parallel to the floor;
More than two kicks with the same leg without putting the foot down in between;
Front or back flips;
Cartwheels;
Front or side leg splits;
Releases of the weapon other than simple hand switches;
or any other gymnastic movements or extreme exhibitions of flexibility or agility with the body or weapon that are deemed in the opinion of the judges to be inappropriate for the division pursuant to the general guidelines set forth here. (EXCEPTION – A Forward Roll is a legal Traditional Technique.)
WEAPON BREAKS OR AND WEAPON CRACKS

A competitor will be disqualified if he/she breaks their weapon, separates into 2 or more pieces.
If the Weapon cracks, does not separate, the competitor may continue the routine and will not be disqualified. The competitor may have their score lowered, if in the opinion of the judges, the Crack impacted the execution of the pattern/form or the effectiveness of the weapon.
DEDUCTIONS AND DISQUALIFIERS IN WEAPONS FORMS

If a competitor drops their weapon then each judge deducts a point from the score.
If a competitor drops their weapons twice they will be disqualified.
If a competitor strikes a spectator, judge, or other person with the weapon regardless of intent they are disqualified
TEAM SYNCHRONIZED PATTERNS AND TEAM DEMONSTRATION

Prerequisites

Number of Team Members: 3 or more

Rank of Members: Any Rank

Age of Members: All ages allowed

Uniform: Teams are not required to use traditional uniforms.

Weapons, Breaking Material and other props:

No "live" weapons
No trick boards
No dangerous props
Teams provide all their weapons, breaking material and props

Members: All members of the team must attend the same school or club

Time: No minimum time; maximum time set by tournament coordinator (5 minute suggested)

Procedure

Competition will be started in the following manner:

The team’s name is called
The team enters the ring and forms lines for a traditional bow in.
Team Captain introduces the team and asks permission to begin
Time begins when the center judge says “your time begins now”.
The team may then adjust themselves within the ring, signal for music to start (if they are using music) and begin their presentation.
Time ends when the entire team lines back up and Team Captain bows them out with a call of “To the judges” all competitors bow and time is stopped.
Goal

To entertain the audience using multiple methods of demonstrating martial arts skills to include:

Synchronized and/or modified traditional patterns, basics: blocks, punches, kicks, etc.

Self-Defense (optional)

Board Breaking (optional)

Judging Criteria

Scoring will be based on Overall team performance rather than individual performances with the primary criteria being:

Presentation
- Loud and Clear Captain with crisp commands
- Smooth transitions between different elements of the demo
Synchronization during patterns and modified patterns
Technical Merit
- Difficulty of techniques demonstration

Judges will award points from 1 to 10 on each of the three categories above. The team with the highest total score will be the winner.

Ties

In the event of a tie, the team with the most members involved in the tie will win (more members offers more opportunities for mistakes). If the teams involved in the tie have the same number of members, the judges will vote for the outcome by pointing to the team they feel has the best performance. The teams will not perform again.

Music

The use of music is optional. If music is used, that team is responsible for its audio equipment. A team representative will be responsible to start, oversee & end music for their teams’ competition. No time allowance for malfunctions will be made unless it is found to be the fault of the house sound system. The music used must be appropriate for all ages. Any music/lyrics found inappropriate by the tournament coordinator will result in disqualification

Tournament Rules

COMPETITOR RESPONSIBILITIES

LEGAL AGE RULE

RANK RULE

BELT RANK SPLITTING

DIVISION

LATE ENTRIES

FAIRNESS RULE

EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS

UNIFORM

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED SAFETY EQUIPMENT

THE RING

SCORING RULES – POINT SPARRING

OFFICIALS/JUDGES

HEAD JUDGE

TIME/SCOREKEEPER

JUDGES

CALLS A JUDGE MAY MAKE

LATE CALLS

LENGTH OF MATCH

POINT VALUES AND WINNER DETERMINATION

AWARDING A POINT

WHAT IS A POINT

HALO RULE (Optional)

LEGAL TARGET AREAS

ILLEGAL TARGET AREAS

NON-TARGET AREAS

LEGAL TECHNIQUES

ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES

OUT OF BOUNDS

NON-SCORING TECHNIQUES

FOULS

Egregious FOULS

"Pulling" FOULS

PROTEST

INJURY

DISQUALIFICATION

NO CONTACT SPARRING

SCORING RULES – CONTINUOUS SPARRING

OFFICIALS/JUDGES

HEAD JUDGE

TIME/SCOREKEEPER

JUDGES

Scoring for Both Competitors

Scoring for One Competitor

POINTS AND FOULS

LENGTH OF MATCH

POINT VALUES AND WINNER DETERMINATION

WHAT IS A POINT

LEGAL TARGET AREAS

ILLEGAL TARGET AREAS

NON-TARGET AREAS

LEGAL TECHNIQUES

ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES

OUT OF BOUNDS

NON-SCORING TECHNIQUES

FOULS

Egregious FOULS

"Pulling" FOULS

PROTEST

INJURY

DISQUALIFICATION

KMATA PATTERNS/FORMS AND WEAPONS DIVISIONS

TRADITIONAL PATTERNS/FORMS

PATTERNS/FORMS ARE JUDGED ON

FINAL SCORE

TIE

RESTARTING A PATTERN/FORM

Definition of Traditional Pattern/Form

WEAPON BREAKS OR AND WEAPON CRACKS

DEDUCTIONS AND DISQUALIFIERS IN WEAPONS FORMS

TEAM SYNCHRONIZED PATTERNS AND TEAM DEMONSTRATION

Prerequisites

Procedure

Goal

Judging Criteria

Ties

Music