World Karate Federation (WKF) Kumite RegulationsContents
1. The competition area must be flat and devoid of hazard. 2. The competition area must be a matted square. 3. The area will be a square, with sides of 8 meters (measured from the outside). The area may be elevated to a height of up to 1 meter above floor level. The elevated platform should measure at least 10 meters a side, in order to include both the competition and the safety area. 4. Two parallel lines, each 1 meter long and at right angles to the Referee's line, must be drawn at a distance of 1.5 meters from the center of the competition area for positioning the competitors. 5. A line of 0.5 meters long must be drawn 2 meters from the center of the competition area for positioning the Referee. 6. The arbitrator shall be seated between the scorekeeper and timekeeper. 7. A line must be drawn one meter on the inside of the competition area.. The area enclosed by this line may be in a different color, or the line itself may be broken. EXPLANATION: There must be no advertisement hoardings, walls, pillars etc. within one meter of area's outer perimeter. The mats used should be non-slip where they contact the floor proper but have a low coefficient of friction on the upper surface. They should not be as thick as Judo mats, since these impede Karate movement. The Referee must ensure that mat modules do not move apart during the competition, since gaps cause injuries and constitute a hazard. 1. Contestants and their coaches must wear the official uniform as herein defined. 2. The Referee Council may disbar any official or competitor who does not comply with this regulation. REFEREES 1. Referees and Judges must wear the official uniform designated by the Referee Council. This uniform must be worn at all tournaments and courses. 2. The official uniform will be as follows: A single breasted navy-blue blazer bearing two silver buttons. A white shirt with long or short sleeves, depending on prevailing climatic conditions. An official tie worn without tie pin. Plain light gray trousers without cuffs. Unpatterned dark blue or black socks and black, slip on shoes for use off the match. CONTESTANTS 1a. Contestants must wear a white unmarked Karate Gi without stripes or piping. Only the national emblem or flag of the country may be worn. This must be on the left breast of the jacket and may not exceed an overall size of 10 cm2. Only the original manufacturers labels may be displayed on the Gi and in the normally accepted locations (i.e. bottom right corner of the Gi jacket and waist position on the trousers). In addition, an identifying number issued by the Organizing Committee may be worn on the back. One must wear a red belt and the other a white belt. The white and red belts must be around 5 centimeters wide and of a length sufficient to allow 15 centimeters free on each side of the knot. 1b. Notwithstanding paragraph la. above, the Directing Committee may authorize the display of special labels or trademarks, of approved sponsors. 2. The jacket, when tightened around the waist with the belt, must be of minimum length that covers the hips, but no longer than mid thigh. In the case of women, a plain white T-shirt may be worn beneath the Karate jacket. 3. The maximum length of the jacket sleeves must be no longer then the bend of the wrist and no shorter than halfway down the forearm. Jacket sleeves may not be rolled up. 4. The trousers must be long enough to cover at least two thirds of the shin and may not be rolled up. 5. Each contestant must keep his hair clean and cut to a length that does not obstruct smooth bout conduct. Hachimaki (head band) will not be allowed. Should the Referee consider any contestant's hair too long and/or unclean, he may, with the Referee Council's approval, disbar the contestant from the bout. In Kumite match hair slides are prohibited, as are metal hair grips. In Kata a discreet hair clip is permitted. 6. Contestants must have short fingernails and must not wear metallic or other objects which might injure their opponents. 7. Mitts and gum shields are compulsory. Boxes and soft shin pads are allowed. Shin/instep protectors are forbidden. Glasses are forbidden (soft contact lenses can be worn at the contestant's own responsibility). The wearing of unauthorized clothing or equipment is forbidden. Women may wear the authorized additional protective equipment. 8. The protective equipment must meet standard specifications. 9. The use of bandages or braces because of injury must be approved by the Referee Council, on the advice of the official doctor. COACHES 1. The coach shall at all times during the tournament, wear a tracksuit and display his license. EXPLANATION: The contestant must wear a single belt. This will be Aka if he is the red fighter and white if Shiro. Belts of grade should not be worn during the bout. White protective mitts with not more than one centimeter of padding and an uncovered thumb must be worn. The padding must not be capable of displacement. Mitts must be approved by the Homologation Commission. Gum shields must be properly fitted by a dentist. Groin protectors using a removable plastic cup slipped into a jockstrap will not be permitted and persons found wearing them will be penalized. There may well be a religious basis for the wearing of certain items such as turbans. Persons wishing, by virtue of their religion, to wear what would otherwise be construed as unauthorized clothing must notify the Referee Council in advance of a tournament. The Referee Council will examine each application on it's merit. No accommodation will be made for people who just turn up on the day and expect to participate. If a fighter comes into the area inappropriately dressed, he or she will not be immediately disqualified; instead the fighter will be given a minute to remedy matters. If the Referee Council agrees, Refereeing Officials may be allowed to remove their blazers. ARTICLE 3: ORGANIZATION OF KUMITE COMPETITIONS 1. A Karate tournament may comprise Kumite competition and/or Kata competition. The Kumite competition may be further divided into the team match and the individual match. The individual match may be further divided into weight divisions and open category. Weight divisions are divided ultimately into bouts. The term "bout" also describes the individual Kumite competitions between opposing pairs of team members. 2. In team matches, each team must have an odd number of contestants. 3. The contestants are all members of a team. There are no fixed reserves. 4. Before each match, a team representative must hand into the official table, an official form defining the names and fighting order of the team members. The fighting order can be changed for each round but once notified, it cannot then be changed. 5. A team will be disqualified if any of its members or its coach changes the team's composition without submitting the written fighting order. 6. In the first round of a team match, a team will be allowed to participate only when it presents the prescribed number of competitors. 7. No contestant may be replaced by another in an individual title match. 8. Individual contestants or teams that do not arrive at the competition venue before the tournament is declared open will be disqualified from participation in that tournament. EXPLANATION: A "round" is a discrete stage in a competition leading to the eventual identification of finalists. In an elimination Kumite competition, a round eliminates fifty percent of contestants within it, counting byes as contestants. In this context, the round can apply equally to a stage in either primary elimination or repechage. In a matrix, or 'round robin' competition, a round allows all contestants in a pool to fight once. The use of contestants' names causes problems of pronunciation and identification. Tournament numbers must be allotted and used. When lining up before a match, a team will present the actual fighters. The unused fighter(s) and the Coach will not be included and shall sit in an area set aside for them. The fighting order form can be presented by the Coach, or a nominated contestant from the team. If the coach hands in the form, he/she must be clearly identifiable as such, otherwise it may be rejected. The list must include the name of the country/club, the belt color allotted to the team for that match and the order of the fighters from one to five. Both the fighters names and their tournament numbers must be included and the form signed by the coach, or nominated person. If, through an error in charting, the wrong contestants compete, then regardless of the outcome, that bout/match is declared null and void. To reduce such errors the winner of each bout/match must confirm victory with the control table before leaving the area. 1. The Refereeing Panel for each match shall consist of one Referee (SHUSHIN), two Judges (FUKUSHIN) and one arbitrator (KANSA). 2. In addition, for the purpose of facilitating the operation of matches, several time keepers, caller-announcers and record-keepers shall be appointed. EXPLANATION: At the start of a Kumite match the Referee stands on the outside edge of the official match area. On his left and right stand the Judges. After the formal exchange of bows by contestants and Referee Panel, the Referee takes a step back, the Judges turn inwards and all bow together. Changing the Referee Panel. The departing Officials take one step forward turn around and face the incoming Panel. They bow to each other on the command of the incoming Referee and in one line (facing in the same direction) leave the competition area. When individual Judges change, the incoming Judge goes to the outgoing Judge, they bow together and change positions. 1. Duration of the Kumite bout is defined as three minutes for senior male Kumite (both teams and individuals) and two minutes for women's and junior bouts. 2. The timing of the bout starts when the Referee gives the signal to start and stops each time he calls "YAME". 3. The time-keeper shall give signals by a clearly audible gong, or buzzer indicating "30 seconds to go" or "time-up". The "time-up" signal marks the end of the bout. 1. The result of a bout is determined by either contestant scoring 3 IPPONs, 6 WAZA-ARIs, or a combination of the two totaling SANBON, or obtaining a decision, or by a HANSOKU, SHIKKAKU, or KIKEN imposed against a contestant. 2. It must be noted that an IPPON is worth two WAZA-ARIs. 3. An IPPON is awarded on the basis of the following: A scoring technique counts as an IPPON when it is performed according to the following criteria to a scoring area: Good form, correct attitude, vigorous application, zanshin (perfect finish), proper timing, correct distance. 4. An IPPON may also be awarded for techniques deficient in one of the above criteria but which conform to the following schedule: a. Jodan kicks or other technically difficult techniques. b. Deflecting an attack and scoring to the unguarded back of the opponent. c. Sweeping or throwing following by a scoring technique. d. Delivering a combination technique, the individual components of which each score in their own right. e. Successfully scoring at the precise moment the opponent attacks. 5. A WAZA-ARI is awarded for a technique almost comparable to that needed to score IPPON. The refereeing panel must look for IPPONs in the first instance and only award a WAZA-ARI in the second instance. 6. A victory over an opponent who has been given a HANSOKU or SHIKKAKU will be worth SANBON (3 full points or IPPONs). If a contestant is absent, withdraws, or is withdrawn, the opponent will be credited with a win by KIKEN (SANBON, or 3 IPPONs ) 7. Attacks are limited to the following areas: 1. Head 2. Face 3. Neck 4. Abdomen 5. Chest 6. Back (but excluding shoulders) 7. Side 8. An effective technique delivered at the same time that the end of the bout is signaled, is considered valid. An attack, even if effective, delivered after an order to suspend or stop the bout shall not be scored and may result in a penalty being imposed on the offender. 9. No technique, even if technically correct, will be scored if it is delivered when the two contestants are outside the competition area. However, if one of the opponent delivers an effective technique while still inside the competition area and before the Referee calls "YAME", the technique will be scored. 10. Simultaneous effective scoring techniques delivered by both contestants the one on the other, shall not score. EXPLANATION: A score of three Ippons achieved either directly or cumulatively determines the bout. Therefore if Aka has already scored five Waza-Aris and goes on to score a further Ippon, his maximum score will not exceed the three Ippon ceiling. This very basic rule is sometimes overlooked when scoring a team event that has tied on bout victories. Though two Waza-Aris equal one Ippon in scoring value, in technical terms, a Waza-Ari is equal to 90% of an Ippon. A technique with "good form" is said to have characteristics conferring probable effectiveness within the framework of traditional Karate concepts. Correct attitude is a component of good form and refers to a non-malicious attitude of great concentration obvious during delivery of the scoring technique. Vigorous application defines the power and speed of the technique and the palpable will for it to succeed; nothing is held back. Zanshin is that criterion most often missed when a score is assessed. It is the state of continued commitment which endures after the technique has landed and the ability to continue with proper form, other continuing techniques. The contestant with Zanshin maintains total concentration and awareness of the opponent's potentiality to counter-attack. Proper timing means delivering a technique when it will have the greatest potential effect. Proper distancing similarly means delivering a technique at the precise distance where it will have the greatest potential effect. Thus if the technique is delivered on an opponent who is rapidly moving away, the potential effect of that blow is reduced. Distancing also relates to the point at which the completed technique comes to rest on or near the target. To score, the technique must have the potential to penetrate deep into the target, so straight arm punches are seen as having a low potential in this respect and must be evaluated accordingly. For example, a punch which comes somewhere between skin touch and 2-3 centimeters from the face and where the punching arm is not fully straight has the correct distance. However, Jodan punches which come within a reasonable distance of the target and which the opponent makes no attempt to block or avoid will be scored provided the technique meets the other criteria. A worthless technique is a worthless technique -- regardless of where and how it is delivered. Thus, a Jodan kick which is badly deficient in good form will score nothing, much less an Ippon. However, in order to encourage technically difficult techniques, the Referee should lean toward awarding Ippon for them, even if there is a slight deficiency in good form; as long as it is only slight. As a simple rule-of thumb, techniques which would normally merit a Waza-Ari are scored as Ippon if they are scheduled as "technically difficult". Deflecting an attack and delivering a good technique to any unguarded target area of the opponent's body can be scored as Ippon -- not just attacks to his/her unguarded back. A sweeping, technique need not require the contestant to fall to the floor; to merit Ippon, it is sufficient if he/she is merely unbalanced as a scoring technique is delivered. Referees must not be too quick in halting a bout. Many potentially successful sweep and strikes have been defeated by the Referee calling "Yame!" too early. Two seconds should elapse after a sweep or throw for it is during this time that the committed and coordinated attacker will have demonstrated his/her follow-through. Combination attacks are those sequences of techniques which each individually merit at least Waza-Ari, occurring in rapid succession. Techniques which land below the belt may score, as long as they are above the pubic bone. The neck is a target area and so is the throat. However, no contact whatsoever to the throat is permitted but a score may be awarded for a properly controlled technique. A technique delivered with good form and which lands upon the shoulder blades may score. The non scoring part of the shoulder is the junction of the upper bone of the arm with the shoulder blades and collar bones. The time-up bell signals the end of scoring possibilities in that bout, even though the Referee may inadvertently not halt the bout immediately. The time up bell does not, however, mean that penalties cannot be imposed. Penalties can be imposed by the Refereeing Panel up to the point where the' contestants leave that area after the bout's conclusion. Penalties can be imposed after that, but then only by the Referee Council. True Aiuchis are rare. Not only must two techniques land simultaneously but both must be valid scoring techniques -- each with good form etc. Two techniques may well land simultaneously, but seldom are both -- if indeed either -- effective scores. The Referee must not dismiss as Aiuchi, a situation where only one of the simultaneous pair is actually a score. This is not Aiuchi. ARTICLE 7: CRITERIA FOR DECISION 1. In the absence of a SANBON score, or of a defeat caused by KIKEN, HANSOKU, or a SHIKKAKU during the bout a decision is taken on the basis of the following considerations: a. Whether there have been any IPPON or WAZA-ARI awarded. b. The attitude, fighting spirit and strength demonstrated by the contestants. c. The superiority of tactics and techniques. 2. In individual category where there is no score superiority, then the following procedure will be followed: a. If, at the end of a bout, the two contestants have no score, the winning decision shall be given by HANTEI. b. If, at the end of a bout, the two contestants have scored equally, the decision for victory shall be given by HANTEI. c. If, at the end of a bout, neither contestant has established a superiority, then the decision for that bout shall be a draw ("HIKlWAKE") and ENCHO-SEN should be announced. d. A penalty or warning incurred in the bout will be carried forward to the ENCHO-SEN. 3. In team competition the winning team is the one with the most bout victories. 4. If two teams have the same number of victories, the winner is the one whose contestants have scored the most points, taking both winning and losing fights into account. 5. If two teams have the same number of victories and scores, a deciding bout must be held between representatives of the two teams. In the event of a continuing tie, there is an extension ("ENCHO-SEN"). The first contestant to score IPPON or WAZA-ARI is declared the winner. 6. If there is no decision after a bout of an individual match, an extension ("ENCHO-SEN") will be fought. In the event of a tied ENCHO-SEN, the majority decision of the panel will be announced by the Referee. EXPLANATION: When scores are unequal, the contestant who completes the bout satisfactorily a Waza-Ari or Ippon ahead of the opponent shall be given the victory. Taking the above criteria into account, when a superiority can be established, it is quite in order for one contestant to be given the victory, even when the score situation is equal. When deciding the outcome of a bout by Hantei, the Referee shall step outside of the ring and call "Hantei" followed by a two-tone blast on his whistle. The Judges will indicate their opinions by means of their flags, the Referee should acknowledge the Judges decision by a one-tone blast of his whistle, then move forward to his original position and announce the majority decision. The Encho-Sen is an extension of a bout; it is not a separate bout. Penalties awarded in the bout proper will therefore carry over into the Encho-Sen. There must be a decision after an Encho-Sen, taking performance in the whole bout into consideration. Where a team match has tied bout victories and points, an additional bout is then fought between selectees. The selectees must be nominated within one minute of the announcement of this bout and the persons making the nomination will be those who signed the original fighting order form for that match. If the extra bout ties, an Encho-Sen will be fought and as in common with all Encho-Sens, a decision must be reached at its conclusion. ARTICLE 8: PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR 1. The following are forbidden: a. Techniques which make contact with the throat. b. Techniques which make excessive contact, having regard to the scoring area attacked. All techniques must be controlled. Any technique which impacts the head, face or neck and results in visible injury must be penalized, unless caused by the recipient. c. Attacks to the groin, joints, or instep. d. Attacks to the face with open hand techniques ("TEISHO" or "NUKITE"). e. Dangerous throws which by their nature preclude or prejudice the opponent's ability to land with safety. f. Techniques which by their nature, cannot be controlled for the safety of the opponent. g. Direct attacks to arms or legs. h. Repeated exits from the competition area (JOGAI), or movements which waste too much time. JOGAI relates to a situation where a contestant's body, or part thereof touches the floor outside of the area. An exception is when the contestant is actually pushed or thrown from the area by his opponent. i. Wrestling, pushing or seizing without an immediate technique. j. MUBOBI relates to a situation where one, or both contestants display a lack of regard for his, or their own safety. k. Feigning of injury in order to gain advantage. l. Any discourteous behavior from a member of an official delegation can earn the disqualification of the offender or the entire team delegation from the tournament. EXPLANATION: Any contact to the throat must be penalized, unless it is the recipients own fault (Mubobi etc.). Techniques to the face may "touch" and still score, but touch does not mean a solid impact. When assessing the contact force used, the Referee must take all the circumstances into account. Did the victim exacerbate the impact of an otherwise controlled technique by an injudicious movement? This is the reason most often give for scoring what would otherwise appear to be excessive contact but it must not be used as a justification for a bad assessment. The Referee must consider the effects of a marked disparity in size between contestants -- as can occur in a team match, or in open weight bout. The Referee must constantly observe the injured contestant. The latter's behavior may help the Referee in his assessment. A short delay in giving a judgment allows injury symptoms such as a nosebleed to develop. Observation will also reveal any efforts by the contestant to aggravate slight injury for tactical advantage. Examples of this are blowing violently through an injured nose, or rubbing the face roughly with the back of a mitt. Pre-existing injury can produce symptoms out of all proportion to the degree of contact used. The trained Karate-Ka can absorb strong impact over muscled areas such as the abdomen, but the breastbone and ribs are vulnerable to injury. For this reason, reasonable control over body contact must be exercised. The accidental kick in the groin can reduce the opponent's potential for winning as surely as a deliberate one. Therefore, the Referee should award a penalty in either case. Foot sweeps that land high on the leg can cause knee injury. The Referee must assess the validity of any sweep-attack to the leg; ineffectual but painful attacks of this sort should be immediately penalized. The face is defined as covering an area which begins one centimeter above the eyebrows, extending down and including the temples, narrowing from the cheekbones and finishing just under the chin. The two open hand techniques referred to are merely examples of the class of prohibited techniques. Different Karate-Ka have different abilities at controlling techniques and for this reason, there is no actual classification of "dangerous techniques". The contestant must perform all techniques with control and good form. If he/she cannot, then regardless of the technique misused, a warning or penalty must be imposed. The point at which "Yame!" is called is helpful in determining if Jogai has occurred. If Aka delivers a successful technique and then exits immediately afterwards, "Yame!" should occur at the instant of score and the exit therefore occurs outside of bout time and may not be penalized. If Aka's attempt to score is unsuccessful, "Yame!" will not be called and the exit will be recorded. If Shiro exits just after Aka scores with a successful attack, then "Yame!" will occur immediately on the score and Shiro's exit will not be recorded. If Shiro exits, or has exited as Aka's score is made (with Aka remaining within the area), then both Aka's score will be awarded and Shiro's Jogai penalty will be imposed. Movements which waste time include pointless circling, where one or both contestants do not engage in 'combat. It is expected that they will initially test each other but within a short time, deliberate and effective attacks and counters should occur. If for any reason this does not happen after a reasonable interval, the Referee must stop the bout and caution the offender(s). The contestant who constantly retreats without effective counter, rather than allow the opponent an opportunity to score must be penalized. This often occurs during the closing seconds of a bout. An example of Mubobi is the instance in which the contestant launches a committed attack without regard for personal safety. Some contestants throw themselves into a long reverse-punch, and are unable to block a counter. Such open attacks constitute an act of Mubobi and cannot score. For the contestant's own safety, he/she must be warned at an early stage. As a tactical theatrical move, some fighters turn away immediately in a mock display of dominance to demonstrate a scored point. They drop their guard and lapse awareness of the opponent. The purpose of the turn-away is to draw the Referee's attention to their technique. This is a clear act of Mubobi. In order to score, Zanshin must be preserved. Feigning of an injury which does not exist is a serious infraction of the rules. Exaggerating an injury which does exist is less serious. Shikkaku can be imposed on the contestant feigning injury i.e., when such things as collapse and rolling about on the floor are not supported by evidence of commensurate injury as reported by a neutral doctor. A warning or penalty can be imposed for exaggerating injury. The Coach will be assigned a specific place by the Referee Council in conjunction with the tournament organizing officials. This area will be close to the competition area and the Coach allowed a free and uninterrupted access to contestants between bouts. To assist the contestants, a visible scoreboard must be employed Which can be clearly viewed by Coaches and contestants. 1. The following scale of penalties shall operate: ATENAI YONI: (Warning) May be imposed for attended minor infractions or for the first instance of a minor infraction. KEIKOKU: This is a penalty in which WAZA-ARI is added to the opponent's score. KEIKOKU is imposed for minor infractions for which a warning has previously been given in that bout, or for infractions not sufficiently serious to merit HANSOKU-CHUI. HANSOKU-CHUI: This is a penalty in which IPPON is added to the opponent's score. HANSOKU-CHUI is usually imposed for infractions for which a KEIKOKU has previously been given in that bout. HANSOKU: This is imposed following a very serious infraction. It results in the opponent's score being raised to SANBON. HANSOKU is also invoked when the number of HANSOKU-CHUIs and KEIKOKUs imposed raise the opponent's score to SANBON. SHIKKAKU: This is a disqualification from the actual tournament, competition, or match. The opponent's score is raised to SANBON. In order to define the limit of SHIKKAKU, the Referee Council must be consulted. SHIKKAKU may be invoked. When a contestant commits an act which harms the prestige and honor of Karate-do and when other actions are considered to violate the rules of the tournament. EXPLANATION: A penalty can be directly imposed for a rules infraction but once given, repeats of that particular infraction must be accompanied by an increase in severity of penalty imposed. It is not, for example, possible to give a Keikoku for excessive contact then give a warning for a second instance of excessive contact. Penalties do not cross-accumulate. This is to say that a warning for the first instance of Mubobi will not be followed by an automatic Keikoku for the first instance of Jogai. The general penalties imposed are those of Keikoku, Hansoku-Chui, Hansoku and Shikkaku. The infraction should be indicated by prefacing the Hansoku-Chui or Keikoku with an explanation such as "Jogai (or Mubobi) Hansoku-Chui/Keikoku". When the penalties incurred in any one bout through various infractions total Sanbon, then the offender will be declared the loser and the winner announced as "Aka/Shiro no Kachi". Warnings are given where there has clearly been a minor infraction of the rules, but the contestant's potential for winning is not diminished (in the opinion of the Referee Panel) by the opponent's foul. A Keikoku may be imposed directly, without first giving a warning. Keikoku is normally imposed where the contestant's potential for winning is slightly diminished (in the opinion of the Referee Panel) by the opponent's foul. A Hansoku-Chui may be imposed directly, or following a warning or Keikoku and is used where the contestant's potential for winning has been seriously reduced by the opponent's foul. A Hansoku is imposed for cumulative penalties but can also be imposed directly for serious rules infractions. it is used when, in the opinion of the Referee Panel for the bout, the contestant's potential to win has been reduced virtually to zero by the opponent's foul. A Shikkaku can be directly imposed, without warnings of any kind. The contestant need have done nothing to merit it -- it is sufficient if the Coach or non-combatant members of the contestants' delegation behave in such a way as to harm the prestige and honor of Karate-Do. If the Referee believe that a contestant has acted maliciously, regardless of whether or not actual physical injury has been caused, Shikkaku and not Hansoku is the correct penalty. A public announcement of Shikkaku must be made. ARTICLE 10: INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS IN COMPETITION 1. KIKEN or forfeiture is the decision given when a contestant or contestants are unable to continue, abandon the bout, or are withdrawn on the order of the Referee. The grounds for abandonment may include injury not ascribable to the opponent's actions. 2. If two contestants injure each other at the same time or are suffering from the effects of previously incurred injury and are declared by the tournament doctor to be unable to continue, the bout is awarded to the contestant who has amassed the most points at that time. If the points score is equal, then a decision (HANTEI) will decide the outcome of the bout. 3. An injured contestant who has been declared unfit to fight by the tournament doctor cannot fight again in that competition. 4. An injured contestant who wins a bout through disqualification due to injury is not allowed to fight again in the competition without permission from the doctor. If he is injured, he may win a second bout by disqualification but is immediately withdrawn from further Kumite competition in that tournament. 5. When a contestant is injured, the Referee shall at once halt the bout and call the doctor. The doctor is authorized to diagnose and treat injury only. 6. Any competitor who falls, is thrown, or knocked down, and does not fully regain his or her feet within ten seconds, is considered unfit to continue fighting and will be automatically withdrawn from the tournament. EXPLANATION: Self inflicted injury and those injuries caused by the athlete are easy to deal with but when assessing an injury caused by the opponent's technique, the Panel must consider whether the technique was valid. Was it properly applied to the proper area at the correct time and with the correct degree of control? Consideration of this will assist the Referee Panel in deciding whether the injured contestant should be declared the loser by Kiken, or whether the opponent should be penalized for a foul. When the doctor declares the contestant unfit, the appropriate entry must be made on the contestant's monitoring card. The extent of unfitness must be made clear to other Refereeing Panels. A contestant may win through disqualification of the opponent for accumulated minor infractions. Perhaps the winner has sustained no significant injury. A second win on the same grounds must lead to the winner's withdrawal, though he may be physically able to continue. The doctor is obliged to make safety recommendations only as they relate to the proper medical management of that particular injured contestant. When applying the "Ten Second Rule" the time will be kept by a timekeeper appointed for this specific purpose. A warning bell will be sounded at seven seconds followed by the final bell at ten seconds. The Referee Panel will decide on KIKEN, HANSOKU or SHIKKAKU, as the case may be. In order that the credibility of the sport be maintained, competitors who feign injury will be subject to the strongest penalties, up to, and including, suspension for life for repeated offenses. Competitors who receive SHIKKAKU for feigning injury, will be taken from the competition area and put directly into the hands of the WKF Medical Commission, who will carry out an immediate examination of the competitor. The Medical Commission will submit its report before the end of the Championship, for the consideration of the Referee Council. 1. No-one may protest about a judgment to the members of the Refereeing Panel. 2. If a refereeing procedure appears to contravene these rules, the official representative is the only one allowed to make a protest. 3. The protest will take the form of a written report submitted immediately after the bout in which the protest was generated. The sole exception to this is when the protest concerns an administrative malfunction. The Area Controller should be notified immediately the administrative malfunction is detected. 4. The protest must be submitted to a representative of the Referee Council. In due course the Council will review the circumstances leading to the protested decision. Having considered all the facts available, they will produce a report and shall be empowered to take such action as may be called for. 5. Any protest concerning application of the rules must be made in accordance with the complaints procedure defined by the WKF-DC and submitted in writing on an approved form and signed by the official representative of the team or contestant(s). 6. The complainant must deposit a sum of money as may be agreed by the WKF-DC, with the Treasury and a duplicate receipt will be issued. The protest, plus a copy of the receipt, must be lodged with the Chairman of the Referee Council. EXPLANATION: The protest must give the names of the contestants, the Referee Panel officiating and the precise details of what is being protested. No general claims about overall standards will be accepted as a legitimate protest. The burden of proving the validity of the protest lies with the complainant. In case of an administrative malfunction during a match in progress, the Coach can notify the Match Area Controller directly. In turn the Area Controller will notify the Referee. The protest will be reviewed by the Referee Council and as part of this review, the Council will study the evidence submitted in support of the protest. The Council will also study official videos and question Match Area Controllers in an effort to objectively examine the protest's validity. If the protest is held by the Referee Council to be valid, the appropriate action will be taken. In addition, all such measures will be taken to avoid a recurrence in future competitions. The deposit paid will be refunded by the Treasury. If the protest is held by the Referee Council to be invalid, it will be rejected and the deposit forfeited to WKF. ARTICLE 12: POWER AND DUTIES OF THE REFEREE COUNCIL, MATCH AREA CONTROLLERS. REFEREES. JUDGES AND ARBITRATORS A. The Referee Council's powers and duties shall be as follows: 1. To ensure the correct preparation for each given tournament in consultation with the Organizing Committee, with regard to competition area arrangement, the provision and deployment of all equipment and necessary facilities, match operation and supervision, safety precautions, etc. 2. To appoint and deploy the Match Area Controllers (Chief Referees) to their respective areas and to act upon and take such action as may be required by the reports of the Match Area Controllers. 3. To supervise and coordinate the overall performance of the refereeing officials. 4. To nominate substitute officials where such are required. (The composition of a panel of officials may not be changed at the sole discretion of the Arbitrator, Referee or Judge). 5. To investigate and render judgment on matters of official protest. 6. To pass the final judgment on matters of a technical nature which may arise during a given match and for which there are no stipulations in the rules. B. The Match Area Controllers powers and duties shall be as follows: 1. To delegate, appoint, and supervise the Referees and Judges, for all matches in areas under their control. 2. To oversee the performance of the Referees and Judges in their areas and to ensure that the Officials appointed are capable of the tasks allotted them. 3. To prepare a daily, written report, on the performance of each official under their supervision, together with their recommendations, if any, to the Referee Council and the Examining Committee. C. The Referee's powers shall be as follows: 1. The Referee ("SHUSHIN") shall have the power to conduct matches (including announcing the start, the suspension, and the end of the match) and: a. To award an IPPON or WAZA-ARI. b. To explain to the Match Area Controller or Referee Council, if necessary, the basis for giving a judgment. c. To impose penalties and to issue warnings (before, during, or after a bout). d. To obtain the opinion(s) of the Judges (by flag gestures). e. To announce extensions. 2. The authority of the Referee is not confined solely to the competition area but also to all of its immediate perimeter. 3. The Referee shall give all commands and make all announcements. 4. When the Judges signal, the Referee must consider their opinions and render a judgment. The Referee however, will only stop the match, if he agrees with the opinions tendered. E. The Judge(s) ("FUKUSHIN") powers shall be as follows: 1. a. To assist the Referee by flag gesture. b. To exercise a right to vote on a decision to be taken. 2. The Judge(s) shall carefully observe the actions of the contestants and signal to Referee an opinion in the following cases: a. When an IPPON or WAZA-ARI is observed. b. When a contestant appears about to commit, or has committed a prohibited act and/or techniques. c. When an injury or illness of a contestant is noticed. d. When both or either of the contestants have moved out of the competition area. e. In other cases when it is deemed necessary to call the attention of the Referee. F. The Arbitrator will supervise the Time-Keepers and Score-Keepers. Records kept of the match shall become official record subject to the approval of the Arbitrator (Kansa). EXPLANATION: When explaining the basis for a judgment after the match, the Referee may speak to the Match Area Controller or the Referee Council. The Referee will explain to no-one else. The good Referee will not halt the smooth flow of the bout unless it is necessary to do so. All halts with no outcome, such as "Yame! - Torimasen" must be avoided. The Referee need not halt a bout when the Judges signal, if convinced the signals are incorrect. The Referee's judgment in this instance is made "on the move". Before over-ruling the Judges signal, the Referee must consider whether the Judges were better sighted. Judges will signal only by flag gesture, they will not use whistles. When, however, the match has been halted and the Judges have a different opinion to that of the Referee then the majority decision will prevail. The Judges must only score what they actually see. If they are not sure that a technique actually reached a scoring area, they should signal "Mienai". ARTICLE 13: STARTING, SUSPENDING AND ENDING OF MATCHES 1. The terms and gestures to be used by the Referee and Judges in the operation of a match shall be as specified in Appendices 1 and 2. 2. The Referee and Judges shall take up their prescribed positions and, following an exchange of bows between the contestants, the Referee will announce "SHOBU SANBON HAJIME!" and the bout will commence. 3. The Referee will stop the bout by announcing "YAME!" when a scoring technique is seen. The Referee will order the contestants to take up their original positions. 4. The Referee returns to his position and the Judges indicate their opinion by means of a signal. The Referee identifies the relevant score, awards WAZA-ARI or IPPON and supplements the announcement with the prescribed gesture. The Referee then restarts the bout by calling "TSUZUKETE HAJIME!". 5. When a contestant has scored SANBON during a bout, the Referee shall call 'YAME!" and order the contestants back to their standing lines as he returns to his. The winner is then declared and indicated by the Referee raising a hand on the side of the winner and declaring "SHIRO (AKA) NO KACHI". The bout is ended at this point. 6. When time is up and the scoring situation tied, the Referee shall call "YAME!" and return to his position. The Referee will call "HANTEl" and following his signal (by whistle) the Judges will indicate their opinions. The majority decision will be taken. The Judges and Referee have one vote each at HANTEI. 7. The Referee will award the decision and announce the winner, or give a draw ("HIKIWAKE") . 8. In the event of a tied individual bout, the Referee will announce "ENCHO-SEN" and start the extension with the command "SHOBU HAJIME!". 9. When faced with the following situations, the Referee shall announce "YAME!" and halt the bout temporarily. The bout will subsequently be restarted. a. When both or either of the contestants are out of the area (or when a Judge signals a JOGAI). The Referee will order the two contestants to their initial positions. b. When the Referee orders the contestant to adjust his Gi. c. When the Referee notices that a contestant appears about to contravene the rules, or when a signal concerning same from a Judge is perceived. d. When the Referee notices that a contestant has contravened the rules, or when the Referee perceives a signal from a Judge regarding same. e. When the Referee considers that one or both of the contestants cannot continue with the bout owing to injuries, illness or other causes. Heeding the tournament doctor's opinion, the Referee will decide whether the bout should be continued. f. When a contestant seizes his opponent and does not perform an immediate effective technique, the Referee will separate them. g. When one or both contestants fall or are thrown and no effective techniques are immediately forthcoming. EXPLANATION: When beginning a bout, the Referee first calls the contestants to their starting lines. If a contestant enters the area prematurely, he/she must be motioned off. The contestants must bow properly to each other -- a quick nod is both discourteous and insufficient. The Referee can call for a bow where none is volunteered by motioning with his forearms as Shown in Appendix 2 of the rules. When halting a bout, the Referee does not merely call "Yame!", he/she also makes the appropriate signal. The Referee must first identify the scoring opponent ("Aka" or "Shiro"), then the scoring area attacked ("Chudan" or "Jodan"). This is followed by the general classification of scoring technique used ("Tsuki", "Uchi" or "Keri") and finally the score awarded ("Waza-Ari" or "Ippon"). When re-starting the bout, the Referee should check that both contestants are on their lines and properly composed. Contestants jumping up and down or otherwise fidgeting must be stilled before combat can re-commence. The Referee must re-start the bout with the minimum of delay. Only the WKF Referee Council and Technical Committee with the approval of the Directing Committee can alter or modify these rules. |
