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Updated: 9/21/03
This guide was created to inform competitors and spectators about how
Taekwondo America sanctioned competitions are conducted. This guide is
unofficial
is not binding on any competitor or official. Competition rules
are constantly changing and every effort is made to try to keep the guide up-to-date, however, if
anyone notices any mistakes or has any corrections or new information, please
email Ron Hartman at
CompetitionGuideFeeback@TKDTutor.com.
I.
Sponsoring School of the Competition
1.
Each competition is sponsored by a Taekwondo America school in the
competition city that will manage finding and procuring a competition arena,
tee shirt design and procurement, trophy design and procurement, registration
form design and distribution, refreshments, publicizing, and any other aspects
of competition sponsorship.
II.
Competition Registration
1.
Taekwondo America competitions begin with competition registration.
2.
Taekwondo America competitions are only open to students of Taekwondo
America sanctioned schools.
3.
Registrations for competitions are completed at each student’s school.
4.
There is always a registration deadline since school owners must submit
the registration forms in time for the competition organizers to order
T-shirts, plan for the number of competitors and anticipated spectators, and
sort competitors into divisions.
III.
Types of
Competitions
1.
Local.
Local competitions between schools in nearby cities may be conducted to
provide students with competition experience. The competitions are usually
small and informal.
2.
Regional.
Regional competitions are conducted each March and July in cities within
certain geographic areas so students will not have to travel great distances
to reach the competition sites. They give students an opportunity to socialize
and compete with students from the same area of the country. They allow
students to build strong friendships with other competitors since regional
competitions are usually conducted in cities within 100 miles of most schools
in a region.
3.
National.
National competitions are conducted each January and September in a different
city in the United States. National competitions give students an opportunity
to socialize and compete with students from schools throughout the Taekwondo
America organization.
IV.
Competition Divisions
1.
Competitors are assigned to divisions according to their rank, gender,
and age as reported on competition registration forms.
2.
If all possible, juniors will not have to spar juniors more than 2
years older.
3.
When assigning divisions, an attempt will be made to place younger
juniors into smaller divisions to allow them more opportunity to win a trophy.
4.
At the competition, the competition director may further divide a large
division into sub-divisions by rank, height, gender, or age.
V.
Trophies
1.
Each division or sub-division will have place trophies awarded.
2.
Forms Competition.
Trophies will be awarded for: first, second, third, and fourth places.
3.
Sparring Competition.
Trophies will be awarded for: first, second, third, and fourth places.
4.
Spirit award trophies will be awarded to each competitor within a
division or sub-division who does not receive a forms or sparring place
trophy.
VI.
Competition Arena
1.
At the competition location a competition arena will be designated
where all competition will be conducted.
2.
The competition arena will be arranged as follows:
A.
Head Table.
The competition is managed from the head table located in a prominent location
within the competition area. Head table is manned by:
a.
Competition Director.
The competition director is a senior Taekwondo America black belt who directs
the competition to insure the safety of competitors, adherence to rules,
fairness of judging, and overall enjoyment of the competition by both
competitors and spectators. The competition director will:
1)
Instruct all competition officials on safety and basic competition rules at an
officials meeting just prior to the start of the competition.
2)
Assign officials to each ring.
3)
Insure each ring has the required number of officials throughout the
competition and that officials are rotated as needed to avoid fatigue.
4)
Officially open the competition, make introductions and announcements, and
official close the competition.
5)
Be available to all officials to answer questions and settle disputes.
6)
Insure competition is operating smoothly in accordance with the schedule of
events.
b.
Assistants to Competition Director.
The competition director will have one or more assistants to assist in
management of the competition. Assistants will:
1)
Assign divisions to rings.
2)
Collect results of each division from ring officials.
3)
Issue trophies to ring officials for presentation to place winners.
c.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
An EMT will be present during all competition to assist in any injuries that
may require medical attention.
B.
Competition Rings.
Divisions will compete in rings. Each ring is composed of ring officials, a
completion mat and its accompanying row of four chairs for ring officials, and
a designated competitor’s area. Depending on the size of the competition
arena, there may be from 8 to 16 rings. A ring consists of:
a.
Ring Officials.
Ring officials are seated on a row of four chairs alongside the competition
mat at the head of the ring during forms competition and seated and standing
during sparing competition. Ring officials consist of:
1)
Head Judge.
The head judge is a senior black belt and a senior certified instructor. Head
judge will:
A)
Be responsible to the competition director.
B)
Manage competition within the assigned ring
C)
Responsible for efficient ring operation, the enjoyment and safety of
competitors, and enjoyment of spectators.
D)
Be responsible for insuring the safety of competitors, fairness of judging,
and overall compliance with rules.
E)
Be the
decision maker for the ring, regardless of his or her rank.
F)
Favoritism will not be tolerated for any reason
G)
Act as
center judge or, for training purposes, direct one of the corner judges to act
as center judge.
H)
Call a
division to the assigned ring or have the call made by the competition
director.
I)
Use
registration forms for the division to insure all competitors are present.
J)
Insure
competitors are instructed on safety, level of contact, and how the
competition will be conducted.
K)
Insure
competitors have proper sparring equipment.
L)
Insure
competitors are warmed-up just before competition begins.
2)
Corner Judges.
Two additional judges are assigned to each ring as corner judges. Corner
judges are seated to right of the center judge during forms competition and
standing on the competition mat during sparring competition. Corner judges are
black belts may be either junior certified, certified, or senior certified
instructors. Corner judges will:
A)
Be responsible to the center judge/head judge.
B)
Along with the center judge, evaluate and score competitors.
C)
Assist center judge/head judge in insuring safety of competitors and
compliance with rules.
D)
At end of each division competition, collect trophies from head table and
prepare them for award ceremony.
E)
As directed by center/head judge, instruct competitors on how the completion
will be conducted.
F)
As directed by center/head judge, inspect competitors for proper sparring
equipment.
G)
As directed by center/head judge, warm-up competitors just
before competition begins.
3)
Center Judge.
The ring center judge will be the head judge or one of the two other judges as
assigned by the head judge. Center judge is seated in third seat from the left
beside the recorder during forms competition and stands in center of
competition mat during sparring competition. The center judge:
A)
Direct the competition.
B)
Act as a judge during forms competition and sparring competition.
C)
Inspect sparring competitors for proper equipment.
D)
Only the center judge should give instructions to the competitors once the
competition has started.
4)
Recorder.
The recorder may be any black belt or red belt. Recorder is seated to left of
the center judge in the last seat. The recorder does not have to be an
instructor since the recorder does not judge competitors. The recorder will:
A)
Collect division packet for an assigned division from the head table.
B)
Give completed registration forms to each competitor, to insure all
competitors are present.
C)
Collect registration forms after all competitors are accounted for.
D)
During forms competition:
a)
Along with the center/head judge, assign the order of competitors.
b)
List competitors on the forms completion form.
c)
Record scores for each competitor.
d)
Compute scores for each competitor.
e)
Along with center/head judge, identify trophy place winners.
E)
During sparring competition:
a)
Along with the center/head judge, assign the order of competitors on
sparring competition ladder form.
b)
Act as time keeper.
c)
Record warning that are issued by the center judge.
d)
Record winner of each match.
e)
Along with head judge, identify trophy place winners.
F)
Complete the division competition form and present it to head judge for review
and signature.
G)
Deliver completed division packet to head table
H)
Collect division packet from head table for the next division assigned to the
ring.
b.
Competition Mat.
The competition mat is a mat composed of interlocking foam sections.
1)
Competition Area
A)
The competition area of the mat is 23’ X 23’ and is one solid color (center
square may be of a different color).
B)
Out-of-bounds
a)
Out-of-bounds line is the edge of the competition area mat.
b)
If the mat has an out-of-bounds safety border, the mat area will be 30’
X 30’ and the border will be a different color than the competition area
c.
Competitor Line.
An imaginary line located 3 feet off and parallel to the edge of the
competition mat that is opposite the row of ring official chairs. For safety
reasons, all competitors and their equipment bags must stay behind this line.
d.
Competitor Area.
This is the area directly behind the competitor line. It is where competitors
sit or stand to wait their turn to compete. Waiting competitors may stretch
while sitting. Competitors should minimize standing so they are not in the
line of sight of spectators
e.
Mat Positions of Officials and Competitors
1)
Center Judge.
During sparring competition, is located about three feet behind the center of
the mat, opposite the line of official chairs, and facing the chairs. During
forms competition, is seated in third official’s chair from left.
2)
Corner Judges.
During sparring competition, are located one in
each of two opposite mat corners, facing toward the center judge. During forms
competition, they are seated in the first and second official’s chairs from
left.
3)
Recorder.
Always seated in the fourth official’s chair from left.
4)
Current Competitors.
During sparring competition, are located in center of ring, facing each other,
about three feet apart or as directed by center judge. During forms
competition, is located at some point near the center of the mat, facing the
line of official chairs. Starting location on the mat depends on the form
being performed.
VII.
Competitors
1.
Taekwondo America only conducts closed competitions, which means all
competitors must be Taekwondo America students who are pre-registered at their
school.
2.
All registered competitors, regardless of physical or mental
limitations, will be allowed to compete. Taekwondo America school owners have
the responsibility of insuring their registered students are capable of
competing.
3.
Uniform
A.
All competitors must wear a full, clean, and pressed Taekwondo America
approved uniform, included proper patches and striping, which is in good
condition.
B.
A plain, white tee-shirt may be worn underneath the jacket if so desired.
C.
No
contestant will be permitted to wear any metallic or hard objects, such as
rings (other than a plain wedding ring), necklaces, watches, bracelets,
earrings, etc.
4.
Personal Hygiene
A.
All competitors must maintain the highest standard of personal hygiene.
B.
All competitors shall keep their nails cut short.
C.
Any competitor whose hair, in the opinion of the center judge, is so long as
to risk causing an inconvenience to other competitors or cause a safety
hazard, shall be required to tie the hair back securely.
5.
Protective Equipment
A.
All sparring competitors must wear a complete set of Taekwondo America
approved sparring equipment: head protector (red), mouth guard, elbow pads,
hand protectors (red), shin guards, and foot protectors (red). Male
competitors must also wear a groin protector.
B.
Elbow pads, shin protectors, and groin protector must be worn under the
uniform.
C.
Head, hand, and foot protectors cannot have any exposed tape or other repair
material.
6.
Tape
A.
A maximum of two layers of tape is allowed on a body part, except in the case
of an injury.
B.
For an injury, the minimum amount of tape that will protect the area is
allowed.
C.
If there is a question, the center judge should have the wrapping examined and
approved by the on-scene EMT.
D.
Any hard splint, cast, or required medical device must be safely padded.
Center judge will determine whether the padding is sufficient or whether
competitor will be allow to spar while wearing the
device.
7.
All competitors must:
A.
Understand and comply with competition rules.
B.
Be alert for the call for their division to compete.
C.
Stay at their assigned ring until dismissed by the head judge.
D.
After winning a sparring match, go to the recorder to confirm name.
E.
Do not put on or take off sparring equipment until directed to do so by the
center judge.
F.
Keep quiet while waiting in the competitor’s area.
G.
Use sir and ma’am when talking with senior belt persons or competition
officials.
H.
Always exhibit good sportsmanship.
VIII.
Officials
1.
All officials must wear a clean, pressed, Taekwondo America approved
uniform, included proper patches and striping, that is in good condition,
except as authorized by the director in accordance with Taekwondo America
statutes.
2.
All officials (except for recorders) will be black belts in the
Taekwondo America instructor program. Ring assignments for judges will be made
by instructor status. For example, a 2nd degree Senior Certified
Instructor outranks a 3rd degree student who is not in the instructor program
when making judging assignments. Instructor status hierarchy is as
follows:
A.
Senior Certified, by rank
B.
Certified, by rank
C.
Junior Certified, by rank, depending on age and experience
D.
Adult Black Belt students, by rank
E.
Trainee, by rank, depending on age and experience, only for recorder duties.
F.
Adult colored belts, by rank, only for recorder duties.
G.
Junior black belts, by rank, depending on age and experience, only for
recorder duties.
3.
Under no circumstances should a parent or other non-student adult be
used as an official.
4.
All officials must understand and comply with competition rules.
5.
All officials assigned to a ring will comply with the directions of the
center/head judge of that ring.
6.
All officials are responsible for the safety of competitors. Any
official in a ring may call a halt to action when a safety problem is
observed.
IX.
Protest
Procedures
1.
If a competitor has a complaint about the competition, he or she should
talk with his or her instructor. If instructor is not available, talk with the
competition director. Be concise and respectful with your complainant.
2.
For juniors, a parent may make the complaint.
3.
In case of an error in handling the decision of forms competition, such
as miscalculation of points or wrong identification of a place winner, the
decision may be reversed.
4.
In case of an error in handling the decision of sparring match, such as
miscalculation of points or wrong identification of the winner, the decision
may be reversed.
5.
In case of a proved misapplication of the rules by the center judge,
the decision may be reversed and the center judge will be sanctioned.
6.
In case of a misjudgment by the center judge or a judge regarding the
procedures of a sparring match, such as intensity of blow, degree of action,
an intentional or unintentional prohibited act, etc., the decision of match
will remain as it was but the official who made a misjudgment will be
sanctioned.
X.
Officials
Meeting
1.
On the morning of the competition, at a set time before the competition
begins, a meeting of all red and black belts will be held.
2.
At the meeting, the competition director will:
A.
Review basic rules and procedures of competition.
B.
Inform officials of any new rules or procedure changes.
C.
Stress safety procedures.
D.
Stress levels of acceptable contact for color and black belts.
E.
Welcome questions to clarify rules, procedures, safety, and contact levels.
F.
Assign officials to rings.
XI.
Schedule of Events
1.
At national competitions, 4th and 5th degree
black belts will compete during the morning with 6th degree and
above senior certified instructor black belts officiating.
2.
3rd degree and below black belts will compete during the
morning, with 4th degree and above senior certified instructor
black belts officiating.
3.
At about noon, opening ceremony will be conducted:
A.
National Anthem may be played or Pledge of Allegiance recited.
B.
Introduction of all school owners.
