Rules and Divisions

WEAPONS

• Traditional and open weapon competitors will perform and be scored separately.
• Competitors in traditional weapons are not permitted to release the weapon or perform any gymnastic tricking.
• All weapons, weight or size are permitted, only unsafe weapons will be disqualified from the competition. The competitor will have 2 minutes to find a safe replacement. Examples include: frayed rope or loose handles.
• Any black belt competitor who drops their weapon will bow out respectfully and receive no score. Underbelts may ask for a restart with a point deduction.
• If a weapon breaks and the competitor continues with the form without pause scoring should be given to reflect. If they stop then it is a DQ.

FORMS

• Traditional and open style forms will be separate divisions. No acrobatics or gymnastics are allowed in traditional forms divisions.
• Any appropriate school/style uniform is allowed.
  • SCORING RANGES:
    • Beginners 6.00-6.99
    • Intermediate 7.00-7.99
    • Advanced 8.00-8.99
    • Black Belts 9.00-9.99
  • All scoring will be done on the supplied dry erase boards.

SPARRING

• Competitors are required to wear head, foot, hand and mouth protection. Males must have groin protection.
• Light contact to the headgear is acceptable in all rank and age divisions. Face shields are part of headgear.
• Contact to illegal targets will result in a warning. Those areas include the face, groin, back (spine area), and neck.
• Intentional running out of the ring will result in a warning.
• Competitors that receive three warnings in a round, for any reason will be disqualified. Malicious fouls with intent to harm may result in expulsion from tournament.
• Underbelt: matches will be three points. All techniques are one point.
• Black Belt: matches are five points. All techniques are one point.
• Students from the same school will be separated in the first round if possible.
• Once a bracket begins it is closed, no late entries.
• Head referee will have authority to make decisions on a case by case basis.
• Single leg sweeps followed by a scoring technique immediately are allowed on matted rings. Sweeps must be to the back or side of the lower front leg.

BREAKING

• Wood boards are to be supplied by the breaker / competitor.
• Judging will be on the difficulty of break and amount of material. Due to having only one breaking event we will be considering this an open breaking event.
• You must break all of your set up to be scored. Failed breaking station will result in a zero score for that station.
• Underbelts are allowed 3 stations.
• Underbelts will have 2 minutes set up. Be prepared ahead of time! Going over this time may result in a points deduction.
• Black belts will be allowed 5 stations
• Black belts will have 3 minutes set up. Be prepared ahead of time! Going over this time will result in a points deduction.
• All competitors will have 2 attempts on each break. Anything after the first attempt will have a slight The second attempt must be with the same technique. The holder may be replaced or backed up with a second holder.
• All competitors will have all materials, holders, stands, and spacers ready when called. We encourage all competitors to help one another in the spirit of Martial Arts and good friendly competition.

TIES

• Forms/Breaking: The tie-breaking procedure will be as follows. The lowest score for each competitor will be thrown out. If still tied; In case of a tie between two competitors, the Beginners may perform the same form, Intermediate and above must perform a different form. To determine the winner, the officials will stand and (on command) point to the competitor of their choice as the winner.  In case of a tie with three or more competitors, officials will re-score the competitors to determine the winners.
• Sparring: Matches ending in a tie will be decided in a “Sudden Victory” overtime. The first competitor to score will be declared the winner. Penalties carry over into overtime and further infractions can cause the loss of the match by awarding a point to the other fighter.
• Grand Championship: Five judges will be used. Forms/Breaking ties will drop the lowest score. If still tied, drop the lowest two scores. If still tied, competitors will perform again and judges will re-score. Sparring ties will be Sudden Victory rules.
  

COACHING

• Coaching is allowed in sparring divisions.
• Coaches must have a pass and be in designated areas.
• A player or coach can call one time-out per match for up to 10 seconds when play has already been stopped by a judge or referee.
• One coach per fighter. Anyone not able to act professionally will be asked to leave the ring.
• Coaches in coaches’ boxes cannot call or physically signal points for their player after a call for break for scoring so as to confuse Judges calls for points. One point penalty awarded by Center Referee for each infraction.

TEAM DEMO

• Team demos can be no longer than five minutes.
• Small Team – 6 members or less. Large Team 7-20 members.
• Team Demos may include music, weapon, open hand, traditional, dance, gymnastics, breaking, and self-defense. This division is scored on martial arts entertainment.

GENERAL RULES

• *Divisions: Tournament directors reserve the right to merge or split divisions by age, rank, number of competitors, and weight and size of the competitors
• Uniform: Player must wear a traditional or sport karate uniform with no foul language on it.
• Age: Player must compete at the age they are on the day of the tournament.
• All Players, Coaches, Spectators, and Volunteers are asked to adhere to the highest level of sportsmanship and blackbelt ethics. Black Belts – our example will shape the next generation of martial artists!
• Judges & Scorekeepers will be supplied with tournament shirt to be worn while working rings. No uniforms please. We ask that judges and scorekeepers arrange to stay the length of the tournament.