Umpire's Courses

[Indomitable Spirit]

ok every time i look on the events pages to see what events or coming up on a taekwondo site it keeps saying umpire course part 1, part 2, part 3 etc. and for once i actually decided to find out what its about by asking you guys. i'm guessing its got something to do with trying to be qualified as a referee or something but do all black belts have to take them? and what kind of things do they do in those courses?

thanks

[TX_BB]

Which organization is your taekwondo affiliated (USAT, ATA, USTF...)?

In general TKD officials are generally upper belts with some ring experience. The USAT requires Black Belt certification for it's officials.

Do you have to be a referee? No, unless your instructor requires it as prerequiste to your next promotion.

The courses for the USAT cover the rules, signals and requirements for holding a valid competition. There is an emphasis on safety and keeping a safe enviroment.

[Miles]

The term "umpire" is pretty unfamiliar in TKD. Are you in the US?

Miles

[Galvatron]

The ITF generally refers to it's ring officials as "Umpires".

[Miles]

Thanks Galvatron. Does the ITF have different names for the center referee/umpire versus corner referees/umpires? In WTF, the center is the "referee" and the corners are "judges." Typically in smaller competitions, the center is the more experienced of the officials. In larger competitions, the officials switch off so that the center referee is not on his/her feet all day. :)

Miles