New WTF sparring rules

[FearlessFreep]

I've seen this subject come up a few times in other locations. Apparently, WTF is going to change the sparring rules

1) 10'X10' sparring area (down from 12'X12')
2) Enforce punch scoring (and require gloves)
3) 2 minute rounds, for men (down from 3)
4) 'Sudden Death' overtime round

Any thoughts? My take is that the are trying to make sparrers more aggressive to make the matches more exciting. I don't have aproblem with that.

 

[Jim Tindell]

Yay @ punching.

 

[terryl965]

All I can say is (it's about time) punches should have always counted in the first place. I know alot of school are going to have problems with this since they do not believe in punches in the first place so my Students will have the advantage in that regards since we teach it to them and do alot of open that allow punches. Like I said Yea!

 

[FearlessFreep]

Our sabomnim encourages punching when in range. In fact, we practice certain counter-strikes that invovle moving in close and punching. So that aspect works for our favor.

I forgot to mention going with four judges as well. Not sure how that changes competition, except maybe allowing both sides to score simultaneously if you get two red votes and two blue votes or something

 

[Miles]

This is a very exciting time for Taekwondoin. The WTF solicited comments as to making the game more interesting from a spectator's perspective. While I like the larger competition area from a competitor's viewpoint, from that of a referee, the smaller area is much better!

Saw what the gloves look like-sort of silly, but that's just first impression.

Miles

 

[bignick]

I'm very pumped about about the hands coming back into play. Are they changing the gloves? What do they look like? Will they be allowing face contact? And if not, why do gloves need to be required?

 

[ajs1976]

Any word on what type of punches? Can a point be scored by touching the other person with your fist, or does there have to be some force behind it?

 

[Jim Tindell]

I'm interested in seeing these new gloves.

I often spar without gloves, but I always leave with skinned knuckles from punching the chest protector.

 

[Adept]

Now, if we can just get them to include knee and forearm strikes...

 

[bignick]

Now, if we can just get them to include knee and forearm strikes...

Word

 

[MichiganTKD]

They're trying to make it more exciting, not get people hurt. Why would they allow knee strikes? One of the aesthetics of Tae kwon Do free fighting, especially WTF tournament style, is beautiful kicking. Not necessarily self-defense oriented, but beautiful. By including knee strikes, they are no better than the Neanderthals in the UFC or K-1. Tae kwon Do should be above that.

 

[bignick]

I don't think that TKDs kicks are going anywhere, but I don't see anything wrong with getting tied up with your opponent and being able to throw a knee to his midsection.

The big reason that I do not like WTF competition is because it is very restricted...I'm not advocating going out into the ring and gouging your opponents eyes or shattering their knee. But, we spend all this time practicing all the various techniques of tae kwon do and then when we spar so much is disallowed. No open hand strikes, no back fists, no hand contact or even faking to the head with the hands, punches are pretty much discouraged cause they never score. I think the purpose of sparring should be to refine your technique safely in a more realistic situation than just forms and things like one step sparring can provide. There does need to be a tradeoff between safety and realism, but I think the tradeoffs have gone far beyond safety. Full blown kicks to the head are much more dangerous than allowing a backfist or palm strike to the chest protector.

Often when people rag on taekwondoists for only being able to kick and saying if someone ever got in close they'd be done for, people respond with the fact that tae kwon do does use things like elbow and knee strikes and many various other close range techniques. And we certainly do. But when was the last time anybody ever practiced them in a so called "live" situation...not many, I'd guess. Because they aren't practiced as much, the average person is going to have problems using them in a real life situation, if they remember them at all.

 

[Adept]

They're trying to make it more exciting, not get people hurt. Why would they allow knee strikes?

Because they are part of TKD and it is a TKD organisation. If they are disallowing knee strikes during sparring, then what are they doing? It sure isn't TKD.

One of the aesthetics of Tae kwon Do free fighting, especially WTF tournament style, is beautiful kicking. Not necessarily self-defense oriented, but beautiful.

Yes, but that isn't TKD. It's just kicking for its own sake. A TKD organisation should allow all practical TKD techniques in its sparring. Dissallowing punches was farcical. Continuing to dissallow knees, forearm strikes, various joint manipulations and take downs they are not sparring as TKD students, but something else with arbitrary and artificial limitations.

By including knee strikes, they are no better than the Neanderthals in the UFC or K-1. Tae kwon Do should be above that.

Neanderthals? What makes you say that? The fighters in K-1, Pride and the UFC are high level professional athletes. They don't fight like a TKD sparring match, but that doesn't make them less intelligent or civilised than a TMA practitioner.

 

[MichiganTKD]

Actually Bignick, from what I've been told of WTF tournaments, even at the higher levels, some free fighters are not averse to throwing those techniques if they think they can get away with it. It depends on where they are in points, and the angle of the judges. Not justifying it, just stating that it probably already happens. Just not legally.

 

[Jim Tindell]

I punched a kid square in the head last month during a tournament. The center judge was just :erg:

I didn't even do it on purpose, it was just instinct because I was tied up in the corner.

And if you guys want elbow strikes and knee strikes, you're in the wrong martial art for competition. This isn't Muay Thai.

 

[FearlessFreep]

My Sabomnim mentioned today that they are going to allow kicks to the back. Any thoughts on that? He was saying that people take advantage of the current rules to use the back defensively

 

[bignick]

What I've heard is that anything covered by the hogu is a legal striking area, so with all these wraparound hogu's like the J3 and others, that would be legal. However, the spine is still illegal, but there, I've heard of people using workaround because if your foot hits a legal target area, that's all some judges look for. So I guess what some will do is kick to the back and make their foot wrap around and hit the ribs while they are basically just doing a shin kick to the spine and/or kidneys. Cheap and dirty.

 

[Adept]

And if you guys want elbow strikes and knee strikes, you're in the wrong martial art for competition. This isn't Muay Thai.

Why the wrong martial art? Are not elbow and knee strikes part of TKD? They can be (relatively) safely implemented in sparring matches in other arts, so why not TKD? And why not include takedowns and joint manipulation? These are all parts of TKD that, for some reason I cannot fathom, are left out of most sparring and competition matches.

 

[Jim Tindell]

How would they score that? Or takedowns?

The scoring system for TKD isn't welcome to non-hand & non-foot techniques. This would require an entire revamp of the scoring system, as well as ring arrangement.

Besides, the way TKD sparring is done is a change from something like Muay Thai or that MMA stuff. These would all be too similar otherwise.

 

[Adept]

But surely incorporating as much of the art as possible into sparring is more important than just having variety for its own sake.

Scoring is only required for competitions, and there are already many competition models that can be used as a basis.