New Changes in the Competition Rules Lie Ahead

[mango.man]

http://www.etutaekwondo.org/news/2007/Articles/NewChangesintheCompetitio.html

ETU News 2007

A Service of the European Taekwondo Union


New Changes in the Competition Rules Lie Ahead

By ETU

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

At the upcoming Taekwondo World Championships in Beijing (May 18th to 22nd) the world's Taekwondo leaders will gather again. WTF will hold its General Assembly on May 17th and again the Competition Rules for Kyorugi will be changed.
We have taken a look on the proposals and here are the most important topics that will have an influence on competition training and tactics - provided that all changes are accepted by the General Assembly:

• Hand and foot protector will become mandatory.
• New definition of legal attack zones.
• 3 points for successful attacks to the face.
• 7 point gap and 12 point ceiling will be deleted.
• New definitions of Kyonggos (reduced number).
• 4th round with sudden death with prolongation (if no decision is made in the 4th round, then the fight will go on in more rounds until one competitor scores).
• After a KO to the head the competitor can still fight again within 30 days if a doctor gives a written permission.

Furthermore, an Ethics Committee against the violation of ethical values will be established.
A lot of work for the delegates at the G.A. and a lot of responsibility. All those proposed changes have been prepared by the respective commissions in regard to a better and smoother competition management. Hopefully it will come out that way.
Regarding Poomse tournaments, new doboks for Poomse competition have been designed. There will be a difference between male and female dobok and between those for Poom grades, low Dan grades (from 1st to 6th Dan) and high Dan grades (from 7th to 9th Dan). Design resembles closely traditional koran clothing but has been generally well acepted by those who have seen a sample already.
Make you own decision and look at the drawings (from left to right: dobok for high Dan, dobok for low Dan male/female, dobok for Poom male/female):

Although I am not a big fan of the uniforms, I think I like the rule changes as they are proposed.

 

[Laurentkd]

so for men and women, are the uniforms are the same except for the pants? And are they black/blue and black/red or navy/blue navy/red.
I am suprised they aren't really doboks (v-neck anyway) as it seems like v-necks were designed just to look different from japanese gis (or am I misinformed?)

Very interesting.... I wonder when and what will hit the states

 

[Kacey]

Having an ITF background, and having worn a white dobok for my entire TKD career (20 years) - what is the purpose of different colors of dobok? Wouldn't a belt do just as well? And what is the purpose of different colors for male and female practitioners? Couldn't that be construed as discrimination? Or at least unnecessary?

As far as the rules themselves - do you know what the new rules are? Can you compare/contrast them with the current rules for those of us who are not familiar with them? For example, what constitutes an attack to the face, and why is it worth 3 points? Face shots (hands and feet) have been legal as long as I've been sparring, and I'm not sure I understand why face shots would be worth so many points.

 

[Ninjamom]

Having an ITF background, .......As far as the rules themselves - .......Can you compare/contrast them with the current rules for those of us who are not familiar with them?

In WTF (Olympic) sparring rules, the 'face' means the entire head region including the ears and forward. Shots to the back of the head are not allowed. Also, hand techniques have never been allowed to the head/face. Therefore, a successful face technique means you must land a kick to the opponent's head.

As far as hand techniques, only punches (front of fist) are allowed. Elbows, backfist, hammer fist, or any open-handed techniques are not permitted. In order to score, the punch must be to an allowed target area and must demonstrate enough power to visibly change the momentum of your opponent (i.e., knock them backwards).

Kicks must be with any part of the foot below or including the ankle. Shin kicks (a la Muay Thai) or knee strikes are not allowed. Again, they must be to an allowed target area.

Allowed target areas are the midsection (torso) from belt to neck, everywhere except for the spine/back, and (for kicking techniques only) the face (front of head, from ears forward).

Under the current (old) rules, kicks/punches to the body score one point, kick to the head scores two points, and striking with enough power to knock your opponent down scores one extra point. The WTF had discussed/experimented with extra points for spinning kicking techniques, a point ceiling, and a point spread limit, but none of these changes/ideas were in place for the last Olympic games.

You can get a warning for undesireable acts, like stepping outside the ring, turning your back on your opponent, unintentional low kicks, etc. Each warning is worth a half-point deduction in your score, but only accrues towards your score starting with your second warning (i.e., there is no impact to your score if you only get one warning; one point deduction for two warnings, 1 1/2 points deduction for three warnings, etc).

You can be assessed a penalty (one point deduction each) for more egregious violations, like attacking a downed opponent, bad language, etc. I think the rules changed recently from three to four points resulting in a disqualification.

These are the basics as best as I recall. Someone else please feel free to chime in with better details.

 

[mango.man]

Kacey, I will try to answer your questions.

The new doboks will be for international poomse competition only. The purpose I do not know other than so people might instantly recognize and differentiate a poomseist from a fighter perhaps?

The rule changes outlined are only proposals right now but might be ratified into the next itteration of official rules.

Let's break down the changes 1 at a time:

Proposed rule: Hand and foot protector will become mandatory. Current rule: Hand protectors only are mandatory and foot protectors are prohibited. By hand and foot protectors they mean

and

Proposed rule: New definition of legal attack zones. We will have to wait and see what is defined but current rules allow for punches & kicks to the full torso, including the back, but not the spine. Current rules also allow kicks to the head, no punches and nothing to the back of the head. Basically from the ears forward, nothing behind the ears.

Proposed rule: 3 points for successful attacks to the face. Current rule: 2 points for a kick to the face. A third point is added in the event of the person that was hit is knocked down by the blow.

Proposed rule: 7 point gap and 12 point ceiling will be deleted. Current rule: About 18 months ago the 7 point gap / 12 point ceiling was introduced to liven up the matchs and prevent beatings like 25-3 from happening. So fights are stopped when someone gets 12 points, even if the other person has 11 and there are still 2 rounds to go. Game is over. Game is also over when scores reach 7-0, 8-1, 9-2, 10-3 or 11-4. (Just a side note, my kid has been on both sides of the both rules. I rather like the 7 point gap but think maybe it could be increase to 10. The 12 point ceiling sucks because she has won fights 12-11 and lost fights 12-11 that were all really good fights.)

Proposed rule: New definitions of Kyonggos (reduced number). Current rule: A player is allowed 4 points to be deducted before they are disqualified. I am just speculating here but I doubt they would reduce it to 1 or 2 so I am thinking 3 will be the new standard.

Proposed rule: 4th round with sudden death with prolongation (if no decision is made in the 4th round, then the fight will go on in more rounds until one competitor scores). Current rule: If a fight is tied after the 3 regulation round a 4th sudden death round is fought. If the score is still tied the winner is determined by the referee based on which fighter he/she thought was superior to the other.

Proposed rule: After a KO to the head the competitor can still fight again within 30 days if a doctor gives a written permission. Current rule: If you are KO'd you ain't fighting for a minimum of 30 days, no questions asked.

Hope that helps.

 

[Kacey]

These are the basics as best as I recall. Someone else please feel free to chime in with better details.

Thanks!

Here are the rules we use:

Legal target area: anywhere on the front of the torso (floating ribs and forward), anywhere on the head; no targets on the neck, on the back, or below the belt. Sweeps are legal at red belt (2nd gup) and above. Points only awarded for techniques delivered with focus, balance, and control to a legal target area.

Standing hand techniques to any target = 1 point
Standing kick to the torso = 1 point
Standing kick to the head = 2 points
Jump/flying hand technique to the torso or head (jump must cover own body length) = 2 points
Jump/flying kick to the torso = 2 points
Jump/flying kick to the head = 3 points

Attacks to a downed opponent are legal only when the opponent has been legally swept (as above), and can only be counted as points if the technique(s) land before the opponent hits the floor.

Warnings are assessed for minor fouls (e.g. leaving the ring, turning the back to the fight, falling down [including falling after being swept], low kicks, etc.); 2 warnings = 1 point for the opponent

Minus points are assessed for major fouls (e.g. excessive contact, blind techniques, contact resulting in free flow of blood [blood flow does not stop in several seconds], etc.) or repeated minor fouls.

All competitors wear mouthguards, hand and foot pads, and head gear (mandatory at most tournaments, and required for all sparring where sweeps are legal, as the major danger with sweeps is hitting your head when you fall). Cups are mandatory for male competitors of all ages. Shin and forearm pads (soft type only) are allowed but not required, but few people wear them. We have never used hogu.

Hand pads must cover the entire hand, including fingertips; foot pads must cover entire foot, including toes; headgear must cover back and top of head, but face guards are not allowed.

It's interesting to see the differences.

 

[Shaderon]

Yes I agree Kacey, it's very interesting to see the differences, the differences in sparring gear insterest me too. Our gear is different to yours again and looks a lot softer, although mins isn't official, they allow anything that follows those rules and not hard contact gear.

 

[Laurentkd]

Thanks!

Here are the rules we use:

Legal target area: anywhere on the front of the torso (floating ribs and forward), anywhere on the head; no targets on the neck, on the back, or below the belt. Sweeps are legal at red belt (2nd gup) and above. Points only awarded for techniques delivered with focus, balance, and control to a legal target area.

It's interesting to see the differences.

Hi Kacey. Maybe you can help me with this one. I have always wondered how you can not kick below the belt, but you can sweep. Does the sweep have to be done with the opponent already grabbed? I am sure sweeps can get rather sloppy during a sparring round. Basically I am asking, how do they define a kick to the legs as either a legal sweep or an illegal strike below the belt?
Thanks!

 

[IcemanSK]

Not sure how I feel about the new dobok, yet.

 

[Kacey]

Hi Kacey. Maybe you can help me with this one. I have always wondered how you can not kick below the belt, but you can sweep. Does the sweep have to be done with the opponent already grabbed? I am sure sweeps can get rather sloppy during a sparring round. Basically I am asking, how do they define a kick to the legs as either a legal sweep or an illegal strike below the belt?
Thanks!

Well, first, there's no grabbing.

A legal sweep is defined as contact foot to foot, from outside to inside (other sweeps are, of course, possible, but not legal, due to the potential danger). Any other contact below the belt is considered a low kick, although legal sweeps that don't work are not considered low kicks. Sweeps are not allowed until red belt because of the danger to the person falling.

 

[Independent_TKD]

Along with these changes, the ring will also change. You can read about it at this link: http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2007041342418&path_dir=20070413

As a practitioner of taekwondo, I personally find the WTF to be more and more ridiculous as a governing body. I decided some time ago to no longer seek WTF certifications or affiliate myself or my school with them. I don't practice taekwondo as a sport. I practice and teach it as a martial art with self defense at its core. However, if taekwondo is to survive, it must change but in the correct and sensible way. The Olympic style is much too defensive and is actually quite boring. In my opinion, I think practicing taekwondo strictly as a sport (under WTF rules) reinforces terrible habits. Sporting taekwondo players consistantly keep their hands at their sides, never learn real-time punching toward opponent's head, and never learn real-time face punch defense. As for the new ring, there is really no point to having an oversized circular ring. As for the new uniforms, I don't see any reason at all to use them either. They look almost as silly as the uniform in Napoleon Dynomite (Rex Kwon Do). These changes show the identity crisis WTF seems to always be suffering from.

 

[mango.man]

The WTF General Assembly has been meeting, and here is the notes posted on the WTF website.
The World Taekwondo Federation approved to set up an Ethics Committee in its General Assembly in Beijing, China, on May 17, 2007.

The General Assembly also approved the adoption of a new WTF poomsae competition uniform, which will be used for the first time at the 2nd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in September this year in Incheon.

The Assembly also adopted a WTF taekwondo anthem, which will be played for the first time at the 2007 Beijing World Taekwondo Championships, which kick off tomorrow for a five-day run at the Changping Gymnasium in northern Beijing.

The Assembly approved American Samoa and Montenegro as new members of the WTF. With the new additions, the WTF has a global membership of 184.

At the General Assembly, Copenhagen, Denmark, earned the right to host the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships. Baku, Azerbaijan, offered to withdraw its candidacy as the host site of the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships at the last moment, for the solidarity and unity among the global taekwondo family.

The Copenhagen delegation promised to make the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships the best ever taekwondo event.

WTF President appointed Mr. Dae-sung Moon of Korea, the gold medalist in the over 80kg weight class at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and now a professor at a Korean university, and Ms. Myriam Baverel from France, the silver medalist in the over 67kg category at the Athens Olympic Games and now the national coach of the French team, as athlete Council members of the WTF. They will serve a two-year term to the WTF Council.

The General Assembly gave the green light to set up a TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemptions) Committee within the WTF Medical Committee. The TEU Committee will function as a subcommittee of the WTF.

Concerning proposals for the amendments to the WTF Competition Rules, the General Assembly decided to gather more feedbacks from member national associations and taekwondo experts before putting them to vote for approval. The date for the approval will be decided at a later time.

Mr. Dai-soon Lee, a vice president of the WTF and chairman of the Coordination Committee for Taekwondo Integration and the WTF’s ad-hoc Committee on Dan Certification, made progress reports on the ongoing WTF-ITF discussions and Dan certification. Several delegates raised their concern and worries over the ongoing WTF-ITF talks.

Delegates were also briefed on updated activities of the WTF’s ad-hoc Committee on Electronic Protectors, the WTF Paralympic Committee and the Reform Evaluation Committee meeting.

Dr. Nat Indrapana, a vice president of the WTF and IOC member of Thailand, made a report on the Reform Evaluation Committee. Dr. Nat was recently appointed as deputy minister of sports and tourism in Thailand.

Delegates also heard from representatives from the Organizing Committee of the taekwondo competition of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, world and continental qualification tournaments for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

“As president of the WTF, I have devoted most of my time and energy to the following tasks: to make taekwondo more attractive and action-packed, to ensure fairer judgment and refereeing through the introduction of an electronic protector system and stepped-up referee education, to strengthen solidarity between the WTF and member national associations and continental unions by expanding financial support and strengthening solidarity programs, and to enhance financial stability of the WTF through promotion of marketing activities and transparency in the management of finance matters,” said WTF President Choue in his welcome speech at the General Assembly.

Delegates at the General Assembly received an 11-page WTF President’s Special Report on WTF Activities, which details major WTF activities since June 11, 2004, when Dr. Choue was elected to president of the WTF.

 

[Laurentkd]

Well, first, there's no grabbing.

A legal sweep is defined as contact foot to foot, from outside to inside (other sweeps are, of course, possible, but not legal, due to the potential danger). Any other contact below the belt is considered a low kick, although legal sweeps that don't work are not considered low kicks. Sweeps are not allowed until red belt because of the danger to the person falling.

ahhh! Thanks!