Rules

3.     Freestyle Sparring Rules – Point Sparring

3.1.   Equipment

Competitors must wear an appropriate uniform as prescribed by their organization. This includes a belt in the colour that represents their level. The following safety-equipment is mandatory:

• Mouth guard – A properly-fitted mouthpiece is required.
• Groin guard – All competitors must wear a groin guard
• Safety boots – A soft padded surface must cover the instep, sides, toes, ankle and back of the heel of the foot
• Safety gloves – a soft padded, surface must cover the fingers, wrist and any striking surface of the hand. The use of bag gloves is not permitted.
• Head guard – The front, sides and back of the head must be covered by a soft padded surface. Facemasks are optional but not required
• Chest guard is obligatory for female competitors
• Shin guards are not mandatory but are highly recommended. These must be made of soft material.

Jewellery and any other additions to the appropriate uniform are not allowed. Any competitor that shows up without the proper equipment has one minute to correct this. If the competitor does not succeed to do so, he or she will be disqualified from the division.

3.2.   Duration of a match

• All team sparring matches will be ONE & ONE HALF MINUTES (1:30)
• All sparring matches for competitors aged 17 years and under will be One and a Half minutes (1:30)
• All other sparring matches will be TWO MINUTES (2:00)

3.3.   Point Values and Winner Determination

• All legal techniques that score will be awarded one (1) point to the scoring competitor
• All penalty points awarded will be one (1) point value to the non fouling competitor 
• In all Black Belt divisions (even children) the competitor who earns seven (7) points automatically wins. If no one scores seven (7) points by the end of the two minutes, the competitor who is ahead wins. 
• ·      In the under black belt divisions, the competitor who earns five (5) points automatically wins. If no one scores five (5) points by the end of the two minutes, the competitor who is ahead wins.

3.4.   Removal and changing of Officials

If a competitor feels that an official should be removed from a sparring division, he/she may make a protest to one of the tournament arbitrators. The decision regarding the actual removal of the official is the arbitrator’s decision. The decision is final. All protest shall be made in an orderly, proper, and sportsmanlike manner. If a competitor has a protest about anything, he/she should make the protest to the referee. The referee may summon the arbitrator to the ring to render a decision on the protest. All protests must be filed immediately. No protest is allowed after competition has resumed.

A sparring official can be changed at any time during a division once a match has stopped.

3.5.   Weighing-In

It is mandatory for all adult fighting competitors – who fight in a weighted division – to weigh-in before engaging in competition. Only one official weigh-in is required. All adult fighting competitors must fight in their weight division. A competitor cannot fight in a weight division in which he/she does not make the proper weight. This means a competitor cannot go up to a heavier weight division or go down to a lower weight division. The weight division and/or actual weight must be recorded.

3.6.   Late Entries

It is the responsibility of the competitors to be registered, weighed-in and at his/her ring prior to the time his/her sparring division starts. Once the first sparring match has started in his/her division, no other competitors can enter that division.

3.7.   How Points are Awarded

Scoring points are awarded by a majority vote of the ring officials. The majority of officials do not have to agree on the same technique being scored, only that a point was scored.

• Legal Target Areas: covered area of head, face (Only for competitors aged 18 years and older) ribs, stomach, chest, groin (only competitors aged 18 years and older), abdomen and kidneys.
• No face contact for children’s divisions, or adults (18 years and older) white to green belts; light face contact only allowed for adult brown and black belts.
• Illegal Target Areas: Spine, back of neck, throat, sides of neck, groin (if aged 17 years and under) and legs are all illegal target areas. Any attacks to these areas could result in a warning and/or penalty points. No face contact for children and for all white to green belts.
• Non-Target Areas: Hips, top of head, shoulders, buttocks, arms, and feet are all non-target areas. Points cannot be scored to non-target area. If it is deemed that a competitor is actually attacking these areas, warning and/or penalty point may be awarded.
• Legal Techniques: Legal techniques are all controlled sport karate techniques, except those listed as illegal. When determining the legality of a technique, the official considers if the technique is a legitimate, controlled sport karate technique that adheres to all other rules governing sport point karate. Foot sweeps are permitted in all sparring divisions.
• Illegal Techniques: Head butts, hair pulls, bites, scratches, elbows, knees, eye attacks of any kind, any stomps or kicks to the head of a downed opponent, slapping, grabbing, uncontrolled blind techniques, any uncontrolled dangerous techniques that are deemed unsafe in sport karate.
• Grabbing: No grabbing of the uniform, gear or any part of the body. Any violation of this rule will result in a warning.
• Ground fighting: If a fighter falls on the ground, the referee may allow up to 3 seconds for both competitors to score a point (as long as safety allows). The fighter standing cannot strike the head for safety reasons. Deliberately dropping to the floor to avoid or evade fighting is not legal. Deliberately dropping to the floor is not legal. A fighter is down when any part of the body, other than the feet is touching the floor.

3.8.   Contact Levels Defined

• Focus: means the strike stops short of contact. Focus contact to the head can be used to score a point.
• Light Touch Contact: means there is no penetration or visible movement of the opponent as a result of the technique. Light touch may be made to all Legal Target Areas. Light Touch Contact to the face is only allowed for adult brown and black belts.
• Moderate Touch Contact: means slight penetration or slight target movement. Moderate Touch Contact is not permitted to the head and face. Moderate touch may be made to all other Legal Target Areas.
• Excessive Contact: is made when an opponent strikes with force in excess of what is necessary to score a point. Though it is largely a judgment call, indications that contact has been excessive may be accessed by the following reactions:

1. Visible snapping back of a competitor’s head from the force of a blow.
2. A knockdown of an opponent (not recklessly charging into a technique or occurring in instances where the fallen party either fell, slipped, or was off balance).
3. A knockout of an opponent.
4. The appearance of severe swelling or bleeding. (Bleeding or other obvious external injury may in itself be grounds for excessive contact if it is considered the fault of a competitor) (Bleeding, however, does not necessarily imply excessive contact).
5. The distortion or injury of the body from the force of a blow to the body.
6. Wild swinging of limb.

• Touch Contact Requirements: All ranks may make focus contact to the head to score a point, and light or moderate touch contact to the body to score a point. Adult competitors may make light touch contact to the head to score a point.

3.9.   Warnings and Penalties

Only one warning is allowed without a penalty point for breaking the rules. After the first warning is given, a penalty point is awarded to the opponent on each and every subsequent violation of the rules. If a competitor receives three warnings (including the first non penalty point warning) in any one match, he/she is automatically disqualified and his/her opponent is declared the winner. If the result of the first rules infraction is considered by the referee to be severe enough, he/she can omit the first warning and issue a penalty point automatically. In doing so, the referee is omitting any first warning to the offending competitor. A penalty point can determine the winner of a match.

• A competitor cannot be penalized and still receive a point on the same call. A penalty always overrules a point by the same competitor.
• A competitor can receive a point because his/her opponent was penalized and at the same time receive a point or points for scoring.
• If a competitor is injured and it is considered that he/she is responsible for his/her own injury, or no fault can be associated with the injury, the opponent will not be penalized (i.e., ducking into a knee, butting heads, etc.). In the event a fighter is unable to continue because of a no-fault foul, his/her opponent will be declared the winner even if he/she is not ahead at the time of the foul.
• If a competitor scores a point and immediately proceeds to break the rules, even if it was after the point technique, the warning for breaking the rules voids the point (a competitor cannot receive a point and a warning on the same call).

3.10. Out-of-Bounds

A competitor is out-of-bounds as soon as he/she has at least one foot outside of the boundary line. A judge or referee should shout stop when they see a competitor out of bounds. The referee has to stop the match upon any side judge calling stop. An out-of-bounds competitor may be scored on by his/her opponent so long as the opponent has both feet inside the boundary line and the referee has not signaled to stop. In the event of a jumping technique, the attacking competitor must land in-bounds in order to score.

A separate count should be kept of line fouls and a warning could be given on the advice of one judge. 3rd line foul to result in a point over and 4th line foul disqualification.

3.11. Coaching

• Never, at any time can a coach, friend, team member, etc., enter the ring without the referee’s permission (only the officials, competitors and medical personnel are normally allowed in a ring).
• No abusive, violent, unsportsmanlike or overzealous coaching allowed.
• A coach cannot ask for a time out (only a competitor may ask for a time out).
• As in all sports, coaching IS ALLOWED. Only one coach is allowed for a competitor.
• A coach can never, at any time, interfere with the proper running of the ring or the decisions of the referee or judges.
• Penalty points for any of the above coaching infractions are issued by the referee to the relevant competitor.

3.12. Grand Championships (adult black belts only):
Preliminary Matches: Accumulated points in one 2-minute round
Final Match: Accumulated points over two 2-minute rounds

3.13. Number of officials

In adult under belt and all children’s divisions, there will normally be one referee and two judges. In all adult black belt divisions, there will be one referee and either two or four judges. All grand champion and team fighting divisions must have one referee and four judges. There must also be a time/scorekeeper.

3.14. Task of the referee and side judges

The referee is responsible to enforce the rules in favour of fair play and safety of the competitors. Only the referee may awards points / penalties, start, stop the match. The referee is responsible for clearly announcing points to both competitor and scorekeeper. The referee has to make eye contact with the scorekeeper when awarding points. The referee is an intermediary for competitors, officials and audience and makes all announcements clearly audible and visible.

If the referee calls break, the side judge can ask the referee for 2 calls if they think they have seen a foul.

3.15. Safety of the Competitors

If any blood is drawn, the match will be ended. In general the opponent will be disqualified. After consultation between, ring officials and medical staff however, the decision can be made that the opponent will not be disqualified. Although possible at the discretion of the referee and medical staff it is likely that the injured competitor may not allowed continue for safety reasons.

3.16. Voting

Only the 3 or 5 officials together vote on a possible point. Other decisions can be made by the referee only. When the referee sees a possible point, he/she will stop the match by calling `Break`. After he/she declares what the vote is for (i.e. point or penalty) the corner-judges point their flags to the side they vote for. Corner-judges vote immediately. Late flags will not be accepted.

3.17. Flags or hand signals for point sparring

The officials call points as they see them. When the referee or side judge believes a point has been scored he/she shall call out the word, “Stop!” Once fighters return to their lines, the officials will call simultaneously for a point, warning, etc.

The Referee may ignore late calls!

Starting position waiting for a call from the referee.

• Point is scored: If flags are used, a side judge raises the appropriate colour flag of the competitor who he/she feels scored the point. When a side judge sees a point he/she should yell out the word, “Point!” in a loud, clear voice to let the referee know he/she has a call. 
• No point scored: A side judge crosses his/her flags or wrists at waist level to indicate that he/she believes no point was scored.
  You saw a technique, but no point was scored
• No See: The side judge holds his/her hand over his/her eyes indicating that he/she could not see whether a point was scored or not.
• Clash: With or without flags, a side judge makes a motion as though he/she is hitting both fists together or places the tops of both flags together. This means both competitors scored at the same time, therefore, no point.
• Penalty: The judge will wave the flag color of the offending competitor in a circular motion. If no flags are being used, the judge waves hand in a circular motion as he/she points to the offending competitor.
• Out: Any judge calls stop when he/she sees a competitor go out of bounds. If a call is being made and a judge believes the competitor was out of bounds, he/she will wave their flags or hands in the direction of the person they feel went out.
• Disqualification: A disqualification vote is taken separately from any other vote. When a disqualification vote is asked for, the referee will say, “Judges Call!” A judge will then hold the flag colour, or point if no flags are being used, at the competitor he/she thinks should be disqualified. If he/she does not believe there should be a disqualification, he/she does not hold up a flag or point to a competitor.
• Late Call: All officials should make their calls at the same time. If, in the opinion of the referee, a corner judge is making a late call intentionally, the referee can discount the call (noise not allowing the judges to hear the referee and the honest mistake of raising the wrong flag colour should be taken into consideration).

3.18. Fouls

This is a partial list of possible causes of penalizing and may be used as a guideline to follow in deciding on calling a penalty:

• Using illegal techniques.
• Running out of the ring or falling to avoid fighting (not fighting out).
• Continuing after being ordered to stop (fighting after break).
• Excessive stalling
• Being late or not properly attired for your event when your name is called
• Blind, negligent or reckless attacks even when no contact is made.
• Any unsportsmanlike behavior from the competitor or their coaches, friends, etc.
• Any abusive behavior from the competitor or his/her coach, team mates, family, friends, etc., such that the referee feels it affects the outcome of the match or the performance of the officials or other competitors.
• Excessive contact.
• Open-hand techniques to the face.
• Techniques that can injure joints.
• Throws, excluding sweeps if performed boot-to-boot.
• Grabbing or pulling.
• Head-buts
• Hitting any target that is not allowed (spine, throat, back of the neck, back of the head below the ears, or kicking to the legs).
• Contact with the intention to hurt the opponent or with disrespect for the safety of the opponent.
• Sweeping both legs
• Talking in the ring
• Obstructing the progression of the match on purpose.
• Unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Interference from outside the ring.
• Ignoring the instructions from the referee.
• Turning your back towards the opponent in order to avoid the fight.
• Calling your own points.

The referee will declare fouls. First foul is a warning, every warning after that will result in a point for the opponent. 3rd foul will result in disqualification.

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