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KARATE REFEREE

Sep 26, 2010|

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World Karate Federation

RULES OF KARATE COMPETITION

KUMITE

KATA

(this text refers to the male and the female)

AP1: GESTURES AND FLAG SIGNALS.


OTAGAI-NI-REIThe Referee motions to the contestants to bow to each other.

SHOBU HAJIME
“Start the Match”
After the announcement, the Referee takes a step back.


TSUZUKETE HAJIME “Resume fighting—Begin” As he says “Tsuzukete”, and standing in a forward stance, the Referee extends his arms outward with his palms facing the contestants. As he says “Hajime” he turns the palms and brings them rapidly towards one another at the same time stepping back.

YAME
“Stop”
Interruption or end of combat. When he announces "YAME, the referee cut from top to bottom with the hand.

SCORE

AIUCHI
“Simultaneous Scoring Techniques”
No points are awarded to competitors, the referee back fists toward each other at chest height.


SHUGO “Call of judges " The Referee calls the Judges at the end of the match or bout: or to recommend Shikkaku.

TECHNICAL TOO LOW
The referee judges that the technique was not sufficient power, waving his hand up and down.

AKA A MARKED THE FIRST
The referee judges that AKA scored the first, bringing the open right hand in left palm.

AO A MARKED THE FIRST
The referee tells the judges that scored the first AO, bringing the left hand open in the right palm.


CANCEL LAST DECISION When an award or penalty has been given in error the Referee turns towards the contestant, announces “Aka” or “AO”, crosses his arms, then makes a cutting motion, palms downward, to indicate that the last decision has been cancelled.

TECHNIQUE BLOCKED OR OFF TARGET.
The Referee places an open hand over the other arm to indicate to the Judges that the technique was blocked or hit a non-scoring area.

TECHNIQUE MISSED
The Referee moves the clenched fist across the body to indicate to the Judges that the technique missed or glanced off the scoring area.

INCORRECT DISTANCE
"Too far"
The referee judges that the distance of the technique is not correct, keeping both hands, palms facing each other at a distance of approximately 30 centimeters.

Reconsider
The referee asks judges, after stating the reason to reconsider their views,


TORIMASEN “Unacceptable as a Scoring Technique” The Referee crosses his arms then makes a cutting motion, palms downward. When the Referee uses this signal to the Judges followed by the signal for reconsideration it means that the technique was deficient in one or more of the six scoring criteria.


Ippon "1 point" The referee extends his arm to 45 degrees downward, toward the scorer. He announced, Aka or AO, the technique, Ippon. For example, Ao-zuki Chudan Ippon.


NIHON "Two points" The Referee extends his arm at shoulder level on the side of the scorer. He announced, Aka or AO,the technique, Nihon.


SANBON "Three points" The referee extends his arm upward at 45 degrees, near the scorer. He announced, Aka or AO, the technique, Sanbon.


AKA NO KACHI "Red is the winner" At the end of the bout, the Referee extends his arm upward at 45 degrees on the side of the winner.


AO NO KACHI "Blue is the winner" At the end of the bout, the referee extends his left arm to 45 degrees on the side of the winner.


HIKIWAKE “Draw” When time is up and scores are equal, or no scores have been awarded the Referee crosses his arms then extends them with the palms showing to the front.

CATEGORY 1 OFFENCE

EXCESSIVE CONTACT
The Referee indicates to the Judges that there has been excessive contact or other Category 1 offence.

Mubobi
"Self Endangerment"
The Referee touches his face, then turning the edge of his hand forward, it rotates in front of his face, to tell the judges that the contestant exposed himself to danger.

CHUKOKU
Warning Category 1 without penalty. The referee turns in the direction of the offender and crosses his hands open side by side at chest height.


KEIKOKU “Ippon Penalty”. The Referee indicates a Category 1 or 2 offence then points with his index finger downwards at 45 degrees in the direction of the offender, and awards Ippon (one point) to the opponent.


HANSOKU CHUI “Nihon Penalty”. The Referee indicates a Category 1 or 2 offence then points with his index finger horizontally in the direction of the offender and awards Nihon (two points), to the opponent.


HANSOKU “Disqualification” The Referee indicates a Category 1 or 2 offence then points with his index finger upwards at 45 degrees in the direction of the offender, and awards a win to the opponent.

BREACH OF CATEGORY 2

JOGAI
“Exit from the competition Area”
The Referee indicates an exit to the Judges, by pointing with the index finger to the match area boundaryon the side of the offender.

AVOIDING COMBAT
The Referee makes a circling motion with the down turned index finger to indicate to the Judges a Category 2 offence.

TALKING TO OR GOADING THE OPPONENT AND DISCOURTEOUS BEHAVIOUR
The Referee places his index finger to his lips to indicate to the Judges a Category 2 offence.

FEIGNING OR EXAGGERATING INJURY
The Referee holds both hands to his face to indicate to the Judges a Category 2 offence.


BREACH OF CATEGORY 2 CHUKOKU Making the appropriate signal the Referee gives a warning of a Category 2 offence. No penalty is issued at this time.


BREACH OF CATEGORY 2 KEIKOKU The Referee indicates a Category 2 offence then points with his index finger downwards at 45 degrees in the direction of the offender, and awards Ippon (one point) to the opponent.


HANSOKU CHUI The Referee indicates a Category 2 offence then points with his index finger horizontally in the direction of the offender and awards Nihon (two points), to the opponent.


BREACH OF CATEGORY 2 HANSOKU The referee indicates an absence of category 2, then point the finger at the face of the offender and announces the victory of the opponent.


SHIKKAKU "Disqualification, leave the competition area!" The Referee points first upwards at 45 degrees in the direction of the offender then motions out and behind with the announcement “Aka (AO) Shikkaku!” He then announces a win for the opponent.

KIKEN
“Renunciation”
The Referee points with the index finger towards the renouncing contestant's line then announces a win to the opponent.

THE JUDGE’S FLAG SIGNALS

IPPON	NIHON
SANBON
FOUL Warning of a foul. The appropriate flag is waved in a circle, then a Category 1 or 2 signal is made.	CATEGORY 1 OFFENCE The flags are crossed and extended with the arms straight.
CATEGORY 2 OFFENCE The Judge points the flag with arm bent
JOGAI The Judge taps the floor with the appropriate flag	KEIKOKU
HANSOKU CHUI	HANSOKU
TORIMASEN
AIUCHI The flags are moved toward each other, in front of the chest.

AP2: THE TERMINOLOGY.

Term Meaning Method of signalling:

Shobu Ippon / Nihon/ Sanbon Hajime - Start the Match. The Referee stands on the official line and announces.

Shobu Hajime - Start the extended Match. The Referee stands on the official line and announces.

Atoshi Baraku - 30 seconds before the end of the Match, an audible signal will be given by the timekeeper, and repeated by the referee.

Yame - Temporary halt of Match. The Referee chops downwards with one hand. The timekeeper stops the clock.

Tsuzukete - Continue fighting. Ordered after an unauthorized interruption has occurred.

Tsuzukete Hajime - Restarting the Match. The Referee stands on the official line, steps back into Zenkutsu- Dachi and brings the palms of the hands towards each other with the command.

Soremade - End of the Match. The Referee faces the palm of one hand between the contestants, with the arm outstretched.

Motonoichi - Referee orders the contestants to their original positions. The Referee and Judges return to their respective standing lines.

Fukushin Shugo - Judges called. The Referee beckons with one/two arm(s) to the Judges, as required.

Hantei - The Referee calls for judgment by blowing their whistle, and the Judges render their decision by flag signal.

Ippon - The Referee extends their arm higher than their shoulders, towards the relevant contestant.

Waza-ari - The Referee extends their arm slightly downwards to the side towards the relevant contestant.

Awasete Ippon - Two Waza-ari recognised As Waza-ari + Ippon. valued as one Ippon.

Aiuchi - Simultaneous scoring techniques. No point awarded. The Referee brings his fists together in front of the chest and announces.

Hikiwake - A draw. The Referee extends both arms to the side and slightly downwards with palms facing up and announces.

Aka (Shiro) no Kachi - Victory of red (white). The Referee obliquely raises an arm on the side of the winner.

Encho-sen – Match Extension. Referee restarts the Match with the command "Shobu Hajime".

Torimasen - Not acceptable as scoring. Gesture as Hikiwake, but hand position culminating with the palms facing downwards.

Atenai / Keikoku - Private warning.

Chui - Official warning. The Referee points with the index finger to the feet of the offender at an angle of 45 degrees.

Hansoku - Foul/Disqualification. The Referee points with the index finger to the face of the offender and announces hansoku, then announces a victory for the opponent.

Jogai - Exit from fighting area. The Referee points the index finger at a 45 degree angle to the area boundary on the side of the offender.

Ukete Imasu - Technique blocked. An open hand touching the elbow of the opposite arm.

Nukete Imasu - Technique missed. A closed hand crossing in front of the body.

Yowai - Technique too weak. An open hand descending downwards.

Hayai - Quickest/first to score. An open hand touching the palm of the other hand, with the fingers.

Maai - Bad distance. Technique out of range, both the hands are arranged open and parallel to the floor, and facing each other.

Mubobi - Warning for lack of regard for one’s own safety. The Referee points one index finger in the air at a 60- degree angle on the side of the offender and announces.

Kiken - Renunciation. The Referee points with the index finger towards the contestant and announces SHIRO (AKA) NO KIKEN, AKA (SHIRO) NO KACHI

Shikkaku - Disqualification from the tournament. The Referee points first with the index finger to the offender's face, then obliquely above and to the rear, and outside the area.

AP3: OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR REFEREES AND JUDGES.

This Appendix is intended to give assistance to Referees and Judges where there may be no obvious guidance in the Rules or Explanations.

EXCESSIVE CONTACT
When a contestant makes a scoring technique immediately followed by another which makes excessive contact the Referee Panel does not award the score and instead issues a Category 1 warning or penalty (unless it is the recipient’s own fault).

EXCESSIVE CONTACT AND EXAGGERATION
When a competitor makes a pretence of having received an excessive contact and the Referee Panel decides instead that the technique in question was controlled, satisfying all six scoring criteria, then a score will be awarded and a Category 2 warning or penalty for feigning or exaggeration will be issued. (Always taking into account that severe cases of feigning injury may warrant Shikakku.)

MUBOBI
A warning or penalty for Mubobi is given when a competitor is hit or injured through his or her own fault or negligence. This may be caused by turning their back on the opponent, attacking with a long, low gyaku tsuki chudan without regard for the opponent’s jodan counter attack, stopping fighting before the referee calls “Yamae”, dropping their guard or concentration and repeated failure or refusal to block the opponent’s attacks. Explanation XVI of Article 8 states:

Should the offender receive an excessive contact and/or sustain an injury and the fault is considered to be the recipient’s, the referee will issue a Category 2 warning or penalty and may decline to give a penalty to the opponent.

A contestant who is hit through their own fault and exaggerates the effect in order to mislead the Referee Panel may receive a warning or penalty for Mubobi as well as an additional penalty for exaggeration, since two offences have been committed.

It should be noted that there are no circumstances in which a technique that has made excessive contact can be given a score.

ZANSHIN
Zanshin is described as a state of continued commitment in which the contestant maintains total concentration, observation, and awareness of the opponent's potentiality to counter-attack. Some contestants after delivering a technique will turn their body partially away from the opponent but are still watching and ready to continue the action. The Referee Panel must be able to distinguish between this continued state of readiness and one where the contestant has turned away, dropped their guard and concentration, and in effect has ceased fighting.

CATCHING A CHUDAN KICK.
Should the Referee Panel award a score when a contestant delivers a chudan kick and the opponent then catches the leg before it can be withdrawn?

Provided that the kicking contestant maintains ZANSHIN there is no reason why this technique cannot score provided that it contains all six of the scoring criteria. After all in the case of two almost simultaneous gyaku tsukis it is normal practice to award a score to the contestant considered to have landed their technique first even though both might be considered effective. Theoretically, in a real fight scenario, a full power kick would be deemed to have disabled the opponent and therefore the leg would not be grabbed. Appropriate control, the target area, and satisfaction of all six criteria, are the deciding factors as to whether any technique can be awarded a score or not.

THROWING AND INJURIES.
Since grabbing hold of the opponent and throwing is allowed under certain conditions it is incumbent upon all coaches to ensure that their competitors are trained in and are able to use break-fall/safe landing techniques.

A competitor who attempts a throwing technique must comply with the conditions imposed in the Explanations in Article 6 and Article 8. If a competitor throws their opponent in full compliance with the stated requirements and an injury results due to the opponent failing to make a proper break-fall, then the injured party is responsible and the thrower should not be penalised. Self-caused injury can result when a contestant being thrown, instead of making a break-fall lands on an extended arm or elbow, or holds onto the thrower and pulls them down on top of themselves.

A potentially dangerous situation occurs when a contestant grabs both legs to throw the opponent on their back. The Article 8, Explanations X states that “…and the opponent must be held onto throughout, so that a safe landing can be made.” Since it is difficult to ensure a safe landing, a throw such as this may fall into the prohibited category. If an injury results this would be dealt with under Category 1. If there is no injury or the throwing process is interrupted by the Referee then a Category 2 warning or penalty could be imposed under Article 8, Category 2, Paragraph 6. It should be emphasised that this kind of throwing technique is not prohibited per se; it is the manner in which it is executed that will be the deciding factor.

THREE MIENAIS
If three Judges signal “Mienai” after the referee has stopped the bout can the Referee give a score or penalty?

Paragraph III of the Explanations in Article 12 states “However, when the bout is halted, the majority decision will prevail.” Since the Judges have seen nothing they are not considered to be offering an opinion or vote and therefore the Referee is in the majority. This situation can occur when action occurs close to the match area perimeter on the Referee's side and where the Judges are unsighted.

TWO AKA, ONE MIENAI
If after Yame, two Judges signal a score for Aka and the other Judge signals Mienai, can the Referee give a score to AO?

The rules state that the Referee cannot go against two Judges unless he has the positive support of the other Judge. Mienai is not positive support because it indicates that the Judge did not see a scoring technique. Therefore the Referee has no support and must ask the Judges to reconsider their decision, indicating why he thinks they should do so.

RE-CONSIDERATION
The Referee may ask the Judges to re-consider when “…he believes them mistaken, or when implementation would be a violation of the rules.” However re-consideration should be asked for only once. If the Referee’s request is not supported then the majority decision must be given.

CLARITY OF SIGNALS
To avoid confusion Judges should give only one signal at a time. If a technique fails to score it is not required to indicate why in the first instance. The correct procedure is to cross and uncross the flags (Torimasen). Signals such as “blocked”, “missed”, etc., should be given only if and when the Referee asks for re-consideration. In order to avoid unnecessary mistakes and requests for re-consideration all three Judges must indicate their relative opinions when the Referee stops the match and returns to his position.

JOGAI
Judges must remember that when indicating Jogai they are required to tap the floor with the appropriate flag. When the Referee stops the bout and returns to his position they should then indicate a Category 2 infringement.

RECONSIDERATION PROCEDURES FOR JUDGES
When the Referee asks for re-consideration the Judge must first consider the Referee’s request. However should the Judge disagree then he should indicate his reason why and then re-confirm his original decision.

If the Judge believes in retrospect that the Referee was in a better position to see or interpret the action then he may change his decision in support of the Referee.

When a Judge knows that there were two techniques but could see only one actually reach the scoring area but nevertheless is sure that his decision is correct he should indicate “Mienai” for the Referee’s choice then re-confirm his own choice.

When a Judge knows that there were two techniques but could see only one actually reach the scoring area and believes that the Referee’s choice was first (the Judge could see the contestant’s body action but not actual arrival at the scoring area) then the Judge should indicate “Mienai” for the Referee’s choice and not indicate a score for the other. This indicates no preference and no vote and gives responsibility to the Referee to resolve the situation.

INDICATION OF RULES INFRINGEMENTS
For Category 1 infringements Judges should first circle the with the appropriate coloured flag then extend the crossed flags to their left for Aka, putting the red flag in front, and to their right for AO, putting the blue flag in front. This enables the Referee to clearly see which competitor is regarded as the offender.

AP4: SCORING SYMBOLS.

The following are internationally recognised symbols, which should be used to record scores and sanctions in competitions.

	Sanbon	Three Points Score
	Nihon	Two Points Score
	Ippon	One Point Score

	Kachi	Winner
X	Make	Loser
	Hikiwake	Draw (Tie)

C1W	Category 1 Foul — Warning	Warning without Penalty
C1K	Category 1 Foul — Keikoku	One Point to Opponent
C1HC	Category 1 Foul — Hansoku Chui	Two Points to Opponent
C1H	Category 1 Foul — Hansoku	Disqualification

C2W	Category 2 Foul — Warning
C2K	Category 2 Foul — Keikoku	One Point to Opponent
C2HC	Category 2 Foul — Hansoku Chui	Two Points to Opponent
C2H	Category 2 Foul — Hansoku	Disqualification

KK	Kiken	Forfeiture

S	Shikkaku	Serious Disqualification

AP5: MATCH AREA.

Safety Area is to be a minimum of 1 metre round to Shia-jo.

LAYOUT OF THE KUMITE COMPETITION AREA:

MEASUREMENTS OF KUMITE COMPETITION AREA:

competition area

Surface for practicing karate; bouts last a maximum of three minutes.

karateka

Athlete who practices karate; some, but not all, organizations classify karatekas by weight.

arbitration committee

Group of upper-level officials who especially supervise the bout as it unfolds and check that the referee and the judges perform their duties correctly.

timekeeper

Official who monitors the duration of the bout.

scorekeeper

Official who tracks the karatekas’ points and penalties.

corner judge

One of the four officials who assist the referee, give their opinions especially about the referee’s decisions and judge the actions of the karatekas.

referee

Official who enforces the rules, directs the bout on the mat, awards the points and gives out warnings and penalties.

contest area

Mat with an area of 26 ft2 on which the bout takes place; it is surrounded by a safety surface.

competitors’ line

Mark designating the karatekas’ position at the start of the bout and after any interruption.

referee’s line

Mark designating the regulation position of the referee during the bout.

LAYOUT OF THE KATA COMPETITION AREA:

Five Judge layout

AP6: THE COMPULSORY KATA LIST.

SCHEDULE OF W.K.F. COMPULSORY (SHITEI) KATA

ShotoKan	Jion - Kanku Dai
Goju Ryu	Seipai - Saifa
Shito Ryu	Bassai Dai - Seienchin
Wado Ryu	Seishan - Chinto

AP7: AGE CATEGORIES.

Age categories for the competition should be:

1.For individual events – KATA and KUMITE

            CADET II   = 12 years of age up to and including 13 years.

CADET I    = 14 years of age up to and including 15 years.

JUNIOR I = 16 years of age up to and including 17 years.

YOUTHS   = 18 years of age up to and including 20 years.

SENIOR = 21 years and over

2.For team events – KATA and Kumite

     CADET = 12 years of age up to and including 15 years.

     SENIOR = 16 years and over

Note:    The Executive of the S.K.D.U.N. reserves the right to amend these rules to include further categories at their discretion, such as VETEREAN categories.

Also, in order to cater for the different Laws, regulations, etc. that may exist in the various countries.

            The APPENDIX VII to the rules does not intend to replace or impose these rules on individual member countries belonging to the S.K.D.U.N. organizing and running a competition.

AP8: THE KARATE-GI.