Ninh explains, the Rules of Taekwondo Taekwondo, sometimes referred to as ‘Olympic
Taekwondo’, is a combat sport that is contested between two fighters, in a ring that measures
8m in diameter.
This video outlines the new 2017 rules as set out by World Taekwondo, formerly the World
Taekwondo Federation.
If you are a practitioner of ITF or GTF Taekwondo, this video does not apply.
The contest starts by bowing to the referee and bowing to your opponent.
When the referee tells you to go, the fight begins.
The object of the game is to win a contest by either points or by knockout.
To score these points, you must hit your opponent with force.
Lightly tapping your opponent will not score.
You must hit the coloured area of your opponents padding, either on the head, or the chest
protector, known as the Hogu.
Any punch to the torso, scores 1 point.
Any straight kick to the torso scores 2 points.
Any spinning or turning kick to the torso, scores 3 points.
Any straight kick to the head scores 3 points.
And, any spinning or turning kick to the head scores a maximum 4 points.
This is the highest scoring attack in Taekwondo.
In Olympic Taekwondo, you are NOT allowed to punch to the face, and you will be penalised
for doing so.
If your opponent cannot continue the fight, either by injury, a referee stoppage, or by
you knocking them unconscious – this is a knockout and the referee will stop the contest
and award you the win.
The fight is contested in three rounds of two minutes each, with a one minute break
in between rounds.
Whoever knocks their opponent out first, or has the highest score at the end of time wins.
That’s the bare basics of it all, but there’s a few other things you’ll need to know before
playing or watching Taekwondo.
For example.
Penalties.
As of 2017, the only Penalty in Taekwondo is a Gam-Jeom.
If a fighter breaks one of the rules and is issued a Gam-Jeom, this awards a point to
your opponent.
Things you cannot do.
There’s lots of things you cannot do in Taekwondo.
All of these are now punishable with a Gam Jeom penalty as of 2017.
You cannot cross the boundary of the ring.
You cannot fall to the ground.
You cannot avoid or delay the fight.
You cannot grab or push your opponent.
You cannot lift the leg to block, hold your leg in the air for longer than 3 seconds or
kick below the waist.
You cannot lift a leg and put it back down without attacking.
You cannot headbutt or knee your opponent.
You cannot attack a fighter if they’re on the floor, or if the referee pauses the fight.
And as previously mentioned, you cannot punch to the face.
The referee will give this signal, to indicate that the fighter has given up one point.
Also any inappropriate behaviour to any official, by the fighter or his coach, will also result
in a Gam Jeom penalty.
Golden Point Round If scores are tied after three periods, an
extra period of 1 minute will be played to determine the winner.
This is known as the Golden Point Round and the first fighter to score a single point,
wins.
If scores are still tied after the Golden Point Round, judges will decide on the winner
based on superiority.
You can also win the Golden Point Round if your opponent picks up 2 Gam-Jeom penalties.
Point Gap.
If a fighter accrues a 20 point lead over their opponent by the end of the second round,
or at any time in the third round, the referee will end the contest and automatically declare
that fighter: the winner by point gap.
Punitive Declaration.
If a fighter intentionally refuses to comply with the rules, or has amassed 10 Gam-Jeom
penalties, the referee will end the contest immediately and declare the opponent the winner.
It’s rare, but it happens.
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Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK