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KYOKUSHIN-KAN USA

Competition Rules & Provisions

Tournament Rules

Official Dress and Competitors:

Mandatory Bowing Protocol

In Kyokushin-kan, we uphold the principles of Budo Karate, where respect and etiquette are essential both in and out of competition. All competitors must bow correctly upon entering and exiting the competition area, as well as when showing respect to the referee panel and to each other. A proper bow is performed by raising the hands in a cross formation, then lowering them while bending the torso forward approximately 30 degrees, and clearly saying “OSU”. Failure to bow properly will result in a warning (Chui). If the correction is not made, it may lead to disqualification from the match.

Official Dress:
  1. Competitors and their coaches must wear the official uniform as herein defined.
  2. The Referee Commission may disbar any official or competitor who does not comply with this regulation.
  3. Kyokushin-kan Referees and Judges must wear the official uniform designated by KIKO. Approved Referees and Judges from other Kyokushin organizations who attend the full day seminar which will be held one day prior to the tournament are allowed to wear their respective organizations judging uniform.
  4. When Judging in the competition area or when outside the competition area the official uniform shall be as follows:
    • Official judging shirt with short sleeves. Those judges who are not from Kyokushin-kan and are willing to assist as approved judges and referees are allowed to wear their respective organization shirts.
    • An official black bow tie.
    • Plain black/gray trousers without turn-ups.
    • Plain dark blue or black socks and black slip-on shoes.
    • Female Referees and Judges may wear a hair clip.
  5. All judges are recommended to have personal whistles.
Competitors:
  1. Competitors must wear a white KARATEGI with a grade belt of the corresponding color. “Kyokushin” breast mark is allowed. Other breast marks, stripes, piping, or personal embroidery are not accepted.
  2. The KARATEGI shall be made in cotton or similar material, in good condition (without rent or tears), clean, generally dry and without unpleasant odor.
  3. Acceptable Markings:
    1. National Olympic abbreviation (on the back of the jacket).
    2. National Emblem or flag of the country (on left shoulder – from collar across shoulder down arm). The overall size may not exceed 12 cm x 8cm.
    3. Manufacturer’s trademark (on the bottom front of the jacket and the bottom front of the left leg of the trousers). Maximum size 25 square centimeters.
    4. The competitor’s name may be worn on the belt, uniform lower front top of the jacket, back of the jacket above the National Olympic abbreviation, and upper front top of the pants, and must be a maximum of 3 cm x 15 cm.
    5. Individual or team sponsor logo (on right shoulder – from collar across shoulder down arm). The overall size may not exceed 12 cm x 8cm.

    Note:

    • In addition, identification (ZEKKEN) issued by the Organizing Committee will be worn on the back.
    • The tournament Executive Committee may authorize the display of special labels or trademarks of approved sponsors on the identification (ZEKKEN).
  4. The jacket, when tightened around the waist with the belt, must be of a minimum length that covers the hips, but must not be more than three-quarters thigh length. The body of the jacket shall be worn with the left side crossed over the right and shall be wide enough to have a minimum overlap of 20 centimeters at the level of the bottom of the ribcage.
  5. The maximum length of the jacket sleeves must be no longer than the bend of the wrist and no shorter than halfway down the forearm. The sleeves shall cover the elbows of the arms when bent in elbow. Jacket sleeves may not be rolled up.
  6. The trousers must not exceed below the heel, but are not to be too short, the trouser leg edge is not to be more than 5 cm higher than the anklebone. Trouser legs may not be rolled up.
  7. A belt of the color corresponding to the competitor’s grade, must be around 5 centimeters wide and long enough to go twice around the waist and to allow about 20 to 30 cm leave protruding from each side of the knot when tied, but the ends of the belt shall not be lower than the knees. A belt shall be worn over the jacket at waist level and tied with a square knot tight enough to prevent the jacket from being too loose.
  8. Girls, junior girls, female competitors may wear a plain white T-shirt beneath the KARATEGI jacket.
  9. The competitors shall compete barefooted.
  10. For kumite competitors the following protective equipment is compulsory:
Age/ Division Headgear Mouthguard Groin Guard (Boys) Shin Guards Foot Guards Hand/ Fist Guards Chest/ Breast Guard Knee Guards Notes
4 to 11 Years Old Mandatory with cage Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Tournament distributed chest guard worn over the gi Optional Uniform soft foam chest guard issued by organizer
12 to 15 Years Old Mandatory with cage Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory soft chest guard under the gi (Girls may use approved breast guard) Mandatory All soft type gear only
16 to 17 Years Old Mandatory no cage Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory soft chest guard under the gi (Girls may use approved breast guard) Mandatory All soft type gear only
Men Beginner Division 18 and above White to Blue Mandatory no cage Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory No No No hard shell pads or gloves
Women Beginner Division 18 and above White to Blue Mandatory no cage Mandatory Optional Mandatory Mandatory Optional Mandatory chest under guard No No hard shell body or knee pads
Men Advanced 18 to 40 No Optional Mandatory No No No No No Standard full contact rules
Women Advanced 18+ Years No Optional Optional No No No Mandatory breast or chest guard No Standard full contact rules
Veterans 40 and above Mandatory no cage Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory for women Mandatory for men Safety emphasis division

Note: If your Headgear covers Mouth/with cage, you don’t have to use Mouth Piece.

  1. The following protective equipment is not compulsory:
    • groin guards for female athletes.
    • gum shields for athletes without brackets/braces. If an athlete uses a gum shield, it must fit properly.
    • This protective equipment is not mandatory, but if worn, must be of approved Kyokushin-kan type.
  2. Glasses are forbidden. Soft contact lenses can be worn at the competitor’s own risk.
  3. The wearing of unauthorized apparel, clothing or equipment is forbidden.
  4. All protective equipment must be approved by the tournament organizing team during weigh-in and registrations one day before the tournament.
  5. The use of bandages, padding, or supports during the first bout is prohibited. Later on the use of bandages, padding, or supports because of injury must be approved by the Referee on the advice of the Tournament Doctor. Bandaging with view to enhance efficiency of attacking and defensive techniques shall not be allowed. Strappings and bandages can only be applied by the Tournament Doctor and must be signed and stamped by him.
  6. The personal hygiene of the competitor shall be of a high standard.
  7. Competitors must have short fingernails on both the feet and hands and must not wear metallic or other objects, which might injure their opponents. The use of metallic teeth braces must be approved by the Referee and the Tournament Doctor. The competitor accepts full responsibility for any injury.
  8. Competitors must keep their hair clean and cut to a length that does not obstruct smooth bout conduct. Headband will not be allowed. Should the Referee consider any competitor’s hair too long and/or unclean, he may disbar the competitor from the bout. Hair slides are prohibited, as are metal hairgrips. Ribbons, beads and other decorations are prohibited. Long hair shall be tied by a discreet rubber band or pony tail retainer, so as to avoid causing inconvenience to the other competitor.
  9. It is the duty of the Referee Assistants to ensure before each match or bout that the competitors comply with the requirements.
  10. Any competitor who will not comply with the requirements will be refused the right to compete and the opponent shall win the contest by KIKEN-GACHI, if the competitor will not be able to remedy matters within 1 minute.
Coaches:
  1. Coaches shall at all times during the tournament, wear the official tracksuit of their National Organization, Federation, or Dojo, and display their official identification.
Tournament Rules

POWERS AND DUTIES OF JUDGES:

Referee Commission:

The Referee Commission’s powers and duties shall be as follows:

  1. To ensure the correct preparation for each given tournament in consultation with the Organizing Commission, regarding competition area arrangement, the provision and deployment of all equipment and necessary facilities, match operation and supervision, safety precautions, etc.
  2. To appoint and deploy the Tatami Managers (Chief Referees) to their respective areas and to act upon and take such action as may be required by the reports of the Tatami Managers.
  3. To supervise and co-ordinate the overall performance of the refereeing officials.
  4. To nominate substitute officials where such are required.
  5. To nominate the winners of special prizes (Best technique, Will for victory», etc.).
  6. To pass the final judgment on matters of a technical nature that may arise during a given match and for which there are no stipulations in the rules.
Tatami Managers:
  1. To delegate, appoint, and supervise the Referees and Judges, for all matches in areas under their control.
  2. To oversee the performance of the Referees and Judges in their areas, and to ensure that the officials appointed are capable of the tasks allotted to them.
  3. To order the Referee to halt the match when the Match Supervisor signals a contravention of the Rules of Competition.
  4. To prepare a daily written report on the performance of each official under their supervision, together with their recommendations, if any, to the Referee
Referee Panel:
  1. The Referee Panel for each match shall consist of one Referee (SHUSHIN), four Judges (FUKUSHIN), and two Referee Assistants.
  2. In addition, for facilitating the operation of matches, announcers, timekeepers, and scorers shall be appointed.
  3. At HANTEI the Referee (SHUSHIN) and the four Judges (FUKUSHIN) each have one vote.
  4. When explaining the basis for a judgment after the match, the Judges may speak to the Tatami Manager, the Referee Commission, or the Appeals They will explain themselves to no one else.
Referees:
Referee (SHUSHIN)
  1. The Referee (SHUSHIN) shall have the power to conduct matches including announcing the start, the suspension, and the end of the match, to ensure that the decisions are correctly recorded.
  2. To obtain and act upon the opinion(s) of the
  3. During the bout, the Referee shall be obliged to pay attention and react responsibly to the Judges (FUKUSHIN) signals.
  1. When two Judges give the same signal or indicate a score for the same competitor, the Referee can add his third vote and, by the majority of votes, award the clear victory (IPPON GACHI), the WAZA-ARI or penalize a competitor for the infraction of the Rules.
  2. When two Judges show an infraction of the Rules (HANSOKU) by a competitor, the Referee, depending on whether the situation in the bout evolves in favor of the offender or not, has the right not to stop the bout and show « MITOMEZU! » (« Invalid! »). If the Referee does not stop the bout, he must show this to the Judges by gesture and to the competitors by the command « ZOKKO! » (« Continue! »). If three or four Judges show an infraction of Rules by a competitor, the Referee, regardless of the situation, must stop the bout and count the flags made by the Judges and penalize the offender with the official warning (CHUI).
  1. To stop the match when it in the Referee’s opinion has been a point scored, a foul committed, or to ensure the safety of the competitors. If the Referee recognizes an infraction of the Rules (HANSOKU) and stops the bout but is not supported by the Judges and is not able to penalize the offender with the official warning (CHUI), he may give the offender an oral warning (KEIKOKU).
  2. To request confirmation of the Judges’ verdict in instances where there may, in the Referee’s opinion, be grounds for the Judges to re-evaluate their call for IPPON, WAZA-ARI, warning or penalty.
  3. If three or four Judges show IPPON, WAZA-ARI or an infraction of the rules (HANSOKU), but the Referee doubts the propriety of their judging of the situation, he may stop the bout, gather the Judges for debate, consult with the Match Supervisor (KANSA), the Tatami Manager, or the Referee Commission, and upon the consultation either declare the clear victory (IPPON GACHI), give WAZA-ARI, the order of «MITOMEZU!» («Invalid!»), or the official warning (CHUI). In case the Referee announces «MITOMEZU!» («Invalid!») or gives the official warning (CHUI), he has to precisely explain to the competitors the reasons for the decision.
  4. To explain to the Tatami Manager, Referee Commission, or Appeals Jury, if necessary, the basis for giving a judgement.
  5. To impose penalties and to issue
  6. To conduct voting of the Judges (HANTEI), including his own vote, and announce the result.
  7. To announce the
  8. The authority of the Referee is not confined solely to the competition area but also to its entire immediate perimeter.
  9. The Referee shall give all commands and make all announcements
Judges:
The Judges (FUKUSHIN)
  1. To signal points scored warnings and
  2. To exercise their right to vote on any decision to be
  3. The Judges shall carefully observe the actions of the competitors and signal to the Referee an opinion in the following cases:
    1. When a score is observed.
    2. When a competitor has committed a prohibited act and/or techniques.
    3. When an injury, illness or inability of a competitor to continue is noticed.
    4. When both or either of the competitors have moved out of the competition area (JOGAI).
    5. In other cases when it is deemed necessary to call the attention of the Referee.
  4. Each Judge is to indicate his opinion clearly by making an appropriate gesture and giving a blow of whistle.
  5. Each Judge is to express his opinion clearly in response to signals of other Judges and the Referee and show whether he supports their judging of the situation, or not, by showing «MITOMEZU! » (« Invalid! ») or «MIEZU! » («Not Visible! »).
  6. Should a Judge express a judgment different from that of the Referee and other Judges, he should roll up flags and by swinging them and whistling attract attention of the Referee, who is to gather the Referee Panel for debate.
  7. The Judges must also observe that the scores recorded by the recorders are correct with the scores announced by the Referee. Should a Judge note that the scoreboard is incorrect he should draw the Referee’s attention to the mistake.
  8. A Judge must be quick to remove himself and his chair should his position endanger the competitors.
Referee Assistants (Judges assigned to Contestants):
The Referee Assistants (SHUSHIN HOSA)
  1. To verify the compliance of competitors with the requirements to official dress and competitors’ hygiene, to ensure that the competitors are wearing approved equipment, before they enter the competition area.
  2. To substitute the Judges for the bouts, when competitors belonging to the same country to which the Judges belong enter the competition area. In case of substituting the Referee, he shall be selected from the Referee Panel.
  3. Should a competitor temporarily leave the competition area after the contest has been started, for a reason considered necessary by the Referee, a Referee Assistant must obligatorily go with the competitor to see that no anomaly occurs. This authorization shall be given only for exceptional circumstances (to change KARATEGI in case of non-conformity with norms).
  4. Should a competitor have to change any part of the uniform outside the competition area, and the Referee Assistant to accompany the competitor is not of the same sex, an official designated by the Tatami Manager shall substitute for the Judge and accompany the competitor.
Match Supervisors
  1. The Match Supervisor will assist the Tatami Manager by overseeing the bout in progress. Should decisions of the Referee and/or Judges, not be in accordance with the rules of the competition, the Match Supervisor will immediately raise the red flag and blow his whistle. The Tatami Manager will instruct the Referee to halt the match or bout and correct the irregularity. The role of the Match Supervisor is to ensure that the match or bout is conducted in accordance with the rules of the competition. He is not there as an additional Judge. He has no vote, nor has he any authority in matters of judgment, such as whether a score was valid or if JOGAI occurred. His sole responsibility is in matters of procedure.
  1. Records kept of the match shall become official records subject to the approval of the Match Supervisor.
  2. By the decision of Kyokushin-kan/Tournament Referee Commission the Match Supervisor’s duties can be assigned to the Chief Judge of the competition or the Deputy Chief Judge of the competition.
Announcers, scorers and timekeepers
  1. The scorers and timekeepers as well as other technical assistants must be of a minimum of 21 years of age, have a minimum of one year of experience as national referees, and have a good knowledge of the Refereeing Rules.
  2. The Organizing Committee must ensure that the announcers, scorers, and timekeepers have been thoroughly trained as technical officials.
  3. The timekeeper starts the clock upon hearing the announcement “HAJIME!” (“Start!”) and stops it on hearing the announcement “TOKEI-WO TOMETE KUDASAI!” (“Please, stop timing!”).
  4. When the time allotted for the contest has expired the timekeeper shall notify the Referee of this fact by a clearly audible signal and by throwing of small bag of red color with beans inside in the direction of the Referee’s feet.
  5. The scorer must ensure that he is completely informed of the current signs and signals in use to indicate the result of a contest.
Tournament Rules

DEFAULT AND WITHDRAW (KIKEN):

  1. KIKEN or forfeiture is the decision given, when a competitor or competitors fail to present themselves when called, are unable to continue, abandon the bout, or are withdrawn on the order of the Referee. The grounds for abandonment may include injury not ascribable to the opponent’s actions.
  2. The decision of KIKEN-GACHI shall be given to any competitor whose opponent does not appear for his contest. A competitor who is not at his starting place after three (3) calls during a period of one (1) minute, will forfeit the
  3. In the event that a competitor, during the fight, loses his contact lens and cannot immediately recover it, informing the Referee that he cannot continue competing without the contact lens, after consultation with the Judges the Referee shall give the victory to his opponent by KIKEN-GACHI.
  4. If a competitor abandons the bout without any good reason, he must have reasons to do that and inform the referee commission. Exceptions to this rule are listed below:
Tournament Rules

INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS IN COMPETITION:

  1. Any competitor participates in Kyokushin competitions at his own risk. Kyokushin-kan or the Organizers of the competitions shall not be taken responsible for any injury or illness, received by the competitor through the participation in the
  2. When a competitor is injured, the Referee shall immediately halt the bout and, if needed, call the Tournament Doctor. The Referee shall call the Tournament Doctor when a competitor is injured and needs medical treatment by raising his hand and verbally call out “Doctor!”. The Tournament Doctor is authorized to diagnose and treat injury only. When the Tournament Doctor declares the competitor unfit, the appropriate entry must be made in Doctor‟s Official The extent of unfitness must be made clear to Tatami Manager and scorers.
  3. A competitor who is injured during a bout in progress through a prohibited act and requires medical treatment will be allowed three minutes in which to receive it. If physically able to do so, the injured competitor should be directed off the competition area for examination and treatment by the Tournament Doctor. If treatment is not completed within the time allowed, the Referee, upon the consultation with the Tournament Doctor, will decide if the competitor shall be declared unfit to fight, or whether an extension of treatment time shall be given. If extension of treatment time is given, then the bout shall be resumed after three next bouts. If there are less than three next bouts, the time will be determined by the Tatami Manager. In either case, it shall be resumed from the time point fixed at the moment of stop of the bout due to injury.
  4. Where one competitor is unable to continue because of injury, where the cause of the injury is attributed to the injured competitor, he shall lose the contest. Where the cause of the injury is attributed to the uninjured competitor, who committed a prohibited act, the uninjured competitor shall lose the contest.
  5. An injured competitor who has been declared unfit to fight by the Tournament Doctor cannot fight again in that competition.
  6. An injured competitor who wins a bout through disqualification due to injury is only allowed to fight on in the competition if declared fit by the tournament doctor after further examination.
  7. Any competitor who is thought by the referee panel to be feigning or exaggerating an injury due to a prohibited act or technique in order to gain a penalty or disqualification of their opponent may himself be penalized or
  8. The Judges will decide the winner on the basis of HANSOKU, GENTEN or the content of the bout as the case may be.
  9. If a competitor delivered a strike to his opponent after the Referee’s order of «YAME!» («Stop!»):
      1. If the opponent was knocked down, got a serious injury, which became the reason for brief loss of consciousness by him, or got an injury, which could influence further development of the bout, even if he stood to his feet, the offender shall be disqualified (SHIKKAKU);
      2. if the opponent was knocked down, but did not lose consciousness, got a light injury, or only temporarily lost his ability to move, the offender shall be awarded the penalty point (GENTEN);
      3. if the opponent received a strike, but did not get serious injury, the offender shall be awarded the official warning (CHUI).
      4. in case the strike missed the target, the offender shall be awarded the oral warning (KEIKOKU).
Tournament Rules

OFFICIAL PROTEST:

  1. As a general rule, in Kyokushin-kan competitions protests will not be accepted or evaluated. However, if the Referee Committee and the Tournament Leadership of Kyokushin-kan decide to allow the submission and acceptance of protests in specific competitions, the submission and evaluation of the protests, as well as taking action on the results of the evaluation shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of this article. In this case, the Organizing Committee is obliged to notify in advance the competitions‟ participants about permission to submit protests.
  2. No one may protest about a judgment to the members of the Referee Panel.
  3. If a Refereeing procedure appears to contravene the Rules, the President of the country, country branch chief, or the competitor official coach or its official representative is the only one allowed to make a protest.
  4. The protest will take the form of a written report submitted immediately after the bout in which the protest was generated. The protest must give the names of the competitors, the Judges officiating, and the precise details of what is being protested. No general claims about overall standards will be accepted as a legitimate protest. The burden of proving the validity of the protest lies with the complainant. The sole exception is when the protest concerns an administrative malfunction. In case of an administrative malfunction during a match in progress, the Coach can notify the Tatami Manager directly. In turn, the Tatami Manager will notify the Referee.
  5. The protest must be submitted to a representative of the Appeals Jury. In due course the Appeals Jury will review the circumstances leading to the protested decision. Having considered all the facts available, they will produce a report, and shall be empowered to take such action as may be called for. The decision shall be taken by the Appeals Jury before the start of the next bout of the winner.
  6. Any protest concerning the application of the rules must be made in accordance with the complaints procedure defined by the Tournament Executive Committee. It must be submitted in writing and signed by the official representative of the team or competitor(s).
  7. The complainant must deposit a Protest Fee as agreed by the Tournament Executive Committee, and this, together with the protest must be lodged with a representative of the Appeals Jury.
  8. Ensuing matches or bouts will not be delayed, even if an official protest is being prepared. It is the responsibility of the Match Supervisor, to ensure that the match has been conducted in accordance with the Rules of Competition.
Composition of the Appeals Panel:

The Appeals Jury is comprised of three Senior Referee representatives appointed by the Referee Commission. The Referee Commission should also appoint three additional members with designated numbering from 1 to 3 that automatically will replace any of the originally appointed Appeals Jury members in a conflict of interest situation where the Appeals Jury member is of the same school, or has a family relationship by blood or as an In-Law with any of the parties involved in the protested incident, including all members of the Referee Panel involved in the protested incident.

Appeals Evaluation Process:

It is the responsibility of the representative of the Appeals Jury receiving the protest to convene the Appeals Jury and deposit the protest sum with the Treasurer. Once convened, the Appeals Jury will immediately make such inquiries and investigations, as they deem necessary to substantiate the merit of the protest, including the study of the evidence submitted in support of the protest, videos and questioning of officials, in an effort to objectively examine the protest’s validity.

Each of the three members is obliged to give his/her verdict as to the validity of the protest. Abstentions are not acceptable.

Declined Protests:

If a protest is found invalid, the Appeals Jury will appoint one of its members to verbally notify the protester that the protest has been declined, mark the original document with the word “DECLINED”, and have it signed by each of the members of the Appeals Jury, before depositing the protest with the Treasurer. If the protest is held by the Appeals Jury to be invalid, the protest deposit will be forfeited to tournament organizer.

Accepted Protests:

If a protest is accepted, the Appeals Jury will liaise with the Organizing Commission and Referee Commission to take such measures as can be practically carried out to remedy the situation including the possibilities of: Reversing previous judgments that contravene the rules;

  • Voiding results of the affected matches in the pool from the point previous to the incident;
  • Redoing such matches that have been affected by the incident;
  • Issuing a recommendation to the Referee Commission that involved Referees are evaluated for sanction.

All such measures will be taken to avoid a recurrence in future competitions.

The Appeals Jury will appoint one of its members who will verbally notify the protester that the protest has been accepted, mark the original document with the word “ACCEPTED”, and have it signed by each of the members of the Appeals Jury, before depositing the protest with the Treasurer, who will return the deposited sum to the protestor, and in turn forward the protest document to the tournament chairman.

Incident Report:

Subsequent to handling the incident in the above prescribed manner, the Appeals Jury will reconvene and elaborate a simple protest incident report, describing their findings and state their reason(s) for accepting or rejecting the protest. The report should be signed by all three members of the Appeals Jury and submitted to the Tournament Chairman.

Power and Constraints:

The decision of the Appeals Jury is final, thus before the decision is made by the Appeals Jury, the Executive Committee must approve the decision.

The Appeals Jury may not impose sanctions or penalties. Their function is to pass judgment on the merit of the protest and instigate required actions from the Referee Commission and Organizing Commission to take remedial action to rectify any refereeing procedure found to contravene the rules.

Tournament Rules

MODIFICATIONS:

Only the Kyokushin-kan International Honbu can alter or modify these rules.

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