Sen- shu- ken Tai- kai

Saturday October 11, 2008

18th Annual American International
Karate Championships

Knockdown Rules

Knockdown fighting is what Kyokushin Karate is famous for – full contact fighting with no pads.

Protective Equipment

  • No head, hand or foot protection is permitted.
  • Groin protector and mouthpiece are mandatory.
  • Taping of the hands or feet is not permitted during the first round of competition.  After the first round, taping is permitted only if approved by the referee before the round begins.

Match Time Limit

Each match shall be 2 minutes, with one or two 2-minute overtime rounds in the event of tie/draw (see Scoring section below).

Legal Techniques

All karate techniques, other than those outlined in the Illegal Techniques section below, are permitted.  This includes full contact kicks and knees to the head, legs and torso.  Leg kicks and sweeps, designed to take down the opponent, must be immediately followed up with a non-contact karate technique.

Scoring

  • One (1) full point wins the match!
  • Any legal hand, elbow or kicking technique that makes contact to the opponent and stuns the opponent momentarily, or causes the opponent's hand or any part of their body to touch the floor, will be scored a half point.
  • A leg sweep that causes the opponent to fall to the mat, if immediately followed up with a well-focused non-contact punch or kick, will be awarded a half point.
  • If an opponent is unable to continue within the standard five second count administered by the head referee and corners judges, the contest will be declared a knockout with the winner receiving 1 point and the match.
  • If no points are scored during the match, the judges may award the match to a competitor based on demonstration of "spirit" or technical excellence during the fight.  A competitor who has scored at least a half point at the end of the match may be declared the winner.
  • If neither competitor is declared the winner by decisive points or by the referee's decision, there will be an additional 2 minute overtime round held.  If no winner is declared after the first overtime round, the competitor who weighs at least 5 kilos (11 lbs.) less than his or her opponent will be declared the winner of the match.  If there is no weight advantage, a final 2 minute overtime round may be held.  After the final overtime round, if no points are scored, the head referee and corner judges must declare a winner.

All decisions by the referee and corner judges are final.

Illegal Techniques

  • Attacks to the spine area.
  • Attacks to the back of the head.
  • Attacks to the groin.
  • Any hand, elbow, or head strikes to opponents head, face or neck areas.
  • Kicks to the knee joints.
  • Grabbing or holding.
  • Excessive running out of bounds, to escape the opponent, may result in points being deducted or disqualification.
  • Two warnings for the same violation will result in a half point deduction.
  • Any "unsportsmanlike" conduct.

Officiating

The officiating staff will consist of a head Referee and four Corner Judges located in the fighting area, plus a timekeeper and a scorekeeper.  The Referee is the supreme arbitrator of any and all questions pertaining to the interpretation of the rules or conflicts that may arise during the competition.  Any competitor acting in an unsportsmanlike manner will automatically be disqualified from the contest.  Use of intentional illegal techniques shall be considered evidence of unsportsmanlike behavior.  All decisions are final.

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