SCHEDULE

Tentative for 2017

AWARDS

• 6ft Trophies for all first place Colorbelt divisions
• 2nd place and two 3rd place trophies awarded to all Colorbelt divisions
• Achievers Trophies for all participants 12 and under
• Beautiful custom marble cups for black belt divisions
• Amerikick Crystal Cups for Grand Champion Winners
• Handcrafted wooden pagoda for Traditional Challenge divisions
• Other Special Awards not confirmed at press time

RULES

1. All NASKA Black Belt Divisions will follow the NASKA Rules.  Click here for NASKA rules.

2. All Colorbelts and Non NASKA black belt divisions will follow the NASKA rules with the follow exceptions:

   1. Face Shields are optional for all ranks and 17 and younger divisions
   2. 2 handed Cartwheels, one handed cartwheels, round-offs, somersaults, front rolls, shoulder rolls and kipups are allowed in the creative forms and creative weapons divisions.
   3. Two (2) Regional/local seeds will be allowed following the four (4) NASKA seeds.

3.   Non Naska Super Demo Teams

   1. Each team must have a minimum of 11 members.  There is no maximum amount of players.
   2. 4 minute maximum time limit.  Time starts when the first member steps into the ring and time ends when the team is obviously finished, in the opinion of the judges.
   3. Weapons, music and props may or may not be used.  Any infractions, mistakes or weapon drops will be penalized by the judges decisions and relative ranking scores.  Dropping of the weapon/s is not grounds for disqualification.
   4. Scores will be based upon martial arts skills, choreography, level of difficulty, execution and overall showmanship.

4. Non Naska Synchronized Team Forms

   1. Each team must have a minimum of 2.  There is no maximum amount of players.
   2. 4 minute maximum time limit.  Time starts when the first member steps into the ring and time ends when the team is obviously finished, in the opinion of the judges.
   3. Weapons, music and props may or may not be used.  Any infractions, mistakes or weapon drops will be penalized by the judges decisions and relative ranking scores.  Dropping of the weapon/s is not grounds for disqualification.
   4. Scores will be based upon the synchronization of martial arts skills, choreography, level of difficulty, execution and overall showmanship.  Working together at the same time or rate, working in unison together, use of techniques as a domino affect, etc.

5. Self Defense World Championships

   1. The order of competition will be decided by luck of the draw.
   2. Each Competitor will randomly “draw” five different attacks situations when it is their turn to perform.  Attacks can include punches, kicks, grabs, chokes, locks, pushes, multiple attackers, multiple attackers with weapons, single weapon attacks including gun, knife and club.  After the draw the competitor will demonstrate the five defenses in the same order that they drew the attacks.  Competitors must provide their own attackers/partners and weapons.
   3. Competitors have a 5 minute time limit to demonstrate.  Time will begin when the first attack starts.  Running overtime may result in a down grade in score (judges/arbitrator discretion)
   4. Any infractions, mistakes or will be penalized by the judges decisions and relative ranking scores.  Dropping of the weapon/s is not grounds for disqualification.
   5. Scores will be based upon martial arts self defense skills, realism, effectiveness, difficulty and execution.

• Open Weight Fighting Rules

• LEGAL TARGET AREASThe following parts of the body may be attacked using the authorized fighting techniques:
  • Head Front, side, back and forehead
  • Torso Front and side Leg (Ankle and below) Note: Only for sweeping

  ILLEGAL TARGET AREAS – (PROHIBITED TECHNIQUES AND BEHAVIOUR)

  • Top of the head
  • Back of the torso (Kidneys and spine)
  • Top of the shoulders
  • Neck: Front, Sides, Back ƒ Below the belt (Except for Foot Sweeps)
  • Continue after the command “Stop” or the end of the round has been sounded
  • Turn one’s back to the opponent, running away, deliberately falling down.
  • All blind, uncontrolled techniques in general

  LEGAL TECHNIQUES

  • Kicks Front, Side, Back, Roundhouse, Hook (Sole of the foot only), Crescent, Axe (Sole of the foot only) Jumping, Spinning, Jump Kicks.
  • Hands Punch, Back fist (Not spinning / turning), Ridge hand, and Hook punch.
  • Foot sweep Below Ankle (Foot Sweeps are allowed,) to score with a Foot sweep the attacker must remain on their feet at all times. If in the execution of a Foot sweep the attacker touches the floor with any part of their body other than their feet, no score will be given. A score will be awarded to the attacker if their opponent touches the floor with any part of their body other than their feet. Please Note: It is extremely dangerous to strike with the back of the heel; it must be strictly emphasized that the attacking Fighter must extend his foot in such a manner that the Sole (Bottom) of the foot is used as the striking area when executing the following kicks: Axe, Hook and Spinning Hook kick, All Jumping spinning Kicks

  ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES AND ACTIONS

  • Attacks with any technique other than those mentioned in section 6.
  • Spinning Back Fist
  • Avoiding or refusing to fight
  • Falling or dropping to the floor without due cause.
  • Leaving the Fighting Area (Exit)
  • Attacks with malicious or excessive contact.
  • Unsportsman-like conduct, A Fighter can have only one warning, then the normal procedure for penalty and disqualification shall be followed. However, in the case of gross unsportsman -like conduct, the Fighter may be disqualified or deducted one point on the first offence, depending on the severity of the infringement.
  • Grabbing / Holding is not allowed
  • Attacking or verbally abusing an Official either inside or outside the Tatami, Pushing, Grabbing without any other purpose, Spitting or even attempting any of these actions shall result in immediate disqualification. In the event that any of these actions are made by a penalized fighter or their coaches, the person involved may be removed from the Hall or tournament site and the matter turned over to the WAKO Referee Committee. ƒ Ground Attacks ƒ Spitting out their mouth-guard voluntarily.
  • A fighter cannot attack an opponent on the ground. The central referee is responsible for stopping the match immediately when one of the two fighters touches the floor with any part of the body apart from their feet. Stomps to the head or body of a downed Fighter can lead to minus points or disqualification (judges decide by majority decision).
  • Slipping of Glove. A fighter must at all times have their hand fully placed inside the glove, he / she should at no stage enhance their range by slipping the glove forward to gain distance on their opponent. This may be deemed unsportsman like conduct
  • A fighter cannot indicate time when he / she is in a corner under pressure from their opponent.

  Coaches / Assistant Coach :

  • Inappropriately Arguing / Commenting on a score given
  • Inappropriately Arguing / Commenting on a score not given
  • Attacking or verbally abusing an Official either inside or outside the Tatami
  • Pushing, grabbing without any other purpose, spitting or even attempting any of these actions shall result in the immediate removal from Coaching Area at Tatami and possible permanent removal from Arena / Event following a Technical Committee review

  SCORING CRITERIA

  • A legal technique strikes a legal target. The authorized striking area of the hand (Not the inner hand) or foot must make “Clean, Controlled” contact. The referee and judge must actually see the technique strike the target. Awarding points based on the sound of the strike is not allowed. The Fighter must be looking at the point of contact when executing the technique.
  • All techniques must be used with “Reasonable” Power. Any technique that simply touches, brushes or pushes an opponent will not be scored.
  • If a Fighter jumps in the air to attack or defend, they must land inside (Standing Up) the Fighting Area to score following the execution of the technique, and they must keep their balance (They are not allowed to touch the floor with any part of their body except feet). If the fighter lands outside the area after the technique they do not score.
  • If a fighter loses his / her balance due to their own instability following a score and touches the ground with any part of their body other than their feet, the score will not count.
  • If a fighter loses his / her balance following a score outside his / her control (Pushed or tripped) then the score will stand.

  CALLS REFEREES AND JUDGES MAY MAKE (POINTS)

  • Referees and judges will decide only according to their opinions based on what they have seen. Officials cannot change the referee or judge’s majority decision. If a technical error has occurred the controller of the tatami may indicate time and consult with the officials to seek clarification. Even if a referee or judge makes a mistake, but the officials continue to have a majority decision the Observer of the Area will call the Appeal committee to review the decision. And define if a fundamental mistake in the application of the rules has been made or not. The Observer of the Area can change a referee or judge’s decision only when the referee or judge made a “material mistake”. A material mistake is:
    • An incorrect summation of points
    • If the referee gave a point to a fighter who dropped down or stepped out after receiving the point The Chairman of Tatami Sports and the Observer of the Area should be vigilant to ensure that the Judges are doing their jobs properly. The Referee cannot award a point by himself, It is by majority only.

  SCORE

  • Arms are immediately raised to indicate the Fighter who scored. To award a score there must be a minimum of two concurring decisions by referee and judges.
  • If the referee and one judge show two raised arms (A point for both fighters) and other judge points to one fighter, the referee’s decision must be the appropriate point for both fighters.
  • If the referee shows two points (Kick to head) and one judge shows one point, the referee must ask the judge what they saw, A kick technique or punch technique. If judge saw a kick technique the referee will award one point to the fighter, and if the judge saw a punch technique, the referee will indicate no points scored.
  • In situations where there are the same number of arms raised, both Fighters shall be awarded a score.

  NO SCORE

  • Arms are crossed in front of Referee or Judges at waist level, if the Referee or Judge could not see the technique strike a legal target area.
  • If the Referee or Judge indicates a score and the other two signals they did not see, then there can be no score awarded.
  • If one of the Fighters does not get a minimum of two arms, NO score can be awarded.
  • If the Referee commands STOP and issues a warning to one of the Fighters there can be no point awarded to the offending Fighter. However, the other Fighter may receive a point and may also receive a further score because of the warning to his opponent.
    • EXAMPLE: One of the Fighters executes a technique that merits a score, while the other Fighter violates the Rules for the second time. A score can be awarded for the first Fighter’s clean and legal technique and at the same time a penalty point can be awarded for their opponent’s Rule violation. Both must occur at the same exact time.

  AWARDING POINTS

  • If the Referee sees an action that they consider to be a valid point, they will command STOP and immediately signal the point, as do the Judges. The Referee counts the decisions and awards the score to the appropriate Fighter. Each Judge must make an immediate decision following the command of the referee.
  • If one of the Judges sees an action they consider to be a valid score, they must signal to the Referee immediately who will command “STOP” and the Referee and Judge must at that time signal their point calls. In all cases, only when you have a clear majority call, can you award a point.
    • Punch 1 pt
    • Kick to the body 1 pt
    • Foot sweep leading the opponent to touch the floor with any other part of the body apart from feet 1 pt
    • Kick to head 2 pts
    • Jumping kick to body 2 pts
    • Jumping kick to head 3 pts

  OVERVIEWS AWARDING POINTS:

  • After every recognized score the command STOP will be given and an immediate vote to indicate who scored will be given by Referee & the two Judges.
  • The Winner will be the Fighter with the most points at the end of time.
  • In the case one Fighter gaining a 10 pt. Margin, they will be declared the Winner.
  • Other methods of winning:
    • Disqualification, Exits Expiration of Time and score
    • The Officials shall call for a vote to determine if the score landed before or after time expired. Time should be indicated by a soft object being thrown in to the Tatami or shouting to centre referee

  PENALTY – EXITS (WARNING, DISQUALIFICATIONS AND EXITS)

  • Warnings should be given in a loud and clear voice so that both the Fighters and Coaches can hear and understand the warning. The Referee should stand facing the offending Fighter and give the warning.
  • To award a penalty point the Referee must first request the time to be stopped. They must face the Score Keeper and state that a penalty point is to be awarded by point to the Fighter who is to be penalized and stating in a loud, clear voice why the Fighter is being penalized.
  • If a fighter is attacking and because of their velocity forward steps off the mat, this is not regarded as an exit
  • Warnings will be carried over throughout the Match to all rounds. When referees are giving warnings or a penalty (Minus) point, they must stop the clock.
  • Exit Rules
    • 1st Exit = Official Warning
    • 2nd Exit = Official Warning -1 penalty point given verbally communicated to athlete / coach with hand signal
    • 3rd Exit = Official Warning -1 penalty point given verbally communicated to athlete / coach with hand signal
    • 4th Exit = Disqualification Verbally communicated to athlete / coach with appropriate hand signal
  • Rule Violations (Other than Exits)
    • 1st Verbal Warning = Discretionary Warning (May move to first Official Warning if warranted)
    • 1st Official Violation = Official Warning
    • 2nd Official Violation = Official Warning -1 penalty point given verbally communicated to athlete / coach with hand signal
    • 3rd Official Violation = Official Warning -1 penalty point given verbally communicated to athlete / coach with hand signal
    • 4th Official Violation = Disqualification Verbally communicated to athlete/coach with appropriate hand signal

  DISQUALIFICATION If disqualification is called for, the Referee shall confer with the Judges and with the Observer of the Area to ensure all the proper procedures are being used

  • Leaving the fighting area:If a Fighter leaves the area (EXIT) without being pushed, kicked or knocked out by their opponent it will be seen as a “Voluntary Exit” and will receive a warning from the Referee. On the second exit the Fighter will lose one point. On the third exit – 1 point. At the fourth time the Fighter leaving the area shall be disqualified.
  • Stepping out (EXIT) means
    • Stepping outside the line, even with only one foot – The Whole of the foot must be outside the designated area.
    • Stepping on the line should not be considered as stepping out. If the fighter is pushed out by the other fighter, or they went outside the line as a result of a hit or kick, it is not classed as a voluntary exit.
    • The fact of stepping out is stated by the judge every time or decide about is on the basis of majority decision.
    • Warnings for leaving the area will be kept as a separate issue from Warnings for other offences. All exits will be indicated to fighter and table official. See Section 7 for deliberate infringement of rules and Section 9 restructure.

  HAND SIGNALS

  VIOLATIONS OF RULES

  • Using illegal techniques
  • Avoiding fight
  • Turning around
  • Unnecessary dropping down to waste time
  • Commenting on referee’s decisions
  • • Behaving in an un sportsman-like manner
    • Loud commands of coach
    • Coach entering Tatami in case of injury
    • Deliberate Exits For any violation of rules by a coach, the referee will give penalties to their fighter.
    • Gross and serious rules violations may be handled immediately with a penalty point or even disqualification in extreme cases. Anytime a Referee thinks that a disqualification is necessary, they shall confer with all the Judges and the Observer of the area at the event to ensure that the proper procedures are being applied. A Fighter cannot receive a Point and a warning at the same time. As per section 7

    Stopping the match (Time-out)

    • Only the Referee has the power to stop the match. When the referee is giving warnings or a penalty (Minus point) They must stop the clock
    • A Fighter may request a time-out by raising their arm to check an injury or correct / fix their safety equipment. The Referee does not have to grant time-out if they feel it would be an unfair advantage or that it may in any way take away the advantage from the other Fighter, unless the request is related to a health and safety issue.
    • Time-Outs shall be kept to a minimum. If the Referee feels that a Fighter is using Time-Outs to rest or to prevent the other Fighter from scoring a warning shall be given for delaying the Match. Only the Observer of the Area may interrupt the Match from outside the Tatami. They shall attract the attention of the Referee who shall call Time-Out.
    • If a Coach wishes to lodge a complaint or protest, they shall notify the Chairman of Tatami Sports. They may, if possible, handle the protest without stopping the match.

     

    REASONS FOR TIME-OUT

    • Injury (See Rule on injuries and treatment)
    • For the Referee to confer with Judges or Responsible of the Fighting Area
    • For the Referee to converse with a Fighter or his Coach
    • To ensure safety and fair play Time-Out is not called to issue points. The Referee should do this quickly to ensure that each Fighter has the benefit of the complete Fighting time allowed for the Match. Referees who are not proficient in administering the Match quickly and fairly, may be replaced by the WAKO Tournament Chairman of Tatami Sports

    INJURIES

    • In the case of an injury to one of the Competitors, The Match shall be stopped only long enough for the Medic / Doctor to decide whether or not the injured Fighter can continue. Once the Medic / Doctor arrives on the Tatami, they shall have only two minutes to decide if the injury requires treatment. All treatments must be completed within two minutes.
    • If the Match must be stopped because of injury, the Referee & the two side Judges must decide:
      • Who caused the injury?
      • Whether or not it was an intentional injury
      • Whether or not it was the fault of the injured Fighter
      • Whether or not the injury was caused by an illegal technique
      • If there were no Rules violations by the uninjured Fighter, that Fighter shall win by forfeiture
      • If there was a Rules violation by the uninjured Fighter, the injured Fighter wins by disqualification
      • If the injured Fighter is declared fit to continue by the Medic / Doctor, then the Fight shall resume If a fighter gets injured in a fight, the doctor is the only person that can evaluate the circumstances.