WSKL General Rules& Guidelines

General
Forms/Weapons
Point Sparring
Padded Sword Fighting

General

1. RINGS

must be 20'x 20' (matted for safety reasons) for both forms/sparring.

2. FINAL DECISIONS

are made by an Arbitrator
Exceptions Rule: Judges and Arbitrators, with Promoter approval, may modify rules in unforeseen circumstances affecting fairness (e.g., technology glitches, interference, anomalies disadvantaging a competitor).
A competitor or player representative must lodge their protest at the appropriate time described by respectively and calmly gaining the attention of the center official and asking for a conference and potentially calling in an arbitrator
A protest must be lodged during the sparring match/forms division and before final scores are given if it is regarding the following:
I. An improper application of the rules by an official, competitor or Player Representative.
II. An injury to a player not noticed by the Center Official.
III. A fact-based concern that the score, as posted, by the scorekeeper is incorrect
The arbitrator will have final say in the ruling.

3. JUDGES

3 judges are located at the front of the ring.
Maximum Deviation:
- The scoring system automatically recognizes the middle score (for example, a 9.92, 9.96 and a 9.95 – the 9.95 is the middle score) and adjusts the other two scores to .02 from the middle score if appropriate. In the previous example, the 9.92 is upgraded to 9.93.

Scoring:
- Black Belts: 9.90 - 10.0
- Under Belts: 9.90 - 10.0
- 2-Point Deviation Rule: A judge’s score cannot be more than 0.2 off from the middle score.

Scoring Procedure:
- Judges score after seeing all competitors in their weapon/form division.
- Each competitor receives only one score per division, per judge. (Judges will not repeat scores.)

4. AGE REQUIREMENT

Competitors compete at their age as of January 1st of the year.

5. Belt Rank

Competitors must wear the correct colored belt for their division:
- Beginner: White, Yellow, Orange
- Intermediate: Green, Blue, Purple
- Advanced: Red, Brown
Black Belts cannot compete in an Under Belt division.
Competitors may compete up in rank but must remain at that rank for the entire WSKL season.

Forms/Weapons

1. RELATIVE SCORING –

Scores reflect placement within the division, not a fixed standard.

2. TIME LIMIT

Form begins when the competitor bows into the ring and ends on their final bow to the judges.
No time limit for forms.

2a. EXTREME/MUSICAL FORMS -

Music is allowed only in musical divisions.
Competitors may add music to their grand championship performance but must execute the form/style they won their division with.

2b. WEAPONS

No restarts for weapon drops.
A drop results in a 0.05 deduction only if the competitor finishes their form.
A second drop leads to disqualification.

2c. CREATIVE FORMS/CREATIVE WEAPONS

Allowed: Spins over 360°, butterfly kicks, forward rolls, and splits.
Not Allowed: Inverted moves (e.g., cartwheels, corks, touchdown raiz).

2d. TRADITIONAL FORMS

There is no limit for the number of yells in traditional forms. There are not requirements or restrictions on kick height in traditional forms.

2e. BLACK BELT/UNDER BELT TRADITIONAL FORMS/WEAPONS

It may be any school traditional form. Same for traditional weapons. No releases for weapons.

3. ORDER OF COMPETITORS

Determined by random draw using a system like Uventex or physical methods (cards/chips).

4. RESTARTS

Allowed only for beginner open forms, without deductions.
No restarts for Intermediate, Advanced, or Black Belt divisions.

5. MUSIC PLAYERS

WSKL provides music boxes. Competitors may bring their own, ensuring compatibility.
Competitors are encouraged to have a dongle to play their music.

6. SPLITTING DIVISIONS

All divisions will be split divisions at 10 competitors.

Team Forms/Demonstrations

Team Forms: 2-4 members.
Demo Teams: 5-15 members.
60% of the original team must be present for points to count.
Under Belt teams cannot include Black Belts; Black Belt teams may include Under Belts.
Forms may include empty hand, weapons, or both.
Competitors can enter both Team Form Divisions but only compete on one team per division.

Point sparring

1. JUDGES

Three judges: 1 center, 2 side judges.
Only the center judge starts/stops action.
Side judges may signal readiness to score.
Judges are responsible for checking/enforcing proper gear and attire.

2. SAFETY EQUIPMENT

Required: Mouthpiece, groin cup (males), hand, shin, foot gear, headgear.
Recommended: Elbow pads, face shields, and chest protectors for all sparring competitors.

3. MATCH LENGTH

Elimination Matches: 2 minutes or until a competitor reaches a 10-point lead.
Overtime: First to score wins (sudden death).
Grand Champion Matches: 1 round of 2 minutes; must win by 2 points.

4. POINT VALUES

1 Point: Legal hand techniques, kicks to the body.
2 Points: Kicks to the head, jump spin kicks to the body.
3 Points: Spinning kicks to the head.
Penalty Points: 1 point per infraction.

5. LEGAL AND ILLEGAL TARGETS

Legal: Head, face, side of neck, ribs, chest, abdomen, collarbone, kidneys.
Illegal: Spine, back of neck, throat, groin, legs, upper back.
Non-Target: Hips, shoulders, buttocks, arms, feet.

6. LEGAL AND ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES

Legal: Controlled Sport Karate techniques.
Illegal: Headbutts, hair pulls, bites, scratches, elbows, knees, eye attacks, ground fighting, excessive grabbing, slapping, uncontrolled techniques, throws, takedowns, spinning backfists, unsafe techniques.
Cartwheel kicks are not allowed.
A “lead front hand” is not a scoring technique. (e.g., backfist to the body.)

7. CONTACT LEVELS

Light Touch: No visible movement.
Moderate Touch: Slight target movement.
Excessive Contact: Visible reactions (e.g., head snap, knockdowns).
Points are only awarded for light to moderate contact. Excessive contact may result in a warning, penalty point, or immediate disqualification.

8. PENALIZATION

Methods of Penalization:
- Verbal warning → -1 point → Disqualification.
- Severe infractions may warrant immediate penalty points without warnings.
Causes for Penalization:
- Attacks to illegal or non-target areas.
- Use of illegal techniques.
- Avoiding combat by running or falling.
- No warnings for running or falling; each infraction results in a penalty point.

9. OUT OF BOUNDS/DOWN OPPONENT

A competitor is out if both feet leave the boundary.
In-bounds competitors may score on an out-of-bounds opponent before a match stoppage, at the center judge's discretion.
Running/Falling to Avoid Fighting: Opponent is awarded 1 point per infraction.
A competitor is considered "down" if:
- One or two hands touch the ground.
- A knee or hip touches the ground.

10. DELAY OF COMPETITION

A competitor will be determined to be delaying the competition for any of the following:

a) A competitor arrives at the ring without the proper equipment.
b) A sparring match is ready to start, and the competitor is delaying his/her entry into the ring.
c) A competitor is not present when the match is called to the ring. The center official will declare a one-minute warning for the competitor to comply with the competition rules.

The center official may keep the time him/herself or request that the time be kept by the scorekeeper. If the competitor fails to comply within the one-minute time, a one-point penalty will be accessed. Additional penalty points will be accessed for each additional minute until a total of three penalty points is attained at which time the competitor will be disqualified from the match.

padded sword fighting