Rules for Black Belt Divisions Only
1. Fight out of an Octagon, using a tape that looks like a wire fence. Eight 8’-pieces all joined at corners to create
the Octagon. Get 3” tape if possible. Each ring must have a starting point for kata (T) as well as two start lines for
kumite 6’ apart and centered.
2. Referees must all wear polo shirts that are bright yellow with the WKO Logo on the chest of each one. Referees wear
red golf shirts. They must all be wearing dark colored suit pants, blue or black (no denim), and socks or bare feet or dark,
scuff-proof black karate shoes only (no white shoes or running shoes). The golf shirts are kept as a gift to the officials and staff, and only these people are allowed to be referees or judges.
Color Designation for Golf shirts:
a. Judges wear YELLOW or RED
b. Referees wear RED ONLY
c. WKO and Tournament Officials wear BLACK
d. Arbitrator wears BLUE
e. Medical staff wear WHITE
f. Ring co-ordinators wear GREEN
g. Security wear ORANGE3. If the fight becomes obviously one-sided, the referee can call the judges together and make an announcement of the winner.
4. No late entries in any division are allowed. Once the division is started, no more entries.
5. All divisions will have two third place finishers.
6. Only the Black Belt winners will be published on the WKO web site.
7. Judges must be seated at all times during the kata or fighting in a triangle. Referees should be seated during kata only.
8. Only white uniforms in Black Belt divisions. Maximum 2 crests. Contestants must wear either a red belt or a black belt in Black Belt divisions.
9. The WKO Organization Committee retains the right to combine divisions.
10. No division will have more then 25 competitors.
11. The WKO Organization Committee will also be responsible for selection of officials for each division.
12. Weapons divisions are allowed to use black gis and hakamas.
Kumite Divisions
1. Three Judges per ring and one Referee. At the end of the fight, the officials all gather on one side to raise either left or right hand to indicate the winner. All fighting is continuous like in their schools. Three minutes for Black Belt divisions. If a tie at the end of the time limit then one judge is eliminated at Referee’s discretion and then overtime for 1 minute – a decision must be made at the end of the time. There is no scoring for individual techniques, only a winner and a loser at the discretion of the judges and referees, each getting one vote. Majority rules. The decision becomes who is the better fighter, taking into consideration points the judge and referee deem practical and efficient and if they made contact and would do serious damage.
2. These are all non-contact matches. Anything deemed uncontrolled contact by the majority of officials is immediate disqualification. No second chance. It must be majority rules to be disqualified. All techniques must be controlled at all times. Any blood, serious redness, instant swelling, or bruising or hard contact whatsoever is a MUST DISQUALIFY. Nothing after the match counts. Only the Head Arbitrator can overrule an official’s decision in a ring. He must be brought to the ring immediately by the competitor’s coach only. The coach must tell the referee he is getting the Arbitrator immediately at the end of the match.
3. Padding. All competitors must wear a mouth piece, hand pads and foot pads (foam-dipped or ‘donut’ hand protectors – ‘donut-style’ hand protectors are preferred). Head gear is mandatory in all divisions. All males must wear jocks and all women must wear breast protection. No shin pads are allowed under any circumstances in any division.4. No ground fighting, but takedowns followed by immediate techniques are allowed.
Bunkai Divisions
1. Bunkai division is a new and different category. Maximum 2 minutes per competitor. Anything goes as long as the techniques can and must be demonstrated from a traditional Japanese Okinawan form. The techniques are demonstrated in advance of the bunkai and are part of the score as to how well they are done. Judged the same as kata with 2 judges and a referee or 4 judges and a referee and all scores are totaled up and divided by the number of officials. Highs and lows are kept in. But an average score is established and announced in advance of the division by the referee. Only one attempt is permitted – no second chances. Running over the time limit is immediate disqualification. Time starts when the Referee says begin.
Kata Divisions
These rules are for Black Belt divisions only.
1. Kata divisions require two katas per person.
a. The first kata must be a traditional Japanese Okinawan form with only traditional technique.
b. The second kata must be a creative kata with only traditional movements in it – no gymnastic-type moves. If any acrobatics or gymnastic moves are used in the second kata, competitor is disqualified immediately upon majority vote by judges and referees. The competitor can choose to do a second traditional Japanese Okinawan form in place of a created form.
c. Judged with 2 judges and a referee or 4 judges and a referee and all scores are totaled up and divided by the number of officials. Highs and lows are kept in. But an average score is established and announced in advance of the division by the referee. Eliminations average score is 6.0 Finals the average score is 8.0
d. ‘Tenth of a point system’ is used.
e. All scores are added up and announced at the end of each performance.
f. A 30-second rest, maximum, is allowed in between forms. Referee will announce when the time is up.
g. At the end of the second form, the two kata scores are added together to give the competitor his final score.2. All kata divisions will compete on hard wood or tiled floors and all kumite or bunkai divisions will compete on padded floors.
WKO Kyu Belt Rules
These rules will be a standard set of rules used in the region in which the tournament is held. Kumite is usually 3 points and no-contact rules; 1 point for each technique.
Kata is the standard: throw out the high and low with five officials.
Majority always rules with the Arbitrator the only one who can overrule any official.
