UTF Tournament Frequently Asked Questions

The answers to these questions are based on how the UTF Mayor's Cup is run. However, each tournament director may make modifications according to what will make a particular tournament work best. If there are substantial changes, they will be discussed before the tournament, and you will be told either by general announcement, by someone at your competition ring, or by your instructor.

SPARRING

What do I have to wear?
What else can I wear?
What will I not be allowed to wear?
How do I get points?
What kind of kicks and punches can I use?
Where am I allowed to hit my opponent (and where is my opponent allowed to hit me)?
How hard is hard enough?
Who keeps track of my points?
How do I win?
What if it's a tie?
How long does a match last?
How many matches will I have?
What are penalties?
What can penalties be given for?

FORMS

What forms may I do?
How many people will I be competing against?
How will my form be scored?

SPARRING

What do I have to wear?
In addition to your martial arts uniform, you'll need to wear a chest guard and head gear. If you're a male, you'll also need to wear a groin protector.

What else can I wear?
You can wear shin and instep protection, a mouth guard and soft hand protection.

What will I not be allowed to wear?
You can't wear anything that will be unsafe for you or your opponent, including jewelry and hard sparring equipment (hard leather gloves, soccer shin guards, etc.). If the referee thinks something you are wearing might be unsafe, you'll have to remove it, but you'll still get to compete.

How do I get points?
You have to land a kick or punch, making sure that it's the foot or hand that hits. It has to hit in a legal area. And it has to hit hard enough.

What kind of kicks and punches can I use?
There are no restrictions on which kinds of kicks or punches you can use, but there are restrictions on what parts of your body you can hit your opponent with. You aren't allowed to hit with your knees, elbows or head. If you are kicking and hit with your shin, there won't be a penalty, but unless the foot hits, too, you won't get a point for it.

Where am I allowed to hit my opponent (and where is my opponent allowed to hit me)?
You are only allowed to hit above the belt, below the neck, and in the front or on the sides. If you are doing a “double” (two kicks thrown, one with each foot, in rapid succession, made possible by using a slight jump on the second kick) the first kick will be allowed if it is a little low. But it must be followed immediately by the second kick.

If you kick while your opponent is moving and that movement causes you to kick low or to the back, that kick will be considered “incidental,” and you won't be penalized.

How hard is hard enough?
If your opponent weren't wearing a chest guard and your kick or punch would have been hard enough to make your opponent hurt, that's hard enough.

Who keeps track of my points?
Each judge sitting around the ring has a score sheet. When a judge sees you land a point, he or she will write it down.

How do I win?
Make sure the judges see you hit your opponent more than you get hit. At the end of the match, the judges turn in their score sheets. If most of the judges think you scored more points, you win.

What if it's a tie?
If you and your opponent are tied at the end of the match, the referee will start you again, and whoever scores the first point wins. Since it's the first point that wins, the judges will call out when they see a point. If most of the judges think you got a point and got it first, you win.

How long does a match last?
Most UTF matches have two rounds, each a minute long, with a 30-second break between rounds. But all of that is subject to change from tournament to tournament.

How many matches will I have?
This also varies from tournament to tournament, but we try to make sure you get at least two, even if one of them is an exhibition match with a black belt. Don't worry, though. If you have an exhibition match, the black belt isn't allowed to beat you out of a medal/trophy or to hurt you.

What are penalties?
If a competitor does something against the rules, whether on purpose or by accident, that person might get a penalty. There are four kinds of penalties:

1. Verbal. A verbal penalty is for something that isn't serious. The referee will just tell the competitor what he or she is doing wrong and then continue the match.

2. Warning. This is a bit more serious. If a competitor does something against the rules that might be unsafe or that might affect the score, the referee will give a warning. Two warnings will cause the competitor to lose a point.

3. Point deduction. This is serious. If the referee gives a point deduction, it's because a lot of contact is involved, something is being done on purpose, and/or because the competitor continues doing something against the rules.

4. Disqualification. Obviously, this is very serious. The referee will disqualify a competitor when that competitor has gotten out of control and the referee feels the match cannot continue safely.

What can penalties be given for?
It looks like a long list, but they are the same kinds of things you probably aren't allowed to do while sparring in class.

Pushing — using any part of the body to drive an opponent away without kicking or punching.

Grabbing — grabbing hold of the opponent's body, uniform or equipment.

Holding — not necessarily grabbing, but impeding the opponent's movement.

Throwing — grabbing the opponent and using that leverage to put the opponent on the floor.

Attacking an illegal area — hitting the opponent above the armpits, below the belt or in the back.

Attacking with an illegal part of your body — hitting the opponent with a knee, elbow, head butt, etc.

Attacking a fallen opponent — when one competitor is on the floor, the other competitor may not attack him/her, even if the referee hasn't yet called “Break.”

Running out of the ring — either going out of bounds excessively, or going out of bounds intentionally to avoid competition.

Turning the back — this refers to intentionally turning the back to avoid being scored on, not turning as part of a kick or to face back toward an opponent.

Falling — either falling intentionally to avoid getting hit or falling excessively.

Attacking after the “break” — refusing to stop fighting when the referee calls for a break.

Unsportsmanlike conduct — talking back to the referee, losing one's temper, etc.

FORMS

What forms may I do?
You can do any form your instructor will let you do.

How many people will I be competing against?
You will only compete against yourself. You will be graded as an individual, even though there may be other people at the ring with you. What place you get will be determined by how well you do your form — you don't have to beat anyone. It is entirely possible that more than one person in your group will receive a first place.

How will my form be scored?
The judges will give you a score based on how well you did your form. They will base that score on your technique, your stances, proper hand and foot position, how focused you are, how confident you are, etc.