¨       HEAD : Face, side, back and forehead.

¨       TORSO: Front and side

¨       LEG: Below mid-calf (Foot Sweeps are allowed)

¨       Top of the head

¨       Back of the torso (kidneys and spine)

¨       Top of the shoulders

¨       Neck: Front, side

¨       Below the belt (except for Foot Sweeps)

¨       All blind techniques in general

KICKS:               Front, Side, Back, Roundhouse, Hook (Sole of the foot only), Crescent, Axe (Sole of the foot only), Jumps, Spins.

HANDS:       Punch, Backfist, Ridgehand, Hook.

FOOTSWEEP:       To score with a Footsweep the attacker must remain on his feet at all times. If in the execution of a Footsweep the attacker touches the floor with any part of his body other than his feet, NO score will be given. A score will be awarded to the attacker if his opponent touches the floor with any part of his body other than his feet.

GROUND ATTACKS:       A fighter cannot attack an opponent on the ground .The central referee is responsible to stop the match immediately when one of the two fighters touches the floor with any part of the body apart from his feet.  Stomps to the head or body on a downed Fighter can bring to minus points or disqualification.

SPECIAL NOTE:       Because it is extremely dangerous to strike with the back of the heel, it must be strictly emphasised 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.

Grabbing is allowed but only for 3 seconds to score with a legal technique.

¨       Attacks with any technique other than those mentioned in section 7.

¨       Avoiding or refusing to fight

¨       Falling or dropping to the floor without due cause

¨       Leaving the Fighting Area. If a Fighter leaves the area (exits) without being pushed, kicked or knocked out by his opponent it will be seen as a "Voluntary Exit" and will receive a warning from the Referee. On the third exit the Fighter will lose one point. At the fourth time the Fighter leaving the area shall be disqualified. (Warning will be carried throughout the Match).

¨       Attacks with malicious or excessive contact.

¨       Unsportsman like conduct. A Fighter shall 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 on the first offence.

¨       Attacking an Official either inside or outside the ring. 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 penalised, or the person involved may be removed from the Hall or tournament site and the matter turned over to the WAKO Disciplinary Committee.

A legal technique strikes a legal target. The authorised striking area of the hand or foot must make "Clean" contact. The Official must actually see the technique strike the target. Awarding points based on the sound of the strike is not allowed. Enough power and force must be held back (in reserve), so that if it had been used it could have injured, disabled or stunned an opponent and left the fighter using the technique in a position of advantage.

SPECIAL NOTE: All techniques must be used with "reasonable" power. Any technique that simply touches or brushes an opponent will not be scored.

If a Fighter jumps in the air to attack, he must land inside the Ring to score.

Points

1.       Punch 1 pt

2.       Kick to the body 1 pt

3.       Footsweep 1 pt

4.       Kick to head 2 pts

5.       Jumping kick to body 2 pts

6.       Jumping kick to head 3 pts

NOTE: no scores will be awarded for follow-ups to Footsweeps.

¨       After every recognised score the command "STOP" will be given and an immediate vote to indicate who scored will be given by All ring Officials.

¨       The Winner will be the Fighter with the most points at the end of time.

¨       In the case of one Fighter gaining a 10 pt. Margin, he will be declared the Winner.

¨       Other methods of winning: Disqualification, Walkover

¨       Expiration of Time and score: The Officials shall call for a vote to determine if the score landed before or after time expired.

PENALTY - EXITS

Warning will be carried through the Match

¨       1^st violation Warning

¨       2^nd violation Official Warning

¨       3^rd violation Award penalty point

¨       4^th violation Disqualification

SPECIAL NOTE: Warnings for leaving the area will be kept as a separate issue from Warnings for other offences.

¨       Gross and serious rules violations may be handled immediately with a penalty point or even disqualification in extreme cases.  Anytime that a Referee thinks that a disqualification is necessary, he shall confer with all the Judges and the Technical Director of Semi Contact to ensure that the proper procedures are being applied.

¨       A Fighter cannot receive a Point and a warning at the same time.

If the Referee sees an action that he considers to be a valid point, he will command "STOP" and immediately signal the point as does the Judges. The Referee counts the decisions and awards the score to the appropriate Fighter.

If one of the Judges see an action he considers to be a valid score, he must signal to the Referee immediately who will command "STOP" and all ring Officials must at that time signal their point calls.

In any case only simple majority can award a point.

TIME-OUT:

Only the Referee has the power to stop the match. A Fighter may request a time-out raising his arm to check an injury. The Referee does not have to grant time-out if he feels it would be an unfair advantage or that it may in any way take away the advantage from the other Fighter.  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 the delaying the Match. Only the Chief Official or the Technical Director of Semi-Contact or their appointed representative may interrupt the Match from outside the Ring. They shall get the attention of the Referee who shall call Time-Out.

If a Coach wishes to lodge a complaint or protest, he shall notify the Technical Director of Semi Contact. The Director 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 Officials

For the Referee to converse with a Fighter or his Coach

To ensure safety and fair play

Time-Out is not generally called to issue points. The Referee should do this quickly to ensure 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 Tournament WAKO semi contact chief referee.

INJUIRIES:

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 at the Ring, he shall have only two minutes to decide if the injury requires treatment. All treatments must be completed in two minutes.

If the injury is so serious that the Rules 13a and 13b cannot be complied with, then the Match must be terminated.

If the Match must be stopped because of injury, the Officials must decide:

A          Who caused the injury

B                Whether or not it was an intentional injury

C                Whether or not it was the fault of the injured Fighter.

D            Whether or not the injury was caused by an illegal technique

E          If there were no Rules violation by the uninjured Fighter, then that Fighter shall win by forfeiture

F           If there was a Rules violation by the uninjured Fighter, the injured Fighter wins by disqualification.

G          If the injured Fighter is declared fit to continue by the Medic/Doctor, then the Fight shall resume.

H          In cases involving Rule G, the Officials shall decide if either Fighter should receive a point, warning, penalty point, or if no action is required.

REFEREE:

¨       One Central Referee per Match

¨       The Referees shall be selected by the Technical director from the list given to him by the Chief Official

¨       He will have the power to control the Ring and Fighters.

¨       His first responsibility shall be the safety of the Fighters.

¨       He shall have the power to stop the Match to award points or penalties.

¨       The Referee is the only person who shall have the authority to stop the Match.

¨       The Referee may issue warnings for Rules violations without confirmation of the Judges.

¨       He shall not award points without at least one Judge voting to confirm his call

¨       When he issue a warning or a penalty, no points can be given to the offending Fighter.

¨       He must give all commands in ENGLISH.

¨       He will be responsible for the enforcement of the Rules throughout the Competition and to ensure that all scores, penalties and warnings are recorded.

¨       In cases where the Referee feels a disqualification may be appropriate, except in cases or instances requiring automatic disqualification, the Technical Director for Semi Contact shall be consulted.

JUDGES

¨       Two Side Judges per Match including the Final Matches.

¨       The side Judges are to assist the Referee to ensure the safety of the Fighters.

¨       They shall check Fighters before each Match to ensure proper Safety equipment is being used.

¨       When the side Judges sees what he considers a legal score, he must indicate immediately.

¨       The Judges must keep constant watch on the Ring boundaries and inform the Referee when one of the Fighters leaves the Area.

¨       If a Judge spots an action which he feels is a violation of the Rules he must contact the referee and inform him of his views.

Special Note: The Referee and the judges should be dressed in the following manner: clean grey pants, white Wako-shirt, Wako-tie or Wako bow-tie, blue jacket with Wako badge on it, and black coloured gym shoes.

TIME KEEPER:

¨       The Timekeeper will be in charge of the Clock and audio device

¨       He will stop and start the time only on the command of the Referee

¨       He shall at the exact moment time has run out cause the audio device to be activated.

SCORE KEEPER

¨       The Score Keeper records all scores, warnings and penalties given by the Referee.

¨       The Score Keeper shall notify the Referee when a 10 point lead is achieved by either Fighter.

¨       The Score Keeper must notify the Referee when the warnings add up to a penalty point or when the penalties add up to an automatic disqualification.

RING ASSISTANT

¨       The Ring Assistant shall organise the Fighters so that there will be no delay between fights.

POINTS

¨       One's arm are raised to indicate the Fighter who scored.

¨        To award a point at least two arms must be raised

¨       The Officials may have two different scores of two different values. If one Official see a 2pt score and the other see at 1pt score, then the lowest score will be awarded.

¨       If more than two arms are raised, then the fighter with the most number of decisions will be awarded the score.

¨       In situations where there are the same number of arms raised, both Fighters shall be awarded a score.

¨       If two Official indicate they did not see, then no points can be awarded. The remaining Official cannot award a point by himself.

The Technical Director and the Referee should be vigilant to ensure that the Judges are doing their jobs properly. If any one of the Judges indicates he did not see a score on an excessive number of occasions, he should be removed from the Ring.

NO SCORE:

¨       arms are crossed in front of Officials at waist level.

¨       If one of the Officials indicates a score and the other two signal 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 double point because of the warning to his opponent. EXAMPLE: One of the Fighters executes a technique that merits a score, while the other Fighter violate 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 his opponent's Rule violation.

COULD NOT SEE:

¨       Arms are crossed in front of the Official's face

¨       The Officials could not actually see the technique strike a legal target area.

WARNING:

Warnings should be given in a loud and clear voice so that both the Fighters and the Coaches can hear and understand the warning. The Referee should stand facing the offending Fighter and give the warning.

PENALTY

To award a penalty point the Referee must first request the time to be stopped. He must face the Score Keeper and state that a penalty point is to be awarded by point to the Fighter who is to be penalised and stating in a loud clear voice why the Fighter is being penalised

DISQUALIFICATION

If disqualification is called for, the Referee shall confer with the Technical Director to ensure all the proper procedures are being used.

CHAPTER TWO – Light Contact

Competition in Light contact kickboxing should be executed as its name implies with well-controlled techniques.  Equal emphasis must be placed on both punching and kicking techniques.  Light contact has been created as an intermediate stage between semi and full contact kickboxing.  It is carried out with running time. Central referee doesn't judge the fighters but only controls they respect the rules. Three judges make the complete judgement on normal scoring papers.  Each fighter must have his own SPORT PASS with MEDICAL TEST in it, valid for 1 year, to be shown at weigh-in procedures.

Same as in semi contact, with the only exception of gloves: full contact gloves are mandatory.

Same As Semi Contact

Same As Semi Contact

Six minimum

Every round is separately evaluated by each of the three judges according to:

·         the number of points scored

·         the combination ability

·         the deliverance of clean techniques

·         the clean fighting style

·         the effectiveness of the defence

·         equal emphasis on both hand and foot techniques

·         the physical condition of the fighter during and after the figh 

A total of ten (10) points may be awarded to each fighter:

·         if they are absolutely equal 10:10

·         if one is slightly better 10:9

·         if one is definitely much better 10:8

Criteria for minus points, given only by the referee, after previous warnings:

·         unclean fighting style

·         constant clinching

·         constant and continuous ducking, turning of the back

·         too few foot techniques

·         excessive contact

·         heavy knock down

·         any other violation of the rules

Every close match is to be judged by the overall impression the fighter makes and not only by considering the points scored. If the match appears to be close the referee should not stand in the way of or break the match off too early.

If there is a tie in points, then that fighter who has the better technique and tactic or who has shown a better defence or offence is declared the winner. The reasons of giving the advantage to one of the fighters must be marked by a judge on his scoring paper writing the name of the winner on the proper space.

The duration of the match is decided by promoter and the Chief Referee. It should last 3 rounds of 2 minutes each in national tournaments, in European or World championships. The pause between rounds is of 1 minute.

The match should be interrupted if an injury occurs or if the equipment is not in order or in case of the longer referee's discussion on rules' violation.  The fight may only be interrupted by the referee (the side judges or doctor may notify the referee that the time must be stopped).  In case of an injury, the time may only be interrupted until the doctor decides how serious the injuries, that is, whether or not the fight can continue or whether it must be stopped.  Treatment of the injury can only be done in between rounds or after the match.  An interruption made by a doctor should not exceed 2 minutes.  If the injury needs to be treated, the match must be stopped.  In any case, cuts cannot be taped If the match is stopped due to injury, the officials must decide:

·         who caused the injury

·         whether or not it was intentional

·         whether or not it was a self-inflicted injury

If the injury was not intentional and the injured fighter cannot continue fighting immediately, the uninjured fighter is declared the winner by RSC.

If the injury is due to a violation of the rules, the responsible fighter is disqualified.  If the injury is due to his own fault, the other fighter is declared the winner by RSC.  In case of any injury, the doctor and nobody else has the last word on whether a fighter can or cannot continue to fight. The doctor will inform about his decision the central referee who will act accordingly.  A fighter can at any time give up fighting, raising his arm to indicate surrender. In this case the referee will call the other fighter to his side and proclaim him to be the winner by Abandonment.

The following decisions could bring the fight to an end:

1.        Winner by points:

The winner of the fight is that fighter to whom the majority of the judges have awarded more points.

2.        Winner by disqualification of the opponent:

After three warnings, that is after three minus points, the fight must be stopped. The opponent is the winner by disqualification.

In difficult cases, the referee may also call out a disqualification without having given a warning beforehand.

 For example:

¨       knocking out the opponent by an uncontrolled blow to the head or malicious attack

¨       for excessive, continuous hitting after "stop" command

¨       By extreme unsportsman - like conduct of a fighter such as insulting the referee, the opponent or showing an aggressive behaviour.

3.        Winner by not showing up (Walk Over):

That fighter is considered the winner, if his opponent does not show up for a fight due to an injury or for any other reason.

4.        Winner by stopping the fight (Referee Stops Contest):

A fight may be stopped if the fighter is unable to fight or defend himself. Also, in the case that the other fighter shows total athletic superiority. The referee decides who is the winner.  If the fight is stopped because a fighter is injured, then the officials must take a decision according to Art.10.