Section 9 Referee & Umpire Protocol Referee Procedures for Sparring Umpire Procedures for Sparring Jury Procedures for Patterns
Ring Area Layout & Sparring Point Values Point-Stop Sparring T S Jury Continuous Sparring U T Jury U U Blue R Red Blue R Red U U Patterns O P O Jury T S Starting Positions Timekeeper Scorekeeper U Umpire R Referee P Jury President O Jury Officials Sparring Point Values Any Punch = 1 point (in Continuous Sparring, points may be awarded for a maximum of 3 consecutive punches landed in a flurry of punches) Kick to Mid-Section, while opposite foot is in contact with the floor = 2 points Kick to the Head, while opposite foot is in contact with the floor = 3 points Kick to Mid-Section or Head, while opposite foot is in the air = 3 points Note: These point values are given as an example for trainee Umpires and Referees but there is a wide variety of different scoring systems in use at martial arts tournaments.
Commencing a Match: Formal Procedures Referee Procedures Sparring When the competitors names are called, they are to present themselves at ring-side, but not enter the ring immediately. If competitors are being identified using coloured indicators such as ribbons, these are to be attached at this point. The Jury Official responsible for recording results, should record which colour each competitor is identified by. 1. The Referee will signal to the competitors to enter the ring by pointing to their respective starting marks, first calling Hong or Red, then Chong or Blue. In tournaments organised by the Warrior Martial Arts Association, the English language terms will be used for this aspect. Please note the locations of the starting marks for Red and Blue, featured on the Ring Layout Diagram on the previous page. 2. 3. The Referee will direct the competitors to face the Jury table and bow to the Jury Officials, by means of hand signals and the voice commands Charyot (Attention) and Kyong-ye (Bow). The Referee will then direct the competitors to face and bow to each other, by means of hand signals and the voice commands Charyot (Attention) and Kyong-ye (Bow). 1 2a 3a 2b 3b 3
Commencing a Match: Equipment Check Referee Procedures Sparring The Referee must now carry out a check of competitors sparring equipment equipment. The competitors should come to the ring in full equipment with gumshields in placed, gloves and foot pads tied and head guard secured. 1. 2. Pointing to his/her own mouth, the Referee should ask the competitor to show their gumshield. The competitor should comply by opening their mouth to display the equipment. The Referee should extend both fists, asking the competitor to raise their gloves to the same position. The Referee should then inspect the gloves to ensure that they meet the required standards for the event, with regard thumb, palm and fingertip coverage, correct weight and sufficient padding. The gloves should contain no hard, sharp, torn or otherwise unsafe parts or surfaces. Where there use is mandated by competition rules, female competitors should be asked if they are wearing a chest protector. The referee will ask this question, while pointing to their own chest. Male competitors should be asked if they are wearing a groin protector. The referee will ask this while pointing toward their own groin. Note for Competitors and Coaches: In some tournaments, the referee may point toward the competitor instead, but in Warrior Martial Arts Association events, the preferable protocol is for the Referee to point to his/herself. 3. 4. The Referee must check that the competitor is wearing Shin Protectors, by bending or kneeling down and feeling the padding to ensure that there are no sharp or hard surfaces or parts and that there is sufficient padding to meet the Association s safety standards. Finally the Referee will proceed to inspect the foot pads of the competitor by feeling the padding to ensure that there are no sharp or hard surfaces or parts and that there is sufficient padding to meet the Association s safety standards. The Referee must also ensure that the Foot Pads are a correct fit so that toes and surfaces of the foot, other than the sole, are not exposed. The Referee should lift the front of each foot pad to ensure that it is secured and that there is no danger of the pad folding back to expose toes. 4
Commencing a Match: Starting a Round Referee Procedures Sparring In the second or subsequent rounds, as per the beginning of the match, competitors will be called to their marks; they will then be directed to face each other and bow. 1. 2. 3. The Referee will announce Junbi (Ready) and step forward with his/her left leg, holding his/her left fist between the competitors. The opposite fist will be held at the hip. The Referee will then indicate which round is beginning raising his/her right hand, palm forwards, and extending the relevant number of fingers, while announcing First Round, Second Round, etc. The Referee signals to the competitors to begin sparring by stepping back with the left leg, lowering the left hand to his/her side, with the palm open, while announcing Shija (Begin). The opposite fist will be held at the hip. 1 2 3 5
Referee Procedures Sparring Stopping a Match Depending on the sparring discipline being performed (Continuous or Point-Stop) the Referee may find that they will have to stop the match on a number of occasions, whether it be to issue warnings, address injuries, finish a round or, in Point-Stop matches, to award a point. 1. To stop a match during a round, for the purposes of breaking up uncontrolled/sloppy sparring, issuing warnings, awarding points, etc. the Referee will step close to the competitors, extending an open hand between them, announcing Haechyo (Separate). The opposite fist will be held at the hip. 1 Once the Referee has completed his/her business, he/she may resume the match by directing the competitors through the Junbi & Shija procedure, as per the start of the round. Note for Competitors and Coaches: Competitors and coaches should note that, in some tournaments, once the Referee has completed his/her business, he/she may resume the match by standing with a hand extended between the competitors, as used when separating, then stepping back and raising the hand, and announcing Gae Sok (Continue). This procedure is not used in Warrior Martial Arts Association tournaments since it has been found to cause confusion for Jury Officials during Point-Stop Sparring events. In Warrior Martial Arts Association tournaments, stopping a match at the end of a round follows the same procedure of hand signals as stopping during a round. Note for Competitors and Coaches: Some other tournaments follow a similar procedure but with one exception: the word Haechyo (Separate) is replaced with the word Goman (End). This procedure is not used by the Warrior Martial Arts Association due to the fact that the command Goman is often confused by inexperienced competitors with the phrases Good man and Come on which are commonly-used phrases shouted by spectators at tournaments. While Umpires are not permitted to stop a match themselves, there are certain circumstances where an Umpire may signal to the Referee that they believe that a match should be stopped. These circumstances, and the protocol for Umpires in such circumstances, are detailed in the Umpire Procedures section of this document. In the event that an Umpire does signal to the Referee that a match needs to be stopped, the Referee should immediately call Haechyo and call the Umpire to approach him/her, by standing, facing the Umpire and beckoning them forward with one open hand. Once the Umpire has approached and bowed to the Referee, the Referee should bow to the Umpire and then enquire as to why the Umpire has called for a stoppage. The Referee should thank the Umpire and direct them to return to their starting position by using the Hae San (Dismissed) command; both parties should then bow. 2a 2b 2. In the event that a Referee requires all Umpires present to discuss a matter, he/she may announce All Umpires while using both arms to beckon. 6
End of Round Procedures Referee Procedures Sparring At the end of any round other than the Final Round, the Referee will call the competitors to their starting marks, as per the start of the round, using the Hong - Chong / Red - Blue commands and relevant hand signals. The Referee will instruct the competitors to face each other and bow. 1. He/She will then extend his/her arms out to the sides, palms turned out and with an outward pushing gesture, announce Hae San (Dismissed). The competitors should then fall off to their respective sides of the ring. At the end of the Final Round, the competitors will be called to their starting marks, directed to bow to each other, then directed to turn and bow to the Jury Officials. At this point the Referee will call step between the competitors and announce: Judges, Decision. In Continuous Sparring matches, the corner Umpires will display their decisions clearly for the Jury Officials to see. The Jury President will then stand and indicate by hand gesture and announcement whether the winner is Red or Blue or if there is a draw. In Point-Stop Sparring matches, the Jury President will confer with the Jury Official responsible for score-keeping and will then stand to indicate the result. In the event of a win being declared for either competitor, the Referee will briefly raise the closest arm of the winning competitor. The Referee should then take a step backward and issue the Hae San (Dismissed) command and hand signal, permitting the competitors to leave the ring. Please note that it is customary for competitors to shake hands at this point and cross to their opponent s side of the ring to pay their respects to their opponent s coach. This is considered good etiquette and should not be discouraged. In the event of a draw being declared, most tournaments will have a provision for an Extra Time Round. Exceptions are occasionally made during Third Place Playoffs or Display Matches, where it is not necessary that a winner be identified and the match can conclude with a draw. In such an event, it is customary for the Referee to raise the hand of both competitors, effectively declaring them both winners, and then following the same protocol as he/she would in the event of a clear win. Under normal circumstances, an Extra Time Round will be necessary. In these cases, the Referee should not raise either competitor s hand. He/She should then take a step backward and issue the Hae San (Dismissed) command and hand signal, instructing the competitors to leave the ring. Extra Time Rounds will be conducted following the same procedures as the Final Round. 1a 1b 7
Awarding Points Referee Procedures Sparring: Point-Stop Matches During Point-Stop Sparring matches, the Referee, upon observing what he/she believes to be a point scored, he/she will stop the match by issuing the Haechyo (Separate) command and relevant hand signal. At this point, the Referee will ask the Umpire whether or not they agree that the technique in question was a scoring technique. 1. Should the Umpire agree that the point was scored, the Referee will direct the competitors to return to their starting marks. The Referee will then signal to the Jury which competitor has scored and the points value of that score by stepping backward on the leg closest to the scoring competitor, raising the hand on that side, displaying the points value with the fingers. The opposite fist will be held at the hip. This physical indication should be accompanied by an announcement of the scoring competitor s colour designation and the score value e.g. Blue, One Point, Red Three Points. The Referee should then re-commence the match, using the Junbi and Shija commands. Should the Umpire signal that they do not believe that the point was scored, the Referee should not move the competitors back to their starting marks unless safety concerns dictate otherwise. Instead, he/she should re-commence the match with the competitors in their current positions, using the Junbi and Shija commands. Note for Competitors and Coaches: It should be noted that some tournaments use variations on the Mirror-Judging system whereby a second Umpire who remains at the ring s edge is also used to verify scoring. In some systems, both Officials in the ring may stop the match to call points, while in others, only the Senior Official may do so. The Warrior Martial Arts Association utilises the system explained in this document, whereby only two Officials operate, both within the ring. The Referee, being the Senior Official is the only Official allowed to stop a match; the Umpire s role is limited to verification of points scored and alerting the Referee to foul play, hazardous conditions or injuries. 1 8
Referee Procedures Sparring: Disciplinary Actions Basic Procedure Depending on the circumstances, certain breaches of the rules may warrant the issuing of Cautions, Official Warnings, Point Deductions, Official Penalties (Yellow Cards) or Disqualifications (Red Cards). These circumstances are defined in a separate section of this document. This section explains the basic procedure to be carried out by the Referee in all situations. 1. 2. 3. The Referee will issue the Haechyo command. The Referee will turn and face the offending competitor, placing both feet together. The Referee will point toward the competitor with one hand. The opposite fist will be held at the hip. While standing in this position the Referee will signal to the competitor the nature of their offence, using both verbal and visual signals. These are detailed on the following pages. If the issuing of a card (Yellow or Red) is required, the Referee should proceed to raise this card toward the competitor. The opposite fist will be held at the hip. In the event that a minor, unintentional offence is committed by an inexperienced competitor, the Referee may use his/her discretion to issue an unofficial Caution (a verbal clarification of the rules, which carries no penalty). In such cases, the Referee should turn to the competitor that he/she is addressing and issue the Caution clearly. 4. The Referee must now turn to the Jury table to indicate the degree of penalty being issued. To indicate this, the Referee will step backward with the leg closest to the offending competitor, pointing his/her closest hand toward the competitor. To indicate that a Caution has been issued or that no penalty is to be given, the Referee will cross both arms in an X-shape in front of his/her chest. (a) To indicate an Official Warning, the Referee will raise his/her opposite hand in the air with one finger extended and announce Blue, Official Warning or Red, Official Warning. Some events may use the phrase Je Ui Hana in place of Official Warning. (b) To indicate a Point Deduction, the Referee will raise his/her opposite hand in the air with one finger extended and will rotate the arm, tracing a circle shape in the air with the finger, and will announce Blue, Minus One Point or Red, Minus One Point. Some events may use the phrase Gam Jum Hana in place of Minus One Point. (c) To indicate an Official Penalty, the Referee will raise the Yellow Card in the air and will announce Blue, Official Penalty or Red, Official Penalty. (c) To indicate a Disqualification, the Referee will raise the Red Card in the air and will announce Blue, Disqualified or Red, Disqualified. In all circumstances, except where there is a Disqualification, the Referee will re-commence the match, using the Junbi and Shija commands. 2 4a 4b 4c 9
Referee Procedures Sparring: Disciplinary Actions Hand Signals for Breach of Rules Attacking an Illegal Target or Using an Illegal Technique Turning the Back Loss of Balance Not Paying Attention to Orders Pushing Leaving the Area 10
Referee Procedures Sparring: Disciplinary Actions Hand Signals for Breach of Rules Holding or Grabbing Excessive Contact Avoiding Sparring Speaking Out of Turn 11
Referee Procedures Sparring: Stoppage Protocol Equipment Stoppage If the Referee needs to stop a match due to a competitor s safety equipment becoming loose, undone or damaged, the Referee should stop the match using the Haechyo (Separate) command. If the issue cannot be immediately rectified, the Referee should turn the opposing competitor and issue the command Turn Away and signal using a pushing motion with one hand, while keeping the opposite fist at the hip. The competitor should stay within the ring, turn away from his/her opponent and kneel down. The Referee should address the issue with the equipment and then call the kneeling competitor to return by announcing his/her designated colour Red/Blue and beckoning with one open hand. Hazard Stoppage If the Referee needs to stop a match due to a safety hazard in the ring, such as a spillage on the ring area, objects creating a tripping hazard in the ring area or uneven/damaged matting in the ring area, the Referee should stop the match using the Haechyo (Separate) command. If the issue cannot be immediately rectified, the Referee should dismiss both competitors from the ring area using the Hae San (Dismissed) command and associated hand signal. Competitors should not be called to re-enter the ring until the issue has been rectified. Injury Stoppage If the Referee needs to stop a match due to a competitor bleeding or becoming injured, the Referee should stop the match using the Haechyo (Separate) command. The Referee should turn the opposing (uninjured) competitor and issue the command Turn Away and signal using a pushing motion with one hand, while keeping the opposite fist at the hip. The uninjured competitor should stay within the ring, turn away from his/her opponent and kneel down. If the injury appears to be a minor strain or cramp, the Referee should enquire with the injured competitor about the nature of the injury to ascertain whether or not medical attention is necessary. If the competitor wishes to continue their match, and the Referee is confident that the competitor is not putting him/herself at risk of further/serious injury by doing so, the match may re-commence. If the competitor does not wish to continue, but is not in need of medical attention, both competitors should be directed to return to their starting positions and the match should conclude at this point. Should the injury appear to be of a serious nature, including instances such as, but not limited to, broken bones, damage to the eye, suspected concussion, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing or any instance of bleeding, regardless of severity, the Referee should immediately summon for medical attention, by raising one arm and loudly and clearly announcing Medic. If the medical support team are not situated in the immediate vicinity, a Jury Official should go to alert them. A competitor may only continue to compete after receiving medical attention if a member of the medical assistance team gives explicit permission to do so, and expresses this directly to the Referee. A match that ends with one competitor retiring due to injury caused by his/her opponent breaking the rules (excessive contact, illegal technique, attacking an illegal target, etc.) results in the offending competitor being disqualified and the retiring competitor being awarded the win. Should a match end with one competitor retiring due to injury caused unintentionally and without a breach of the rules, his/her opponent is awarded the win. When dealing with injuries, ALWAYS err on the side of caution. Do not hesitate to call for medical assistance. 12
Mirror Judging Umpire Procedures Sparring: Point-Stop Matches In Point-Stop Sparring matches, the primary role of the Umpire it to provide the Referee with a second opinion when the Referee believes that a point was scored. At the beginning and end of a Point-Stop Sparring match, when the competitors are at their marks and have been directed to stand to attention ( Charyot ) by the Referee, the Umpire should stand off to one side, allowing the Jury Officials an unobstructed view of the Referee and competitors. When the Referee directs the competitors to come to a ready position ( Junbi ), the Umpire should also move into position, standing opposite to and facing the Referee. During the course of the round, the Umpire should pay full attention to the match, and not allow his/her attention to be drawn away from the competitors and the Referee. Should the Referee believe that a point has been scored, he/she will issue the Haechyo command to separate the competitors, before enquiring with the Umpire as to whether or not they witnessed the point being scored. In the event that the Umpire did see the point being scored, they should respond appropriately, i.e. Yes Sir/Ma am. In the event that the Umpire did not see the point being scored, they should respond appropriately, i.e. No Sir/Ma am. At no point should the Umpire attempt to stop the match his/herself. The Haechyo command may only be issued by the Referee. There are, however, certain circumstances where the Umpire may need to request that the Referee stop the match: When an act of deliberate foul play has been observed, such as biting, striking with the elbow or knee or grabbing an opponent; When a competitor is observed to be bleeding; When a competitor s safety equipment has become undone or damaged; When there is a concern for the safety of the competitors or Officials due to factors such as, but not limited to, spillages or objects left on the ring area, unauthorised people in the ring area and uneven/damaged matting in the ring area. To alert the Referee to any of these circumstances, the Umpire should take a full step back from the competitors, raising one arm directly upward and should say Sir/Ma am to attract the Referee s attention. The Referee will then ask the Umpire to explain what they have witnessed. 13
Corner Judging Umpire Procedures Sparring: Continuous Matches In Continuous Sparring matches, the primary role of the Umpire it to record the points scored by both competitors, as witnessed by the Umpire. The Umpire will be seated in one of the four corners of the ring area and will be provided with a pair of counters: one designated for the competitor identified as Blue and one for the competitor identified as Red. The Umpire should reset their counters to zero at the start of a new match, rather than at the end of the current match, since the Referee may request to see the counters to verify a final result. The counters should not be reset between different rounds of the same match, unless the Referee instructs Umpires to do so prior to commencing an Extra Time Round. Umpires should only count points that they can clearly see being scored and should be aware of the point value of each technique. When a match comes to its conclusion, the Referee will announce Judges, Decision. At this point, the Umpire should view the scores on their counters and then raise the counter with the highest score. In the event that both competitors are on the same score, the Umpire should raise both counters, with his/her arms crossed at the wrists. In rare circumstances, the Referee, having exhausted the maximum number of standard Extra Time Rounds permitted by the event rules, may declare a First Point Tie-Break Round, whereby the first competitor to score a point in that round is declared the winner. In this situation, upon witnessing a point being scored, the Umpire should immediately stand up and raise the counter designated for the scoring competitor, while clearly announcing Sir/Ma am to attract the attention of the Referee. The Umpire should remain standing, with the counter held high, until instructed to do otherwise by the Referee. At no point should the Umpire attempt to stop the match his/herself. The Haechyo command may only be issued by the Referee. There are, however, certain circumstances where the Umpire may need to request that the Referee stop the match: When an act of deliberate foul play has been observed, such as biting, striking with the elbow or knee or grabbing an opponent. When a competitor is observed to be bleeding; When a competitor s safety equipment has become undone or damaged ; When there is a concern for the safety of the competitors or Officials due to factors such as, but not limited to, spillages or objects left on the ring area, unauthorised people in the ring area and uneven/damaged matting in the ring area; The work of the Umpire being interfered with due to harassment by other people. To alert the Referee to any of these circumstances, the Umpire should stand up from their seat, raising one arm directly upward and should say Sir/Ma am to attract the Referee s attention. The Referee will then ask the Umpire to explain what they have witnessed. 14
Jury President Patterns Judging For the purposes of Patterns judging, the Jury President is the most senior of all Jury Officials and is responsible for ensuring that all official procedures are followed by the Jury Officials. The duties of the Jury President include directing competitors through the formal procedures of performing a pattern at a tournament. 1. Call the next competitor to the ring by calling their name loudly and clearly, while gesturing toward the starting mark with one hand extended, with the palm open and facing upward. 2. Instruct the competitor to stand to attention and bow, using the Charyot and Kyong-ye commands. 3. Ask the competitor What is the name of your pattern? 4. Instruct the competitor to come to a ready position, with the command Junbi, and to begin, with the command Shija. 5. Once the competitor has completed their pattern, instruct them to return to their ready position by using the command Paro (Return). 6. Instruct the competitor to stand to attention and bow, using the Charyot and Kyong-ye commands. 7. Dismiss the competitor from the floor with the command Hae San (Dismissed). Immediately after the first competitor has been dismissed, the Jury President should use his/ her knowledge of patterns to discern what mark (from 1 to 10) to award the competitor. The Jury President should then write this figure in all three columns of the score sheet, before showing it to the other Jury Officials. This is considered the benchmark for all subsequent competitors. Immediately after each of the subsequent competitors has been dismissed, the Jury President should write down the relevant mark in ONLY the column designated for the Jury President. He/ She should then pass the score sheet to the other Jury Officials so that they may record their own marks. The Jury President should designate one member of the Jury to be responsible for adding up the total scores for each competitor. Jury Officials Jury Officals, when judging patterns, do not get to give a score to the first competitor to compete in a division; this competitor s score is determined by the Jury President. The score set for this competitor is considered the benchmark by which all subsequent competitors are scored by the Jury Officials. In practice, this means that the Jury Officials job is to determine whether the second and subsequent competitors have performed better or worse than the benchmark set by the first competitor, and by what margin. For example: The Jury President gives competitor #1 a score of 5/10 in each column, coming to a total score of 15/30. After competitor #2 performs, each Jury Official (including the Jury President) must decide individually whether the performance was better, equal to, or worse than that of competitor #1. The Jury President feels the performance was slightly better, awarding 6 points; Jury Official A feels the performance was far better, awarding 8 points; Jury Official B feels the performance was slightly worse, awarding 4 points. This results in a total score of 18/30 15