Tournament Information
This information is for the World Kuk Sool Association competitions.
Before the day
Please study the entry form and make sure you submit your entry form and correct fee to us well before the closing date. We recommend that you print and keep a copy of the form for your own information
Please come to as many tournament classes as possible. We provide these classes free of charge and it will give you a great opportunity to learn about what the judges are looking for, how to prepare yourself for the competition and get in lots of practice.
You must have a full set of uniform patches sewn on your uniform before the day and please wear a black t shirt under your clean uniform – presentation is important and you will not be permitted to compete without the complete uniform including the uniform patches.
It’s a long journey to Norwich and Liverpool and we recommend booking accommodation in plenty of time. We would recommend booking for the Friday night as the competition starts early on the Saturday morning, and if you are staying for the masters demonstration on the Saturday evening, we would recommend accommodation on the Saturday night too. Obviously this is all entirely your own personal choice.
On the day
On the day, we recommend that you arrive early and find the rest of the team. We all support each other. Please understand that the instructors will be judging and involved in the competition. Our time is very limited and it is not the time to ask about your forms/techniques etc. This is what our extra tournament training is for so please make sure you attend as many classes as possible.
More accurate times for each age and rank will be published the week before the competition and we will pass this information on to you.
Please remember that these are a guideline and things may change on the day. Pay close attention to any announcements and to the projector screens which show the rings where the competition is being held.
Please be aware that competitors must compete barefoot; this will be on a hard floor, except for the self defence techniques.
If you are a falling partner for someone else or if you need a falling partner from our team, please make arrangements before the day for where you should meet and a time. Make sure you are fully warmed up before the competition starts.
You only get one chance in front of the judges, do not miss out due to lateness, inadequate practise or just simply by missing your group announcement. The competition will proceed if there is one or two people missing as it is on a very tight schedule!
The tournament begins at 08:00 and is normally finished by 14:00. Once you are finished you can leave but it would be great if you could support the rest of the team before you go. If you are not in the demonstration on the Saturday evening, you are free to go for the day or just spend a few hours away and then come back for the demo.
Saturday evening is the black belt promotions and Master’s exhibition.
We will take a team photo at the end of the evening and would like to include parents and families in this one, uniform is not required for coloured belts. Please try to find our group once the master demonstration has finished.
Tournament – the competition itself
Coloured belts aged 4+ have access to up to 3 categories, forms, techniques & sparring. For each event, the competitor will introduce themselves, bow and begin, bow at the end and then await score. We will practice the introduction and etiquette points at our practice sessions.
Forms – there will be a set number of sections that need to be completed in front of 3 judges to the highest standard possible, a score will be given on completion.
Techniques – you can choose 3 techniques within a group/groups of techniques.
Sparring – 2 mins of light/no contact sparring against another student. The contest finished at 2 minutes or when there is a 5 point difference between scores; whichever is first.
Spectators
There is a charge for this on the door and it is cash only. Adults £10.00 / Children £5.00 (Under 5s free). This fee includes the evening Masters Exhibition.
Medals
All competitors will receive the Tournament Brochure as a gift. If you earn a medal this will be awarded to you either at the end of that individual competition or at the end of all the divisions for your age group/belt level. Please be guided by the judging team.
General information
All adult Black Belts must report to the head table for 7:30am on the day. All competitors must wear a complete Kuk Sool uniform with authorised markings only. All officials and judges must wear their General’s Uniform. This tournament is governed by the WKSA Tournament Rules and Guidelines and is only open to members of the WKSA.
Safety equipment is required for all sparring competitors. (Mandatory: boots, gloves, headgear, gum shield and cup for men. Optional: shin guards, breast protectors.)
The tournament organisers have the right to combine divisions. Please note that in all divisions, except sparring, men and women under Black Belt will be combined.
Divisions
Please be aware that there are no longer pre-decided age groups for competitors. Age groups will be selected in a manner that creates a fair and even split of competitors in each division, this entirely depends on numbers on the day of the tournament. The split could be by age, gender (or both) and there must be at least 3 competitors to create a competition. Conversely, very large divisions could be split into multiple groups.
In the event of less than 4 competitors in a division, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th medals are not a guarantee. Medals will be awarded accordingly based on their overall score against the ‘gold standard’ scoring system.
Further information regarding sparring
Contact in WKSA sparring competitions is classed as ‘light to no contact’. This means that it is possible to score a point when no contact has been made if the judges deem the competitor could have made contact but had the control not to. Scoring zones are to the front of the body and on the padded areas around the front and sides of the head.
Strikes to the face, back of the head, arms, back and below the belt are not scored.
The judge(s) will shout ‘break’ when something is seen and the centre judge will then award a point if two out of the three judges agree on this.
Depending on the number of competitors in the division, byes will be chosen at random except where there are only three competitors, in this case, a ‘round robin’ will take place. Judges will make every effort to ensure students from the same school don’t spar against each other in the early rounds.
The correct sparring equipment must be worn for the competition (see above) and this should be checked by the judges prior to commencement of the matches.
Board Breaking
The breaking competition is for black belt adults (over 18) only. The required strike is stipulated on the entry form and is different dependent on what rank the competitor is.
The number of boards broken is the first criteria for competitor placings. In the event of the same number of boards broken, style and execution are then taken into consideration. The length of time it takes to set up the boards is also taken into consideration when recording the scores.
Techniques
1. The partner can be only one rank above or below the competitor (e.g. white can partner yellow but not blue, red can partner blue or brown but not DBN)
2. Black belts cannot fall for DBN’s or any ranks below them (e.g. KSN cannot fall for JKN)
3. Adults cannot partner children under 12
4. There must be no more than 6 inches height difference when an adult partners a youth (13-17)
Weapons
Only WKSA approved weapons are permitted for competition. The judges will check this before starting.
Dropping a weapon is an automatic disqualification.
Spectators
Please keep in mind that the judges of this tournament are unpaid WKSA practitioners. Their job is to endeavour to maintain a high quality of judging and the smooth running of their respective ring.
However, we do understand that despite their best efforts issues can arise. If there is something that you feel needs to be addressed, please contact one of the tournament officials who are on hand around the venue. Please do not interrupt the competition itself if you wish to speak to someone; just wait until it has finished or speak to one of the supervising masters.
Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.
* DISCLAIMER
Please keep in mind that these are just guidelines for information purposes and are in no way a full list of tournament rules. Please do read the entry form as there is lots of information there. If you are unsure of anything please do ask a black belt before or after a class.
