Competition Categories

The following outline the rules for each of the competition category. We added 1 NEW category this year for a total of 13 Categories! Remember to register on or before November 1, 2023!

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This page only includes a summary of the categories.
For complete details please consult the Tournament Handbook.)

II. Scholarship / Grant

The Tournament will give away one (1) five hundred dollar ($500) scholarship/grant that can be used for college or trade school. The category is open to BLACK belt students that are a high school junior, senior or college level student. Each school with five (5) or more competitors can submit one (1) qualifying student who you feel should receive the scholarship/grant.

Each participating school with five (5) or more paid competitors can enter one (1) candidate to be considered for the scholarship/grant. The candidate must submit a five hundred (500) – six hundred (600) word essay in his or her own words on what it means to be a black belt. The essay must include a cover page with the following details. The cover page information does not count towards the essay word count.

1. Full Name, Age & Current Grade Level
2. Tae Kwon Do School Name & Master’s Name
3. Number of years training Tae Kwon Do.

The candidate will be judged and scored on the content and presentation of the essay. Essays that fall under or go over the word count will be disqualified. Essays with cursing or inappropriate language will be disqualified. The essay must be submitted on or before October 30, 2023. Essays received after October 30, 2023 will receive a five (5) point deduction on the overall score. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the score is based on the content and fifteen percent (15%) of the score is based on the presentation, grammar and spelling. Essays should be mailed to 2345 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34239 or by email to RoyWorth@FloridaTaeKwonDoOpen.com. The winner will be announced at The Tournament.

IV. Speed Kick Competition

This category will feature the Zemita eSparring System! The category is FREE to any school with ten (10) or more paid competitors. Schools with less than ten (10) competitors can enter a four (4) person team for forty dollars ($40). Enter your four (4) fastest kickers to compete against other four (4) person teams to see who will be crowned the fastest kicking school in Florida! Winning school receives the following.

1. $250 in equipment/gear provide by Dynamics
2. Zemita Cup Trophy Award
3. Team Pizza Party
4. Bragging rights for one year

The speed kicking competition features two (2) Zemita eSparring pads. The eSparring pad will be wrapped around a kicking bag to create a “kicking station.” Two teams face off against each other to see who advances to the next level. Each team will have their own kicking station. The kicking counter for each team will be set at the same number of kicks. The team that reaches zero (0) first is the winner.

The eSparring system will provide a 3…2…1 countdown so competitors know when to begin kicking. As competitors kick the eSparring pad it will register the kicks. Every registered kick subtracts one (1) number from the kicking counter. When a team reaches zero (0) the competition is over. The winner is determined by the team that reaches zero (0) first. The winning team will advance to the next level to compete against other winning teams.

Each team has four (4) team members. One team member at a time will kick the Zemita kicking station. The judge will yell, ROTATE, when it is time to rotate team members. As one (1) team member rotates to the back of the line the next team member steps up as fast as possible to begin kicking the kicking station. This pattern continues until the kicking counter reaches zero (0).

VI. POOMSAE Category

The category is open to all styles of Tae Kwon Do or similar Korean martial art. You will see different poomsae/forms competing against each other at the same time. This category features two (2) levels or rounds.

2. Level I – This is the medal round. At this level three (3) competitors in the same belt and age division compete against each other in the same ring at the same time. They compete for Gold, Silver and Bronze position medals. All Gold medal winners advance to LEVEL II, the grand championship trophy round. The Tournament does allow for a one (1) belt deviation if needed to complete a group of three (3) competitors.
3. Level II – This is the grand championship trophy round. The level is open to all competitors that won a Gold medal in the LEVEL I forms category. Gold medal winners compete for the title of Grand Champion against other gold medal winners in their age and belt division. Competitors will be awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Grand Championship trophies.

In LEVEL I poomsae competition, three (3) competitors enter the ring together. Competitors perform their poomsae at the same time. In LEVEL I, competitors are judged based on their overall performance, beauty, grace, stances and kicks compared to the other competitors in the ring. When all competitors have completed their poomsae the judges will conference to award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the competitors based on their performance. All Gold medal winners advance to LEVEL II to compete against other gold medal winners in their division.

Competitors that advance to LEVEL II enter the ring one competitor at a time. In LEVEL II, competitors are required to introduce themselves to the judges and ask permission to begin. Each competitor will walk up to the judges and bow. They will then introduce themselves, say what Tae Kwon Do school they represent and ask permission to begin. For example, the competitor will say, “My name is (state their name). I represent (state Tae Kwon Do school name) or Representing (state Tae Kwon Do school name). With your permission, I will begin.” After the judges acknowledges the competitor, the competitor will say thank you judges, bow and return to center of ring and begin their poomsae.

To make LEVEL II judging as fair as possible each competitor will start with a perfect score of one hundred (100). Competitors will be judged on the performance, beauty and grace of their kicks, punches, stances, kihaps, balance, uniform and overall performance. Competitors receive one (1) point deduction for each poorly executed kick, punch, stance, balance issue or weak kihaps. Competitors will receive one (1) point deduction for a soiled, wrinkled or dirty uniform. Each point deduction represents one tenth (.1) of a point that is taken away from the competitor’s perfect score of one hundred (100). Here is an example of the competitor scoring.

If a competitor receives five (5) point deductions from a judge they will have a score of ninety-nine point five (99.5). A competitor that receives twelve (12) point deductions from a judge will have a final score of ninety-eight point eight (98.8). The competitor will receive three (3) separate scores, one score from each judge. The average of those three (3) scores will determine the competitor’s final overall score. Winners will be determined on the best overall score. If there are only 3 competitors in a division the judges have the option to have them compete in the ring at the same time.

VIII. Pair Poomsae (Forms)

This category will be open to ALL belt and age divisions. It is a fun and exciting category that allows competitors to compete with their friend or family as a pair. Each pair is two (2) competitors. The pair can be mixed with male and female and different belt divisions. Teams must demonstrate a Tae Kwon Do form. It is not a creative category.

X. Breaking Category

The breaking category is subdivided into three (3) categories, Traditional Breaking, Power Breaking and Highest Kick Break!

1.) Traditional Breaking – In this category competitors compete against themselves. The competitor determines their own breaking technique and board heights based on the allowed number of boards for their belt rank. If the competitor is successful and completes the breaks on the first attempt, the competitor will be awarded a Gold medal. If it takes the competitor two (2) attempts on any break they will be awarded a Silver medal. If it takes the competitor three (3) or more total attempts the competitor will be awarded a Bronze medal. Black Belt competitors will compete against two (2) other black belts in their division for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place trophies. Black belts will be judged on their breaking techniques and difficulty. Number of breaking attempts supersedes technique.

The competitor must break the boards using a balanced number of hand and foot techniques. For example, a breaking competitor in Level I must break two (2) boards. That competitor must use one (1) hand and one (1) foot technique to break the boards. Level II and LEVEL III competitors have additional requirements as outlined below. The breaking category is divided into the following three (3) levels.

• LEVEL 1 – 2 Boards – White, Yellow, Orange & Green Belts
  • 1 hand & 1 foot technique
• LEVEL 2 – 4 Boards – Purple, Blue, Brown & Red Belts
  • 2 hand & 2 foot techniques
  • Must use at least one (1) jumping kick
• LEVEL 3 – 6 Boards – Black Belts (BB)
  • 3 hand & 3 foot techniques (NO hammer fist for BB division)
  • Must use at least one (1) jumping kick
  • Must use at least one (1) spinning/turning kick

Competitors in the traditional breaking category WILL NOT be permitted to break more boards than the number of boards allowed for their belt rank. Competitors must use an equal combination of hand and foot techniques to break the number of boards for their belt rank. If a competitor fails to break a board because of a holder mistake, that attempt will not be counted against the competitor. The competitor will be allowed to attempt the break again.

2.) Power Breaking – Power breaking is limited to black belts competitors. There will be 2 divisions, Under 18 years old and 18 years old and older. Black belts will compete against each other in their division regardless of weight. The category will be broken into two (2) materials, wood and non-wood materials.

• Wood – The tournament uses one inch (1”) thick pine wood boards. Boards will be stacked on top of cement blocks. Construction pencils will be used as spacers between the boards. To keep power breaking as fair as possible, competitors must use boards from The Tournament. Power breaking competitors can use any of the following techniques for breaking: Hammer Fist, Palm Strike, Elbow Strike or Straight Punch.
• Non-Wood – This category for other material like concrete/cement blocks, bricks, headers etc. In this category competitors supply their own materials. The tournament does not provide materials for this category. The competitor is responsible for setup, teardown and cleanup of all material, structures and equipment used in the breaking.

3.) Highest Kick Competition – This category is a FREE event to any competitor that qualifies. For details, see information above, or refer to the Tournament Handbook.

For fairness, all competitors must use the same style board. Boards must be purchased from The Tournament for the cost of three dollars ($3.25) per board. Competitors that bring their own boards will not be permitted to use those boards at The Tournament. Competitors must provide their own holders. Table judges can assist holding if needed. Parents are permitted to assist in holding boards.

XII. Sparring

The Tournament strives to provide a fun and safe sparring experience. Safety is a major concern. Sparring rules at this tournament are put in place to keep the competition fun, exciting and as safe as possible. ALL sparring competitors are REQUIRED to wear sparring gear. Competitors must wear hand, foot, head, chest, groin and mouth protection. Gear must be in clean working condition. Competitors WILL NOT be allowed to spar without protective gear. Gear will be available onsite for purchase if needed. This IS NOT a full contact tournament. Competitors must control their kicks and punches. If a competitor kicks or punches another competitor hard enough to cause that competitor to receive a knockout (KO). The competitor that caused the KO can be disqualified (DQ).

Please read the tournament handbook for the complete Sparring rules.

1st Place Trophy (Wins both matches)
2nd Place Trophy (Wins 1 out of 2 matches)
3rd Place Trophy (Wins no matches)

The Tournament will do its best to match 4 competitors in each sparring division. If there are not enough competitors in a division to create a 4 person bracket, a smaller bracket will be created.