Guides for martial arts judges
The rules are learnt at a course. The eye is trained by scoring. These guides explain the first with the rulebook open and tell you how to practise the second.
GUIDES · 01Why four judges give four scores, and how to measure itMartial arts judges disagree, and it has been measured. Where disagreement comes from, bias versus noise, and how to measure a panel's consistency.GUIDES · 02How to become an ITF Taekwon-Do umpireRequirements for ITF Class A and Class B umpires, what a world championship asks for, what each official does in the ring and how to prepare between courses.GUIDES · 03How a tul is scored: deductions, rhythm and sine waveHow an ITF tul is scored in 2026: start at 6, deduct 0.2 per mistake, add up to 4 for rhythm, sine wave and power, and what sends it to zero.GUIDES · 04How ITF sparring is scored: +1, +2, +3 and the winnerITF sparring: 1 point for a hand attack, 2 for a body kick, 3 for a head kick. Targets, light contact, warnings, fouls and who wins.GUIDES · 05The 7 mistakes judges miss most in a patternThe ITF pattern mistakes umpires miss most: the entry, the name, the kihap, the return to the starting spot, the wave, the kick and the height.GUIDES · 06What judge calibration is and why your federation needs itCalibrating judges means measuring how far each is from a reference and fixing it with practice. What it is, what it is not, how to run it.GUIDES · 07How to align a panel of judges the day before the tournamentA 90-minute session to align judges before a martial arts tournament: which videos to pick, how to score, how to discuss and how to check it worked.GUIDES · 08Record your pattern and get it scored by a panel before you competeHow to record your pattern so real judges can score it: angle, framing and sound, what happens when you publish it, and how to read the median.