Martial Arts

Admission for spectators is $5. Children under 5 are free.

SCHEDULE:
Check-in: Onsite registration will be available from only 8:30-9:30 am on the day of the tournament. Pre-registration check-in from 9-10 am.

Black Belt Meeting: 10 am

Competition Begins: 9:00 am with Musical/Creative Kata.  Competitors in this division MUST bring someone to handle the music, and the total performance is limited to 2 minutes. Participants must bring their own music, and must present it to the Sports Commissioner at registration. Appropriateness of music will be determined at that time. Individuals or teams of 2-5 may compete in this division, and gymnastics/acrobatics are allowed here. Other divisions are designed for traditional forms.

Traditional division begin at 10:30 am, and all youth divisions (including team sparring) will be held first before any adult division.

There will be no coaching from the sidelines allowed. The tournament will be stopped if this occurs.

FORMS RULES: When the student’s name is called, he/she will bow to enter the ring, move to the starting place, bow, state the name of the form, and begin. There will be no presentation first. This procedure is for many reasons. It speeds up the division, does not allow for bias because of school, instructor, or version of form.
PROPER TRADITIONAL ETIQUETTE (RESPECT, DIGNITY AND COURTESY) WILL BE ENFORCED. No sharp weapons are allowed.

MUSICAL/CREATIVE FORMS RULES: Participants must bring their own music, and must present it to the Sports Commissioner at registration. Appropriateness of music will be determined at that time. Individuals or teams of 2 or more may compete in this division, and gymnastics/acrobatics are allowed here. Other divisions are designed for traditional forms.

SPARRING RULES: Foam dipped safety equipment is mandatory for hand, head and feet. Male groin protection and mouth guards are required also. No open toes or fingers are permitted, but Ring Star shoes will be allowed in adult divisions. The final decision on equipment legality will rest with the tournament director.

POINTS:
Black Belt divisions = 5 points (3 minutes)
Other divisions = 3 point (2 minute) rounds
All techniques score one point. Judges will score only what they see, and only appropriate techniques.

TARGETS:
Side of Head – light, skillful, accurate, controlled, contact will be allowed in all divisions. Moderate contact will be allowed in Adult Black Belt Divisions. NO FACE CONTACT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Body – chest, stomach, sides of upper torso, kidneys; moderate contact.

TECHNIQUES:
• All appropriate kicks or strikes to the designated target areas will be scored; Control must be used; excludes previously designated head contact rules.
• GRABBING & TRAPPING: Grabbing and trapping are legal provided an attempted scoring technique follows immediately.
• SWEEPS: Sweeps are legal provided it is not to the supporting leg. Joint sweeps and double leg sweeps are NOT legal. All discrepancies not answered in these rules shall be ruled on by arbitrators or the tournament director.

PENALTIES:
• Excessive/illegal contact to the head or body is an immediate penalty, but a competitor may be disqualified for the first infraction at the discretion of the referees.
• IMPROPER ETIQUETTE: Displayed either verbally or physically is disqualification for competitor, friends or family. If you are disqualified from a match, you are removed from further placement on the chart and your next scheduled opponent will receive a bye.
• Sweeps to the shin; contact to joint, face, leg, arm, or groin; sweeps not followed by an attempt to score, avoiding the opponent, and strikes of any kind to the top of the head.

TEAM SPARRING RULES: No more than 3 participants per team. Rounds will be three minutes and total accumulated points for each team will be calculated to determine the winner. All other sparring rules apply. Teams can be formed on site, as this will be the last division.

FORMAT: Divisions may be separated at the discretion of the tournament director, and competitors under age 13 may be divided into big/small divisions for safety reasons. Divisions with fewer than 3 competitors may be combined.

AGE: As of Saturday, July 29, 2023

PLEASE NOTE: Training time is as of July 29, 2023. Also, when selecting codes for your events, Red and Brown belts are typically considered “Advanced.” Training time is total time as a martial artist. (Example, if you started training 12 months ago, but only started weapons 3 months ago, you are still an intermediate participant.)

Beginner = 4 months or less of training
Novice = 5-10 months training
Intermediate = 11-17 months training
Advanced = 18 months or more of training

Postmark Deadline: July 22, 2023

Online Deadline: July 28, 2023

Registration Fee:
Pre-Event Registration – $35/athlete (up to 3 events)
On-Site Registration – $40/athlete (up to 3 events)

Send Entry Forms by Email:
Kyle@bluegrasssports.org

Tates Creek High School

1111 Centre Pkwy

Lexington, KY 40517

Debbie Sauber
Home – (859) 271-3638
Cell – (859) 221-3480
dsauber7@gmail.com

Charlie Fields,
Co-Sport Commissioner