ATA Tournaments - Sparring Rules!

[@jimbo_dilly1675]

Taekwondo is sport, not self-defense, and these rules are what make it this way.

[@ronburgundy5730]

So many rules. Why do they need head and chest gear?

[@chrflexify]

it just helps prevent injury... lots of spin and jump techniques that can damage/hurt self or opponent. i am a 1st degree black belt so I know why

[@EazyE11]

How are kicks to the head ok but punches not 🤔

[@alanasketches]

I really don’t understand this…I mean i go to Keenes ATA martials arts and were learning this but you keep pausing this and it makes no no no SENSe e

[@billlumburg7594]

Perfect technique: face away from you opponent, lean your head away from your opponent, single leg mule kick when your opponent comes in range. Boom, World Champion

[@chrflexify]

blind technique, but cool

[@dpjones5913]

Okay question, if you punch the other person's chest protector but you're behind them is it technically a blind technique? I wouldn't say so bc yk that the chest protector is there but my one younger instructor always calls that a blind punch

[@chrflexify]

its a gray area, most judges wont call it as a warning, but it may not be scoreable.

[@michaelstief3687]

I was hoping you could clarify about the competitor being out of the ring. I thought the person outside the ring could not score a point as long as the foot outside the ring was touching the ground.

[@EmpowerATA]

Great question! For ATA tournaments, if they have one foot in bounds, it is an anchor. They can still score. One of the "curses" of ATA tournaments is that grown adult men who are 6'+ tall are sparring in a 15' by 15' ring. So the one foot inbounds allows us to counteract that. Again, great question!

[@joelweber3462]

@@EmpowerATA How interesting a detail. I've been sparring in ATA since 1993 and went to Worlds twice, but always heard that at moment of your strike, your out of bounds foot had to be either in the air or back in bounds for point. I had not heard before that you could score with a foot planted outside... how many point did I lose out on :)

[@PebblesOTB]

5 points? That's it? Light contact? Interesting

[@PebblesOTB]

World class, if you make light contact you get no point. You have to hit hard or no points. Basically the opposite of ATA

[@dpjones5913]

I've always been told that if one foot is out of bounds then they can't score

[@chrflexify]

if one foot is in but one is out, it is still scoreable. only when both feet are out is it not allowed to score.

[@scarred10]

Complete nonsense, why are they even wearing chest protection with light contact.Also,why not hav3 head punches when theyre wearing faceguards?This is not a martial art.

[@scarred10]

@@chrflexify how in fucks name could Amercan Tkd Assoc be founded in korea.You mean TKD was founded in korea when there was only 1 ruleset which allowed headpunching,the korean master that began the ATA was an ITF master when he came to the states in the 60s and tjen switched to WTF which is why the ATA uses those ridiculous rules.

[@scarred10]

@@chrflexify again,how can an american TKD assoc be founded in korea.The founder left korea in the 60s as an ITF master and then switched to WFT in the 70s.

[@arthurnaamericagamer5159]

Mcdojo