changes in WTF

Discussion in 'Tae Kwon Do Resources' started by neryo_tkd, Dec 28, 2004.

  1. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member

    as some of you might have heard, there have been several suggestions for changes/reforms in taekwondo and one aspect of this martial art that is going to be affected by those changes is sparring.

    one of those suggestions will be tested on January 22nd, 2005 at the Dragon Cup of the Stuttgart University (Germany). some people think that it might lead to more attractive fights.

    - fights will consist of only one round that'll last 5 minutes.
    - the winner is
    a) the competitor who has a 4 point lead. if the result is 1:4, and then both fighters score and it is 1:5, i.e. 2:5, the fighter with 5 points is immediately the winner,
    b) the competitor who reaches 7 points first, so in that case the fight doesn't last 5 minutes.
    c) the competitor who at the end of the fight has a better score.
    - if at the end of the fight there is a tie score, the winner is the one who scored first at the beginning.
    - if there are no points during the fight, the winner will be the one who, according to the judges, paid more respect to etiquette and courtesy.

    - the coach has the right to call a ''time out'' lasting 30 sec, but not when s/he wants to, but only when the judge gives one of the fighters ''kyonggo''. during those 30sec the coach can advise his/her fighter, but this doesn't mean that both coaches can do that. the coach who called the time out can talk to his/her fighter while the other is not allowed to do so and the other fighter has to remain on the tatami.

    many hope that these rules will increase the dramatic and dynamic fighting scenes. this should also bring an end to slowing down the fight by the one who is leading. so when you start the fight, you want to score first, because it might decide the end of the fight in your favour. if you lead 3:0, you won't stop, but keep attacking to score one more point to win, or if you already have 6 points, you keep attacking to score one more to win.

    the duration of the fights will be significantly shorter because good fighters have the chance to win before the end of the fight. this way those fighters will not lose their strength, so an increase of the technical performance level is to be expected.

    one more thing regarding the age:
    - seniors are fighters older than 18
    - in the junior division there are 3 categories:
    a) junior A: 16 - 17 years
    b) junior B: 13 - 15 years
    c) junior C: 10 - 12 years


     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2004
  2. Capt Ann

    Capt Ann Valued Member

    Help!!!!! I HOPE not!!

    I am so tired of rules changes in TKD sparring. Leave the rules the same, and I will train/work/practice to those.

    Any word on when/if these will officially be added to the ammended WTF rules?
     
  3. Artikon

    Artikon Advertise here ask me how

    Don't like it.

    The one round means that competitors don't have time to develop a strategy. Although the one round should be packed with constant action, there is more of a chance for injury in my opinion because of this.

    The winning by only four points. Don't like it. That's two head shots, or one head shot with a count and a cheap point. I've seen matches that have gaps of seven points and the other player has still come back to win. Four point mercy rule is not a large enough gap in my opinion. This rule may be a little better if they said ten points.

    Don't like how they will decide ties. Right now the sudden death round is a good idea. I've done a couple of those and they are ridiculously fun to watch and be a part of. Usually don't last that long either so time isn't that huge of a factor.

    Time out. With the one round I can see how this is useful, however that's why there needs to be multiple rounds. What about two five minute rounds then. I don't like the idea of the coach being able to call time out. Especially if I have momentum going my way. Even if it is my coach that calls it I'd be a little more than miffed.

    I can see the reasoning behind this but I would think it would be much simpler to keep the rules the way they are and actually add a rule the clearly states how long a competitor has before they have to initiate an attack.

    I don't like this at all.
     
  4. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member

    this is only a test, to see how competitors will behave and what the general atmosphere would be. high ranked officials will be there to personally supervise it.

    there has been no mention of penalty points.

    there has been no mention of the scoring system either, so i guess it's unchanged then.

    the date is not very conveninent because of the holidays and the weather conditions. it is not uncommon that at that time of year, january, germany is under snow.

    if i can squeeze it in my agenda, i'd love to go and take part, so i could give you a report first hand, but i am not sure yet. one weekend later there is another important competition, and the weekend after that too, so it could be too tiring for me because all those competitions are abroad and involve a lot of travelling. still, if i don't go, i'm looking forward to hearing and reading about the new rules.
     
  5. gnarlie

    gnarlie New Member

    actually, these reforms are still in progress under the WTF, if you go to their website, www.wtf.org, you can have a say in this and other issues. As the WTF are "under new management" theres a major reform committee on the go. When you go to the website a separate window pops up with a questionnaire detailing some of the proposed / possible changes. Not sure about the mention of coloured uniforms on there though :bang: :bang: like TKD doesn't get enough stick already!

    Gnar
     
  6. Artikon

    Artikon Advertise here ask me how

    That would be great if you got a chance to do that Neryo. . . . our own little MAP spy as it were.

    I really hope they don't plan on changing the scoring criteria or the penalties. Seem to be doing that so often lately it keeps changing the game.
     
  7. kabba kick

    kabba kick New Member

    i dont like those rules,the etiquette is kinda stupid, not saying that the idea is stupid but it shouldn't be used to judge who won the fight
    i kinda want longer matches though anything under 2 mins is just too short,the match ends before you even realize it
     
  8. evilkingston

    evilkingston 필요악

    in contrast to the rest of you i like it...
    being an agressive starter and then (after 2 min) mostly changing to counterattacks, this could be my thing! :love:
     
  9. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member


    under 2 minutes? you mean rounds?

    - as far as the new rules are concerned, in a way it's better to test the rules at competitions to see how it works, instead of having to follow them without having a say about them.

    - Artikon, I truly hope that I'll manage it with my training and my work and everything else. to be honest i didn't expect to have a tournament in january. it's early. i am probably going to a tournament in february and then another one in march. but we'll see.
     
  10. angry

    angry Valued Member

    Sound good to me. Our rules for our schools intra club tournaments are along a similar line of thought but even less time and points required. It does improve the standards of sparring for my experience. These ideas have been around for a while now. I hope they can settle on a fair format everyone can agree to.

    Those who don't like change must understand it is only to improve the game. At least I hope so! :)
     
  11. Andy Cap

    Andy Cap Valued Member

    Seniors are those over 18? LOL What does that make me at 35? Venerable. hehe
     
  12. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member


    why are you surprised? fighters over 18, at some tournaments even over 16, fight in the senior division. that has been so at every single tournament i went to.

    nobody will ask about your age. maybe you could even lie that you are like 27. do you look like a 27 year old? :D :D :D
     
  13. Artikon

    Artikon Advertise here ask me how

    Great, hope you can make it, but if not I'm sure we'll see how it goes regardless. Let us know how your tournaments go in the coming months however. I have 1st weekend in January, and that's way to early for my liking but had to be bumped that early this year. Oh well.

    You can still be that way under the current rule set. Actually if you can get early points it can be a huge advantage. Especially with an inexperienced opponent.

    Adding on to the comments. My big concern is right now that officials may become hesitant to score that extra point to end the match after the 4 point gap. Why I'm concerned about this is because if a person takes continuous kicks to the head without the points being scored it can become a big safety concern. Although it seems like this shouldn't happen, the goal is to make the game more exciting to watch, and if after 20 seconds two head kicks have made contact and the match should be over officials may prolong the duration to keep it spectator friendly. I hope this is not the case in Germany when they test this out.

    Completely agree, however I don't think this is a change to improve the game, I think this is a change to improve the spectator appeal personally. I've said this in my previous post on this thread, but I think a kick clock needs to be put into place. Essentially this is simply the time limit a competitor has before they have to throw a kick or initate an attack. Both competitors would have one and having the clock run down would result in a half point penalty for the offending player. That is one way to keep the action going. Course this isn't my idea, although I wish it was. It's something the WTL tried to incorporate into their rules.
     
  14. Slindsay

    Slindsay All violence is necessary

    I dont like the idea of it being a 5 minute round with a time out, I would prefer two 2 and a half minute rounds.

    Other than that I kindof like it but I think the gap needs to be increased from 4 points to 5 or 6 and rather than first to seven have it first to nine or ten so as to keep the possibility of K.Os in it.

    The idea of a kick counter might be a good one but I just cxant see how you could implememnt it well enough.
     
  15. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member

    spectator appeal? that's the first thing that was written in the article about these TKD reforms.

    if we can improve something, then ok, i'm all for it, but i only hope that the new rules will be tested out well before having to apply them.

    according to new rules,a fighter can end the fight when s/he has a 4 point lead or reaches 7 points. that was introduced to avoid results like 15:0, 10:2 etc.

    a year or two ago i went to an international open championship abroad and in the fight for silver i KOed my opponent at the beginning of the 2nd round and i was leading 21:0 at the time. i personally don't really care much for the score, but if i can KO my opponent, i certainly will, and i will try to do it as soon as possible because i want to maintain my strength for the next fight.

    and let's face it, when you have to travel abroad, it's exhausting, you have to spend the entire weekend at the competition, it's exhausting, and till gold you have at least 3 fights, sometimes 4, it's also very exhausting.

    at the competition this month i won my fight for gold 14:5 and my fight for silver 10:0. at the competition in november i also won some of my fights with a huge point lead and it is only natural that if i am leading let's say 10:3 and i still have a hard fight for gold that i'll try to rest in the fight for silver as much as possible and of course avoid getting injured.

    so on one hand, i can understand this new rule about ending a fight with a 4 point lead or 7 points, but i don't understand what they wanted with a 5 minute round!
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2004
  16. glenchuy

    glenchuy has two left feet

    what about another rumor i hear that knockdowns will now net an additional point for the stricker? (meaning, even if it gets blocked, but it causes a knockdown, or the attacker was just clumsy with his attack that he lost balance and fell to the ground, the other fighter gets a point) has anyone else heard of this?
     
  17. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member


    no, i haven't heard such a thing. it is only natural that tons of rumours will start, so let's not make a big deal out of it.
     
  18. Yudanja

    Yudanja Euphoric

    WTF to Move Headquarters....

    World Taekwondo Federation to Move to New Headquarters

    SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- The headquarters of the world governing body for the Korean martial art of taekwondo will be relocated this week from the center of Seoul to the southern part of the capital, officials of the organization said Tuesday.

    "We will move on Thursday and have an opening ceremony for the new office in the Diplomatic Center Building in Seocho-Dong, Gangnam-gu District, next Tuesday," said an official at the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).



    Just thought I would share the information...
     
  19. DJHalliB

    DJHalliB R3g1st3r3d Uzer

    I like those rules alot actually. Sounds like a fun set of rules to play under if you ask me. The spectator appeal is also enourmous, which for me as a competitor is also good, because I fight maybe 2-3 fights per tournament but I watch alot more. Too many fights are slow and one sided and a kick-clock is really hard to implement (2 more officials? one on each clock, making 3 corners, one judge in the ring, one official sitting at a desk handling technical issues (scoring etc) and then 2 for the clocks, making 7 officials required). I live in a small community and its hard enough to get 3 in the corner.

    One 5minute round would also require quite alot of endurance and I assume the scoring rules would be a bit stricter, more force needed and better technique etc, since so few points are needed.

    10 points to end the match and 5 to win by lead sounds alot better though.
     
  20. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member

    this is the latest info from WTF/ETU

    The WTF established a reform committee for reorganizing the competition rules and other matters concerning a better media representation for Taekwondo. Dr. Nat Indrapana, the Chairman of this Reform Committee gave now a short information about the status (shortened):

    "It is my honor and pleasure to inform you on the progress achieved by the WTF Reform Committee, which is now in the midst of its second and final meeting in Bangkok Thailand. As you may already know, the Reform Committee was launched in early November 2004, in tandem with President Chungwon Choue’s vision of creating a “New Taekwondo” that is more thrilling and action-packed to spectators, and with a governing body that is more transparent, more professional, and more globally oriented.

    The Reform Committee membership comes from both within and outside the Taekwondo community, from African, Asian, Pan-American and European regions. It features experts in such fields as development, marketing, finance, and organizational management.

    At our first meeting in Seoul from Dec. 8th to 11th, 2004, the Reform Committee’s primary objective was for all members to understand the current situation of Taekwondo and the WTF and then evaluate and consider any changes for the reform agenda, which was developed earlier with assistance from members of the Olympic community including ASOIF and other international sport federations. Committee members received presentations from 30 experts, including WTF staff and outside professionals.

    They also engaged in brainstorming sessions on the full range of issues, such as competition format, refereeing, finances, and headquarters administration. Afterward, members came together on their own for dialogue to develop an overall strategy for putting recommendations into action.

    Here in Bangkok, our objective is focusing on each of the issues within the 16 areas, and developing concrete recommendations that will be forwarded to the Executive Council and then the General Assembly for their review and approval.

    We have issued several recommendations for a modified competition format that will lead to more exciting games, such as shrinking the size of the competition floor and ensuring that fist techniques earn points. Also, to encourage contestants to be more aggressive, we support awarding an additional point for difficult moves such as flying or jumping kicks.

    Let me stress that it is our overa hing goal to provide a more supportive – and more fair – competition environment to all athletes. For at the end of the day, they are the WTF’s most valuable asset.

    To this end, the Reform Committee has developed proposals for better refereeing, such as more training opportunities, stricter evaluations, and better overall treatment of judges. Boosting the marketing program at the WTF is another key recommendation.

    By raising the appeal and reputation of the sport worldwide, the WTF will command greater attention from global companies, and more income from sponsorships and licensing agreements. These funds, in turn, can be used to assist your national federations in achieving your goals and in supporting the host cities of our championship events.

    In the area of organizational structure, we are putting forth policy that will make the WTF more accountable and transparent, through such means as continuous training of staff and employment of more experts in such fields as public relations and finance.

    The process of reform will not occur overnight, and it will not take place in a vacuum. The World Taekwondo Federation needs, and expects, full cooperation from each of our member national federations to keep in step with other sports federations and the Olympic movement for a better future for our athletes."

    So far Dr. Nat Indrapana, Chairman of the WTF Reform Committee

    There will be more grave changes on the competition rules for sure in the near future. How the details will be has not been decided yet but some interesting times lie ahead of all competitors.
     

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