🚫 Article 9: Prohibited Acts and Techniques

Karate is a disciplined sport. To protect competitors and uphold fairness, certain actions are strictly prohibited. Violations may result in penalties or disqualification at the discretion of the referee.

πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ Appeals & Authority

  • Disqualified contestants may appeal through their coach to the Contest Arbitrator
  • The Chief Referee, after consulting with judges, may reinstate or confirm the decision
  • The Chief Referee’s decision is final

⚠️ Categories of Prohibited Behavior

πŸŸ₯ CATEGORY 1: Dangerous or Unfair Techniques

#Prohibited Action
1Attacks to head, face, throat, neck, or back with hand, fist, or arm
2Attacks to arms, groin, joints, or instep
3Dangerous throws causing injury
4Attacking from the floor after being downed (defense allowed)
5Striking/kicking a downed opponent
6Hip throws or falling on opponent causing injury
7Any technique deemed improper or unfair by the referee

🟨 CATEGORY 2: Unsporting Behavior

#Prohibited Action
1Feigning or exaggerating injury
2Repeated exits from match area (JOGAI)
3Self-endangerment or failure to protect oneself (MUBOBI)
4Avoiding combat to prevent opponent scoring
5Illegal grabs/throws unless opponent initiated
6Unnecessary clinching, wrestling, pushing
7Uncontrolled or dangerous techniques
8Head or elbow attacks to the face
9Goading, talking, disobeying referee, or poor etiquette

πŸ§₯ Additional Infractions

  • πŸ‘• Grabbing the front of the dogi or behind the neck with two hands β†’ Official warning
  • πŸͺ‘ Coaches must remain seated and silent during matches. Violations β†’ Contestant penalized
  • ⏰ Late arrivals or no-shows β†’ Automatic disqualification (Contestant called 3 times, 30 seconds apart, with 1 minute after final call)

πŸ“š EXPLANATION & CLARIFICATIONS

🧠 Injury & Control

  • Karate techniques must be controlled to prevent serious injury
  • Referees must observe injury symptoms and assess intent
  • Pre-existing injuries may exaggerate impact β€” referees must consider medical history

🎭 Feigning Injury

  • Feigning injury β†’ SHIKKAKU (disqualification)
  • Exaggerating real injury β†’ Warning or penalty
  • Medical Commission will examine and report on suspected cases

πŸ§β€β™‚οΈ Vulnerable Areas

  • Throat contact β†’ Penalized unless recipient is at fault
  • Open hand to face β†’ Forbidden due to risk to eyesight

πŸŒ€ Throwing Techniques

  • βœ… Allowed: Conventional leg sweeps (e.g., de ashi barai, ko uchi gari)
  • ❌ Forbidden: Over-the-shoulder throws (e.g., seio nage), sacrifice throws (e.g., tomoe nage)

🚷 Jogai (Exiting Match Area)

  • Exit during scoring β†’ May not be penalized
  • Exit without scoring β†’ Penalized
  • Referee uses β€œYAME” to determine timing of exit

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Avoiding Combat

  • Constant retreat without counter β†’ Warning or penalty
  • <10 seconds left β†’ Keikoku + Ippon to opponent
  • Referee must assess if retreat is due to opponent’s reckless behavior

🧨 Mubobi (Self-Endangerment)

  • Reckless attacks without defense β†’ Cannot score
  • Turning away to show off β†’ Mubobi violation
  • If injury results and fault lies with recipient β†’ No penalty to attacker

πŸ—£οΈ Delegation Conduct

  • Discourteous behavior by team or delegation β†’ May result in disqualification of:
    • Individual competitor
    • Entire team
    • Entire delegation