The kata section of a competition is usually the most popular event amongst competitors. Categories that might be used are:

Brown and Black Belt Male Kata (16 and above)
Brown and Black Belt Female Kata (16 and above)
Mixed Individual Kata, 6th kyu-4th kyu (16 and above)
Mixed Senior Team Kata, 6th kyu and above (16 and above)
Children's Individual Kata, Brown and Black Belt (under 16)
Children's Individual Kata, 6th kyu-4th kyu (under 16)
Children's Team Kata, 6th kyu and above (under 16)

The elimination rounds of an individual kata competition are usually decided by the use of heian katas and are decided with the flag system. Each competitor will be told whether they are shiro (white) or aka (red) for the purpose of identification and will then be put against an opponent. They will be told to perform a heian kata of the judges choice. At this point, both competitors must perform the kata on the competition area at the same time (but obviously at their own speed), to the best of their ability. After the completion of the kata it is then the task of the referees and judges (usually anything from three to five in an elimination round) to decide which competitor performed the best kata. It is their choice whether to hold up a red flag (declaring victory for aka), white flag (saying that shiro should win) or cross both flags (signifying a draw). The decision as to which competitor will progress to the next round of the competition will be decided by a majority decision. In the instance of a draw, both competitors will be asked to perform a second kata and the decision will be made again. In the unlikely incident of a second draw, the competitors will be asked to perform a third and final kata after which the judges must make a decision either way.

The finals of a kata competition are decided using a points system. Each finalist must perform a kata of their choice on their own and will then be given a score based on that kata by up to seven judges. It is normal for both the highest and lowest scores to be ignored unless there is a draw between finalists in which case they will then be included to decide a winner. Trophies will normally be awarded for 1st , 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in a kata competition.

Team Kata is done a little differently to individual kata. A team is made up of three competitors. It is usual for the elimination round to consist of performing just one chosen kata as judgement is made using a points system. The kata must be performed in formation with moves done in the same style and at the same speed. Points will be deducted for any group who are not in time with eachother and for bad technique of individuals within the group. Sometimes you will find that juniors must perform a heian kata in unison for the eliminations.

The finals of a Team Kata competition consist of each group of finalists performing another kata together. This kata must be different from the one performed in the elimination round. Trophies will be awarded for the same positions as in individual kata.

Kumite in Competition

This is the first thing that springs to mind in many people's heads when you say to them "karate competition". Kumite competitions are often broken down into many categories in the interest of fairness. It is common, for example, to see three or more categories for boys under 16. Typical categories in KUGB competition would be:

Senior Male Kumite (21 and above)
Junior Male Kumite (16 to 20 inclusive)
Male Team Kumite (16 and above)
Female Kumite (16 and above)
Female Team Kumite (16 and above)
Children's Ippon Kumite
Boy's Kumite (10 to 11 years)
Under 5' Boys Kumite (12 to 15 years)
5' to 5'5" Boys Kumite (12 to 15 years)
5'5" and over Boys Kumite (12 to 15 years)

You may have noticed that there are no sections for girl's kumite listed above. Because of lack of demand a lot of competitions won't have these sections however there are instances where this isn't the case (in the British Shotokan Open for example).

When taking part in a competition it is usually compulsory to wear a gum shield. It is also recomended that you wear a groin guard for men or a chest protector for women. Although kumite is supposed to be controlled it is inevitable that accidents happen on occasion.

Kumite will usually follow the 'Shobu ippon' point score system. This is where a contest is won by a person scoring a whole point. This can be made up of:

2 Waza-aris or
1 ippon

A Waza-ari is a half point. This is given when a competitors attack is deemed 90% effective and hits an opponent.

An ippon is a full point. This is given for a 100% effective technique. When an ippon is scored the opponent will usually be caught completely off-guard. You can usually tell when an ippon is scored; the quality shines through.

Each match usually takes three minutes. A warning buzzer is given when there is 30 seconds left so the competitors know how long they have to score their points in. If at the end of the three minutes there is no winner the judges must decide who should win. This is usually decided on the amount of points scored by each competitor or the number of warnings issued. If the referees still can't make a decision then a one minute extension period is sometimes allowed, although match extensions are usually kept to a minimum.

The elimination contest will usually use the 'mirror' refereeing system. This is when two referees are used with one on either side of the fighters. They will usually carry on until there are only two or four competitors left. These people will progress to the finals.

The finals usually consist of the same format but instead of using the mirror system of refereeing there will usually be a referee and four corner judges. The corner judges will hold up their coloured flags corresponding to the competitor who has scored in order to assist the referee on decisions that he either didn't see or needs confirmation on.

It is sometimes the case that for some adult kumite finals the shobu sanbon system will be used. This means to win the competition a competitor will have to score either:

6 Waza-aris,
3 Ippons or
A combination of waza-aris and ippons to a total of three complete points.

It is normal for trophies to awarded for 1st, 2nd and joint 3rd places.

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