Olympic karate rules explained

For the first time ever, karate will be a part of the Summer Olympic Games, debuting at the 2021 Olympics. Here is what you need to know about the rules of both formats of the sport.

Combat sports have been a staple part of the Summer Olympics, with events in wrestling, boxing, judo, and Taekwondo. And now, at least for the upcoming Olympics, karate will get to be a part of that list, as the martial art makes its debut as an Olympic sport in Tokyo.

With the power, speed, technique and focus displayed by the karatekas, and an emphasis on values such as humility, self-confidence and concentration, karate is an amazing martial art to experience. And those who watch the karate competitions at the Olympics can bear witness to its beauty.

Not everyone knows how a karate competition works — its rules and the different types of competitions there are. Karate at the Olympics — and other karate competitions — are divided into two formats: Kumite and kata.

Here’s what you need to know.

How does the Kumite portion of karate work?

In Kumite, two karatekas (karate practitioners) compete in an 8×8 area, trying to outstrike the other in a three-minute period. Each clean kick or punch landed on the opponent gives the karateka points. The point values can be anywehre from one to three points (known as, from least to greatest, yuko, waza-ari and ippon), based on things like form, power, control and focus and awareness.

Whoever has the most points at the end of the period wins. If a karateka finds himself or herself with an eight-point lead at any point during the contest, he or she wins automatically. In the event of a tie, the karateka who scored the first point is declared the winner. If it’s a scoreless tie, the bout goes to a judges’ decision.

There will be three men’s Kumite weight divisions (67 kg, 75 kg and +75 kg) and three women’s Kumite weight divisions (55 kg, 61 kg and +61 kg).

What is kata and what happens in these karate competitions?

In kata, each karateka gets his or her chance to perform their kata (“demonstration of forms” [displaying a sequence of offensive and defensive maneuvers]) in front of the judges.

Seven judges score the kata, with the two highest and two lowest scores thrown out, leaving the remaining three scores to be added together.

A kata is judged based on seven technical areas (stances, techniques, transitional movements, timing, correct breathing, focus and conformance) and three athletic areas (strength, speed and balance).

A karateka compete in Olympic kata must pick one of 102 eligible katas recognized by the World Karate Federation. These katas come from four possible styles of karate: Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, Shotokan or Wado-Ryu.

A karateka cannot perform the same kata twice in a tournament.

There are no one weight divisions. There will only be one men’s kata and women’s kata gold medalist.