Within the event of WTF style TaeKwonDo becoming a full contact Olympic sport, a lot more emphasis has been placed on competition. Not all students wish to compete, however, all TaeKwonDo students should have a basic understanding of the skill required for and the rules of competition TaeKwonDo. This will enable them to pass on all aspects of WTF TaeKwonDo should they become an instructor in the future.

The ability to step smoothly and with speed is of the utmost importance to be able to control the distance between yourself and your opponent. Therefore, competition training involves practicing a lot of stepping techniques. This also enables a student to developed good stamina and improves balance.



Training for competition is different from traditional TaeKwonDo training therefore; separate classes are held for those who enjoy the sport side for the art. To be a TaeKwonDo champion takes extensive training and hard work. Students must be prepared to travel to tournaments whenever possible to gain invaluable competition experience.

Players wear a body protector, head guard, gum shield, groin guard, shin guards, arm guards and padded gloves. Points are scored by either a full contact kick to the body or head, punching full contact to the body is also acceptable but may not be scored. Matches are judged by a Head of Court, a Referee and four Corner Judges.

Competition TaeKwonDo must be seen purely as the sport side of the art and must not be confused with traditional TaeKwonDo; it is a completely different concept and must be approached in a totally different manner.