Overview
A Korean martial art and Olympic sport, fought mostly with kicks, scored by sensors in the body and head protectors.
Checked against World Taekwondo's Competition Rules and Interpretation, in force from 1 June 2026. Article numbers below refer to it.
1. The contest
Three rounds of two minutes, with a one-minute break between them (Article 10). If the score is level after three rounds, there's a one-minute golden round, and every point and penalty from the first three rounds is wiped (Article 15).
2. Scoring
Scoring is decided mainly by the electronic system in the body and head protectors (the PSS), which judges whether a technique landed with enough force, except for punches (Article 12):
| Technique | Points |
|---|---|
| Punch to the trunk | 1 |
| Kick to the trunk | 2 |
| Kick to the head | 3 |
| Turning kick to the trunk | 4 |
| Turning kick to the head | 6 |
A turning kick doubles the points for wherever it lands. A back kick only counts as a turning kick if the head and shoulders rotate with it.
A penalty against your opponent (a gam-jeom) is worth 1 point to you. If it's given for passive behaviour in the last 10 seconds of a round — crossing the boundary, falling, or running from the fight — it's worth 2 (Article 12).
3. The golden round
If nobody has scored, or the score is still level, after the golden round:
- Whoever scores 2 points first, or whose opponent picks up two gam-jeom, wins (Article 15).
- If neither reaches that, the referees decide the round on superiority: first by who scored with a punch, then by who landed more hits on the sensors, then by other criteria set out in the article.
Commonly argued
- A turning kick is worth double, wherever it lands — 4 for the trunk, 6 for the head.
- The golden round wipes the earlier score. It isn't added on top.
- Scoring is decided by the sensors, not by a judge's eye, except for punches and some head-kick calls.
- A gam-jeom always gives your opponent a point, and 2 points if it's for stalling in the last 10 seconds of a round.
- A back kick only scores as a turning kick if the shoulders and head turn with it.
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