Forms (Sport Poomsae and Open Style)

Forms competition will be divided into two major categories:

• Sport Poomsae - Also known as WTF/Kukkiwon Poomsae
• Open Style All other forms

*** Divisions will be separated based on Sex, Age, and Rank. Smaller divisions may be combined at the discretion of tournament officials***

Sport Poomsae is the WTF compulsory poomsae used at sanctioned national and international competitions such as USAT Nationals and the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships. Competitors must perform the designated form(s) for their age and rank group randomly determined by the Tournament Official. Compulsory/designated poomsae will be selected and published online at least one week prior to the competition date.
Black belt competitors will perform two (2) designated poomsae; colour belts will perform one (1) designated poomsae. Refer to http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Taekwondo/Resources/Sport-Poomsae for full current USAT / WTF poomsae rules.
Divisions with 20 or more competitors will begin in the preliminary round; 9-19 competitors will begin in the semi-final round; and 8 or fewer competitors will compete in the final round.
Most divisions at the Battle of Columbus will start in the FINAL round. Color belts will be required to perform the one designated poomsae in their division; Black Belts will be required to perform two designated poomsaes

POOMSAE RULES BELOW:

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Click here to Download Sport Poomsae Rules

Age divisions are as follows:
- Under 7
- 8-9
- 10-11
- 12-14
- 15-17
- 18-29
- 30-39
- 40-49
- 50-59
- 60+

Rank: Sport Poomsae
- Novice (10th gup-7th gup) - YELLOW Belt
- Beginner (6th gup-5th gup) - GREEN Belt
- Intermediate (4th gup-3rd gup) - BLUE Belt
- Advanced (2nd gup-1st gup) - RED Belt
- All Black Belts (1st dan - 9th dan)
Scoring: Scoring for Sport Poomsae will adhere to the current USAT standards taking into account:
+ Technical Skills/Accuracy (4.0)
- Accurate striking and blocking of imaginary targets (e.g. middle punch to solar plexus, back fist to philtrum/nose level, etc).
- Accuracy of basic movements and balance
- Breathing properly
+ Presentation (6.0)
- Speed and Power
- Expression of Energy
- Strength, rhythm, balance


Open Style Forms
Open forms are all other forms including "traditional" forms such as Palgwe, school specific forms, or freestyle forms composed by the competitor. Music may be used, but it is not a requirement.

Scoring:
Scoring for open poomsae/forms competition is performed by black belt judges in each ring. The judges score performances on a scale from 5.11 to 9.99. When three judges are scoring, the score shall be determined by combining all three scores. When five judges are scoring, the highest score and the lowest score will be eliminated then the remaining three (3) scores will be totaled.

Judging Criteria
Judging for forms (Sport Poomsae and Open Style) will be based on two broad criteria - Technical Skills/Accuracy and Presentation:
+ Technical Skills/Accuracy
- Accurate striking and blocking of imaginary targets (e.g. middle punch to solar plexus, back fist to philtrum/nose level, etc).
- Accuracy of basic movements and balance
- Breathing properly
+ Presentation
- Mental Concentration (eyes focused on targets)
- Speed and Power
- Expression of Energy
- Strength, rhythm, balance