Poomsae judging and scoring criteria reforms
The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) held meetings with its judging officials and kukkiwon poomsae experts recently during January 2009. The consensus view was that the current methods of scoring and criteria for scores should be reformed and changed.
The current scoring criteria is based on accuracy of movements and techniques which is allotted 50%; 30% to mastery (extent of movement, balance, power & speed); and 20% to presentation (rhythmn, tempo, tone & power and expression of ki.
The reform suggestions are to reduce the accuracy allocation to 30% and increase allocation to 70% for experience and expressivity. Experience category entails balance, range of motion, speed and strength of movements, while expressivity involves fluidity, rhythm, tempo and ki-hap.
The thought is to increase focus on expressivity and experience and raising the standards of poomsae. It is considered that the current criterion and scoring methods reward stiff and robotic movements. Poomsae is not about producing a regurgitated set of movements from memory, but rather poomsae is about an art form that requires unity between the mind and body and how this is being expressed.
Comments are welcome in this post or you can join in with the discussions in the forum.
Kim Seng says:
January 26th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
The judging at the 4th World Poomsae championships (Nov-Dec 2009) has added new criteria for the deduction of specific error areas by 0.5 points deductions:
on Accuracy:
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant’s performance does not correspond to the WTF regulated movement – e.g. wrong movement or omitting a movement.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time when the contestant misses a ki-hap or ki-haps in the wrong place or at the wrong movement point.
• 0.5 point will be deducted if the starting position differs from the ending position by more than one foot (means the length of the player’s foot) allowance.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant makes an unnecessary noise in a stance or stepping foot – except where a jitt-zik-gi movement exists.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant makes mistakes such as pausing in their movements for more than 3 seconds.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant performs a jitt-zik-gi movement without enough power and sound.
on Presentation:
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time eye focus or breathing is not corresponding to the movement or motion.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant express power and speed with a lack of fluency in movement.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant loses balance in performing a required movement or the extent of the movement is not appropriate.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant performs the movement with a lack of flexibility.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant exceeds the time limit.
• 0.5 point will be deducted each time a contestant crosses the boundary line.