Kumite is also known as sparring.It is one of the main section in karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite use the techniques learned in the kata and kihon to train against an adversary. Learning kumite is also important and good for us. We can learn the proper way to fight and we can protect ourself from attack by others. In the other hand, kumite also one section in the competition.Although kumite has many advantages, it can also be a very dangerous sport. It may cause injured if we are not injured. Therefore, we must take care ourselves during training and in the competition.
Competition
In a karate tournaments, kumite often takes place inside of a "ringed" area that are similar to that of a boxing ring. The player must not step out from the ring during the competition. They will be given a warning if they step out for the first time while the opponent will gains a point if they steps out the second time. International tournaments usually use a "point sparring" form of kumite which require control ('pulling punches'). Warning will be given for excessive force on techniques to the head and sensitive areas. Full contact is only permitted to the area of the body only. This help to prevent injuries during the competition.
Guideline for kumite
- Player must remain in some form of proper fighting stances and in the Kamae-Te position such as the picture above(hands up, ready to fight position).
- Player must be aware of all obstacles around him/her
- Player must never deliberately endanger themselves by turning their back to their opponent.
- A practiced and well trained player must concentrate on his/her stance and footwork.
For the last point about stance and footwork, a player who wishes to be fast and agile during kumite should always be 'pulsing'. Pulsing means the player remains almost bouncing on the 'balls' of their feet to maintain minimal friction contact with the ground, allowing them to move fast.
Points
Most of the tournament use the following point scheme as standard :
- 1 point: hitting the adversary's abdomen or head with your fists
- 2 points: kicking the adversary's abdomen
- 3 points: kicking the adversary's head
- 3 points: for a sweep / takedown with a follow up technique such as a stomp or a punch
In the competition, refrees distinguish two players by two different colour belt which is blue and red. Players must score as many points as they can in the given time. The highest score player will win the match. Another scoring system is the player who score eight points in three minutes wins the match.
Now, let us watch some videos about kumite :
