How to conduct yourself in a formal* taekwondo fight.

The ring will be set up with a ref in the center, and judges on at least two corners. There will be a chair just outside the ring on two sides, halfway down the side, facing each other. Before your fight, you may sit in the chair, waiting for the ref to call you in. Your coach will stand beside you.

When the ref calls you in, make sure that you are at the middle of the side of the ring. You should only enter the ring at a perpendicular, and walk straight forward to your starting position. Pause to bow as you cross the line marking the ring. This bow is to the space itself. Bowing to the judges now isn’t wrong, but it is a trifle obsequious. Walk to the spot the ref is pointing to, facing your opponent, with your coach now sitting in the chair behind you.

The ref will direct your next sequence of bows, which may include to the American flag, to the Korean flag, to each judge, to the ref, to your coaches, to your opponent. At the minimum you will bow to the ref and to your opponent. The ref may remind you of the rules (no hands to the face, all strikes above the waist) or check that your finger and toenails are cut short. The ref will give the signal for the fight to start.

As soon as the ref signals for the fight to start, both fighters will immediately switch sides, so that they are looking at their own coach behind the opponent. An experienced coach will be mimicking his fighter’s stance throughout the fight. Fighter has right leg back, coach’s right leg will be behind the left. The coach will be signaling attacks with hand gestures that look like the kicks.

During the fight, it is the fighter’s responsibility to fight according to the rules, but it is the ref’s responsibility to keep the fighters safe. Do not pull your kicks or pause your attack if your opponent looks injured; it is up to the ref to make that decision. Stop instantly on the ref’s command. It is the judge’s responsibility to get out of the way (and take her chair with her), so do not look behind you if the fight is backing you into a judge. The ref may pause the fight and return the fighters to the center at any point.

At the end of the round, the ref will return you to the center, and may or may not have you bow out. Back out of the ring to your chair, bowing as you leave the ring. Your coach will give you the chair and water. She will crouch in front of you, and may prop your legs on her thighs, to massage them while she coaches you on strategy. Next round will be like the first. You probably won’t have a third round unless you are in the semis or the finals.

If the other fighter gets injured during your fight, immediately walk to a point in the ring a few feet in front of your coach (on the line between the center and your chair). Turn your back to the center, kneel, and bow your head. Do not look around. Stay motionless until the ref comes for you, or your coach signals you to stand. In one motion, spring gracefully to your feet. (Just kidding. If you’ve been left in a kneel for too long, your feet will have gone to sleep. Be careful not to fall over as you stand up.)

At the end of the fight, the ref will take both your hands, and raise the hand of the winner. She will then bow you out, in the reverse order of whatever bows she required at the beginning. Shake hands with your opponent; this may be informal. If you shake hands with your opponent’s coach, however, remember that she is of higher rank than you. Support your right elbow with your left hand and bow your head to make the handshake more respectful. Walk backwards out of the ring, stopping to bow to it on your way out. Rejoin your coach.

A word on bowing:
Bow slowly, spine straight all the way through the neck, about halfway down to waist level. Do NOT look at your opponent. That is extremely rude, implying that he has no honor and would attack you during a bow. Stay at the bottom of the bow for a beat, long enough to take it completely out of gear, and straighten at the same speed you descended. (Yoga bows, which are a full fold at the waist and wait there for forever, feel like groveling to me. I can’t do them and always straighten first. That makes me the rude one, I guess.)

Also, if you are just practicing or joking around with a blackbelt, it is extremely rude to flinch, as it implies that she doesn’t have the control to slow her kick or not hit you. Take the kick if you have to (rarely happens), but never duck, pull back, wince or block.









*This is probably overkill for most local tournaments. I was trained very formally, and notice that the kids these days weren’t ever taught good manners and are uncouth savages. Still, even the ornate stuff becomes second nature after a while.