Competition Rules/Referees

To host a USA Taekwondo Referee Development Seminar click HERE.

RDP Mission Statement
To develop USAT Referees at all levels through education, standardization, and practical application. To certify and promote referees using a systematic approach based on merit and diligence to ensure a fair and firm competition environment for athletes in pursuit of competitive excellence.


USAT Referee Code of Conduct (updated May 14, 2007)


Revision of Arbitration Rules (August, 2007)

Foundations of Refereeing

There are general principals which a referee in any sport must fully understand and adhere to. These principles protect the integrity of the competition process and the physical safety and trust of the competitors.

Competition Rules (updated July, 2009)

Equipment Standards (updated Feb. 7, 2006)

Junior Safety Rules

 CENTER OF THE RING
VOL. 2, NO. 2

Greetings fellow referees and welcome to the second issue of the Referee Development Program e-newsletter for 2009.

We would like to extend our heartfelt welcome to Ms. Amanda Rubin, who is back in the office after being out for over a month due to surgery.  Amanda is doing well, and is eager to be working with the referees again!  While Amanda was out of the office, Ms. Jennifer Keurulainen stepped in to manage the responsibilities of the Referee Coordinator, so a warm thanks goes out to her for filling in during Amanda's absence.

Amanda's return could not have come at a better time, as it has been a very busy summer, and there does not appear to be any signs of activities slowing down for referees in the near future.  This is good news, as it means that we are experiencing more opportunities than ever for our referee corps to stay involved in our sport/art at a very high level.

We would like to begin by sharing with you some of the upcoming opportunities and events that will involve our referee corps:

A Referee Development Camp has been scheduled from August 27th - 30th.  This will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  The Referee Development Camp will give our referees the opportunity to be involved in the most comprehensive referee training offered by our organization thus far. (NOTE: All spots for the camp were filled as of August 12). 

In terms of competitions, the U-24 Championships are going to be held on August 21st, while the Junior National Team Trials will be held on August 22nd and 23rd.  Both events are going to take place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Applications for referees to officiate at these events are currently being accepted and are available online through Hang-A-Star.  All expenses for the U-24 Championships and Junior National Team Trials will be covered by USA Taekwondo for those referees who are approved to participate.

We would also like to turn your attention to the events that have already taken place this year.  The 2009 Junior Olympics and U.S. National Taekwondo Championships were recently held in Austin, Texas, from June 30th - July 3rd, and from July 4th - 5th, respectively.  We would like to thank all of the referees who dedicated their time and efforts to support these events along with all of the National Qualifiers that led up to Austin.  Special congratulations go out to the following referees who received Outstanding Referee awards at Nationals:

For the U.S. National Taekwondo Championships:

  • Ms. Anne Chase, an IR-1 from Minneapolis, Minn.
  • Mr. John Seiber, an IR-1 from Andersonville, Tenn.

For the Junior Olympic Championships:

  • Ms. Shawn McDermott, a B-1 from Bethesda, Md.
  • Mr. Philip Konz, a B-2 from Hinesville, Ga.
  • Mr. Vincent Lo, an A-3 from Palo Alto, Calif.

  • Mr. Larry Pike, an A-1 from Ocklawaha, Fla.

2009 Outstanding Referees at JOs and Senior Nationals

Pictured from left to right:  Anne Chase, Philip Konz, John Seiber, Larry Pike, Shawn McDermott, and Vincent Lo

All the referees who were able to participate at Nationals did an outstanding job and deserve a tremendous amount of credit, considering that the new WTF competition rules were implemented for the Junior and Senior World Class Black Belt divisions.  On top of that, we still had the usual "mix" of rules (i.e. referring to junior safety rules, no head contact rules, and the conventional rules for the appropriate divisions).  This required our referees to continually adapt and adjust throughout the week, which they did admirably.

Speaking of the "new rules", a new competition rulebook is currently being developed based on the new rules.  The first copies of that rulebook will be rolled out at the Referee Development Camp in August.

Thank you for all that you do, and we look forward with great anticipation to the wonderful opportunities and events that await us all. 

 

Past Referee E-Newsletters
Center of the Ring, Vol. 1 Issue 1
Center of the Ring, Vol. 1 Issue 2
Center of the Ring, Vol. 1 Issue 3
Center of the Ring, Vol. 2 Issue 1

Referee Development Opportunities

In order to raise the level of skill, knowledge and experience of the USA Taekwondo referee corps, a number of referee development programs have been established to ensure that our referees will perform to the highest of standards. These programs consist of referee camps and seminars that will be scheduled in various locations of the country throughout the year. Please click HERE to find out about upcoming referee development opportunities. Thank you for your time and commitment to our athletes and organization and we look forward to your participation at the next camp or seminar!