The grammar of Taekwondo
Therulesofthe path
“What a fist may touch, what a point counts, when time stops, how one advances in rank. Four paths, two federations, one art.”
Four rulesets,
one art.
Each Taekwondo discipline has its own ruleset. Choose the one you want to consult. You can switch between them at any time.
These are the official rules.
Your club may have variations.
What follows are the official international rules of World Taekwondo and the International Taekwon-Do Federation. These apply at World Championships, Olympics, Pan American Games and qualifying events. In the real dojang, each club, national federation and internal exam introduces its own nuances.
01 · Local events
Local rules apply at their event.
At municipal, regional or state tournaments, the organising committee may modify round duration, weight categories, permitted equipment and referee system. Before competing, read the specific event rulebook.
02 · No electronic scoring
Not all tournaments use an electronic vest.
The PSS (Daedo, KP&P, Adidas) is mandatory at WT international and high-level national events, but most local and regional tournaments use visual judging with corner judges. The ITF never uses PSS — everything is visual by rule.
03 · Belt examinations
Belt examinations are the instructor's responsibility.
Each school defines the exam content: basics, forms, sparring, breaking, self-defence, theory. Kukkiwon (WT) and ITF factions provide minimum Dan standards, but Gup levels are at the discretion of each dojang master.
04 · Sources for this page
Official rules — most recent version.
WT Competition Rules effective September 30, 2024 (worldtaekwondo.org/rules). ITF Official Rules of Competition Version 2026-1 (itftkd.sport). Kukkiwon Dan Promotion Test Standards 2024 for WT grading system.
Grading system
Where do you want to start?
“Each federation has its own belt system, examinations and certification.”
Keep
going.
Each Taekwondo discipline is governed by its own ruleset. Choose the next one you'd like to explore.
Looking for something else? You can return to the start of the rules section to see all four types together.