Fair Judging

[Kamauser5]

You are always going to see unfair judging no matter where you compete or what you compete in. I have been competeing for almost six years now and i have had soem good and bad judging expiriences. the main one that sticks in my mind is last year. I have diabetes and because of this i wear something called an Insulin Pump. It kinda looks like a beeper or cell phone and I just attack it to the back of my blet while in class or competing. My dad had been noticing that my scores were too low. A friend of mine would place higher than me even after he fell in the middle of the form. Finally the Head Judge asked if I was wearing a beeber and i explained to him that it was an Insulin Pump and that i had to wear it. He and the other judges took my dad aside and explained that if they hadn't known it was an Insulin Pump then they woud have took points off of my score. It seems that had been going on for four years! I now tell the head judge before i compete that i wear and Inslin Pump and have seen improvement in my scoring and ranking. The thing that has always bugged me about that is that in four years not one judge mentioned it to me. Kinda makes you wonder how i would have placed if someone had spoken up huh?

[jaymac]

I was judging at a tournament once, when a kyu student from our dojo happened to get into the same ring I was judging. I was asked to step out for that certain event. Not only was I ok with this, I thought that it was a great thing to do. I would not have been biased, in fact, I may have judged this student more harshly because I knew what he could do, but I commended the tournament promoter for doing this in order of fairness to others.

[Brandon Fisher]

Judging Kumite is so difficult sometimes things may not seem fair but they are. Things look different from different angles so sometimes things just don't go your way. A not so simple solution to the problem is make sure your technique is clean and very clear who made the point.

[bushido_man96]

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to have the heads of the organizations get together and come up with some standardizations. Instead of throwing people in to judge, make sure they have some level of competence or experience. Also, judges meetings prior to the tournament starting would help to clear things up as well.

I know how you feel. I have been to some tournaments, and seen guys do their forms, and wonder how their instructors can show their faces in public. And I am not bragging, but I work hard on forms, and I do a pretty good job. Then, when the scoring comes in, I wonder how these guys got the scores they did!!!

I think some judges just sleep.

[bushido_man96]

I was judging at a tournament once, when a kyu student from our dojo happened to get into the same ring I was judging. I was asked to step out for that certain event. Not only was I ok with this, I thought that it was a great thing to do. I would not have been biased, in fact, I may have judged this student more harshly because I knew what he could do, but I commended the tournament promoter for doing this in order of fairness to others.

This is a good thing, but in the tournaments that I have been to, it does not happen. I think it is a good idea, because some people don't have the integrity that others do.

I don't like to judge members from my school, because of what some people may say about the places they got.

At one tournament, I ended up judging forms for my future wife . Incidentally, she did not place too well.

But it worked out.

[Aodhan]

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to have the heads of the organizations get together and come up with some standardizations. Instead of throwing people in to judge, make sure they have some level of competence or experience. Also, judges meetings prior to the tournament starting would help to clear things up as well.

The ATA does this. There are classes for each level (Corner, Center, Chief), and you must pass tests for each one, and you have to be a certain rank and age.

When we score forms, there are three judges. One judge ONLY looks at kicks and stances. One judge ONLY looks at blocks and strikes, and the center judge looks at overall presentation, completeness, etc. Heh, it does make for some unusual scores on occasion. Competitor has excellent technique, and gets 9.8 and 9.7 from the side judges, and does an incomplete form, so the center judge gives them a 9.1.

Same for sparring. One center judge, two corner judges. Any judge can call break, and when the center judge calls for scores, you indicate "No see", "No point", or 1 2 or 3 points and which competitor. Majority of judges must agree. So, if corner #1 sees 1 point for red, judgge #2 sees a point for white, and the center judge either didn't see it or calls no point, no point. 2 out of three must agree for it to be a point.

We also balance it out. 1 point for kick or punch to the body. 2 points for kick to head or jump kick to body, 3 points for jump kick to head.

Aodhan

[bushido_man96]

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to have the heads of the organizations get together and come up with some standardizations. Instead of throwing people in to judge, make sure they have some level of competence or experience. Also, judges meetings prior to the tournament starting would help to clear things up as well.

The ATA does this. There are classes for each level (Corner, Center, Chief), and you must pass tests for each one, and you have to be a certain rank and age.

When we score forms, there are three judges. One judge ONLY looks at kicks and stances. One judge ONLY looks at blocks and strikes, and the center judge looks at overall presentation, completeness, etc. Heh, it does make for some unusual scores on occasion. Competitor has excellent technique, and gets 9.8 and 9.7 from the side judges, and does an incomplete form, so the center judge gives them a 9.1.

Same for sparring. One center judge, two corner judges. Any judge can call break, and when the center judge calls for scores, you indicate "No see", "No point", or 1 2 or 3 points and which competitor. Majority of judges must agree. So, if corner #1 sees 1 point for red, judgge #2 sees a point for white, and the center judge either didn't see it or calls no point, no point. 2 out of three must agree for it to be a point.

We also balance it out. 1 point for kick or punch to the body. 2 points for kick to head or jump kick to body, 3 points for jump kick to head.

Aodhan

I am familiar with the ATA judging system. I was a 2nd degree in the ATA at one point, and a Level 1 judge. I like their system a lot, and feel that other styles should have a similar certification system like it.

[Aodhan]

I am familiar with the ATA judging system. I was a 2nd degree in the ATA at one point, and a Level 1 judge. I like their system a lot, and feel that other styles should have a similar certification system like it.

Yeah, the ATA gets a lot of knocks, but there are a lot of things they get right.

Aodhan

[patusai]

respectfully... the only way that you can take the "human" element out of judging is to have a computer do it...but then it depends on who and how the computer is programmed I suppose...