Competition rules · Board breaking

Tameshiwari

Tameshiwari is the breaking test which, in some tournaments, decides bouts that neither the referees nor the scale have settled. It is not in every rulebook.

Type at least two letters. Arrow keys move through the questions, Enter opens the chosen question, Escape closes the list.

§When does tameshiwari decide a bout?

It depends on the tournament. At the 2015 World Championship (WKO), after two extensions and a decision by weight without sufficient difference, the win went to the competitor who had broken more boards, then came a third extension; places 5 to 8 were decided by the number of boards. The general WKO 2026 rules do not involve tameshiwari: after two extensions, weight, then a final extension.

EKO 2019At the European Championships, no tameshiwari in the weight categories; in the open category it is used for the best sixteen, after the re-extension in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, together with the scale; for men only, no women's tameshiwari (art. 6.1, 6.11, 6.21–6.22, 16.1–16.2).

Karate Dream Festival 2026No decision by weight or tameshiwari (p. 1).

Sources for this answer 2015 World Championship — p. 1, item 5; p. 3, “Extension” · WKO 2026 — section “Extensions” · EKO 2019 — art. 6.1, 6.11, 6.21–6.22, pp. 6–7; art. 16.1–16.2, p. 13 · KDF 2026 — p. 1

§How is tameshiwari run (EKO 2019)?

Pine boards 33 cm by 21 cm, 24 mm thick, placed across two blocks supplied by the organiser. Each competitor breaks at least two boards with each of four techniques: seiken and sokuto on horizontal boards, hiji and shuto on vertical boards. He chooses his number of boards on the first attempt; if he fails, he gets a second attempt at the minimum; a further failure scores zero. One minute per break, with a warning at 30 seconds; after a successful break the competitor sits in seiza. Competitors touch neither the boards nor the blocks. The total number of broken boards is the basis for the decision; in a tie, the lighter competitor wins.

Sources for this answer EKO 2019 — art. 16.3–16.15, pp. 13–14

§What happens if a competitor breaks no boards?

Under the EKO 2019 rules, a total of zero boards, or a deliberately abandoned tameshiwari, leads to disqualification; a competitor may not refuse to break.

Sources for this answer EKO 2019 — art. 11.7, p. 10; art. 16.14, p. 14

§Is there tameshiwari for youth?

No. The EKO 2019 rules exclude it for cadets, juniors and U21, and there is none at the Karate Dream Festival.

Sources for this answer EKO 2019 — art. 19.1, p. 20; art. 20.1, p. 23; art. 21.1, p. 26 · KDF 2026 — p. 1

The other topics

The twelve rules topics, in questions and answers.
Ippon and waza-ari Fouls (hansoku) Warnings and disqualification Refereeing and decision Time of bouts Protectors Weight and weigh-in Kata Entry and procedure Tameshiwari Permitted and prohibited techniques Competition glossary All the topics

Texts consulted

Every answer cites its text. The rulebooks belong to their organisations; when in doubt, the official document prevails.

  • WKO 2015 Tournament document 11th World Karate Championship (2015) — Competition Rules (WKO) Official document
  • WKO 2026 Regulation WKO Competition Rules (全世界空手道連盟 試合規約), revised edition of 29 July 2026 — Japanese text, unofficial translation Official document Official page
  • EKO 2019 Regulation EKO — Kumite Competition Regulation and Rules (17 March 2019) Official document
  • WKO 2026 Tournament document Karate Dream Festival 2026 International Championship — Kumite Competition Rules (WKO) Official document

Unofficial translation from Japanese (Claude, for the dojo, October 2026); the original text prevails.

From the rulebook to the mat.

Rules are there to be understood; the rest is learned at the dojo on Nuns’ Island, with a free first class.

Book a free trial class