Tae Kwon Do Score

Taekwondo scoring (WT rules)

WT (World Taekwondo) bouts are scored through electronic protectors, the PSS, and the math behind it is Total = body_kicks×2 + head_kicks×3 + punches×1 + spinning×+1. Any spinning technique earns an extra point on top. A match runs 3 rounds of 2 min in the semis and final. You can win three ways: outscore your opponent, land a KO, or open up a 12-point gap.

It has been an Olympic sport since 2000. On the Brazilian side, the pioneer in TKD was Diogo Silva (Edival "Netinho" Marques and the Sydney 2000 silver belong to beach volleyball, not this sport), followed by Maicon Andrade with bronze at Rio 2016 and Milena Titoneli with bronze at Tokyo 2020. The governing body is WT, formerly WTF; running in parallel is the ITF, a Korean nationalist faction. In Brazil the federation is the CBTKD.

Applications

Comes up in CBTKD tournaments, Olympic prep, electronic scoring with the PSS (TaeKwonDo Scoring System), school sport programs, and MMA crossover work on anti-rotation kicks.

FAQ

Why no punches to head? In Olympic TKD you can only punch the body, worth 1 pt. Punches to the head were banned to cut down on concussions. Kicks to the head, on the other hand, are worth 3 pts.

Electronic protector how? The PSS relies on pressure sensors that fire off the score automatically. Calibration differs from brand to brand, which is where the arguments start.

WT vs ITF? WT, the Olympic Korea-based body, is built around sport sparring with the PSS. The older ITF leans the other way, toward traditional self-defense and tul forms.