The new rule changes will be implemented at all BJA Judo Competition
The implementation date is 1st January 2009
Article 25
Elimination of KOKA score
1. Throws where the landings (to the buttock(s) or side of the thigh) are borderline or partially lack control or are weak (soft), Koka should not be scored.
2. Landings to the front/side are not to be scored.
Article 13
Osaekomi Duration
1 Second to <15 seconds = No score (During Golden Score Kinsa advantage))
15 seconds to <20 seconds = Yuko
20 seconds to <25 seconds = Waza-ari
25 seconds = Ippon
Electronic clocks will need to modified to reflect the new durations
Article 27
First Shido A Free Warning
1. The first Shido will be awarded and displayed on the scoreboard however; the opponent will NOT receive the score of Koka. Electronic boards with auto scoring for penalties will need to be modified to remove koka score.
2. During Golden Score, the first shido may be given by the referee without consultation with the judges.
3. The free shido should not be considered in the hantei decision in Golden Score unless it is absolutely the only difference between the two athletes (basically impossible).
4. During Golden Score, the second shido may only be given after consultation with the judges. If the 3 officials agree to award the penalty, then the penalty is awarded and the contest is ended.
5. All additional shido will accumulate penalties as before, and the referee and judges must still consult before awarding the 4th shido for hansoku-make
Article 19
Golden Score Duration Reduced to 3 Minutes
1. The duration for Golden Score will now be 3 minutes regardless of the original contest time
2. The decision for hantei is based only on the kinsa that occur during the Golden Score period.
Article 9
Action on the Edge Locations Valid
“All actions are valid and may continue (No Mate) as long as either contestant has some part of his (or her) body touching the contest area” (Similar to the Ne-waza criterion).
1. Actions on the edge will include competitors gripping (kumi-kata) each other and that they are actively working for superiority; no attack (entry into a throw) need take place.
2. A competitor may use the safety area as long as either of the contestant has some part of their body touching the contest area. Any break in or non-activity of the action will be a Mate situation. This is very different from what we have been doing in the past and is a more relaxed application of the existing rules to allow the fighters to fight.
3. The referee and judges must be alert to the safety issues brought about by this change and organisers should consider increasing the safety area.
4. Should Uke after the original attack take control, the referee should award the appropriate score (if any) for any subsequent renraku-waza (combination of techniques) or kaeshi-waza (counter technique) whether one player is inside (contest area) or both are in the safety area (outside), as long as there is continuity in the action and there is no apparent or obvious break in the continuity of the action.
5. Should the referee calls “Mate” in error and the judges believe the action and attack to be valid, they may nullify the Mate and score the throw.
6. The Line Judges should still indicate as per Article 7 whether they consider the action on the edge valid or invalid to assist the referee.
7. Any attack in an On the Edge situation should have some immediate affect to obtain a result (although a reasonable period is to be allowed when assessing the action to allow for the effect of the technique being applied).
Article 27
Penalties for negative judo to be more strictly enforced
1. Referees must be sure that a penalty is given only when it is obvious.
2. If an infringement occurs, then it must be penalised. Referees should not look for penalties.
3. There had been a trend not give a shido penalties unless the infringements were extremely obvious or repeated.
4. Generally more than five seconds means 6-8 seconds, not 15-20 seconds or longer.
5. Repeated infringements should be considered to be penalised even faster (4-5 seconds).
6. Non-combativity is still 20-30 sec.
Article 27 – 1
Avoid Taking Hold or Prevent Your Opponent from Taking Hold
This includes blocking by holding the hands, fingers or wrists to prevent kumi-kata
1. Gripping one’s own lapel in order to prevent the opponent from gripping, holding away i.e. gripping one’s lapel and pulling it away out of reach of one’s opponent etc
2. This also now includes crushing; that is keeping the opponent in a bent-over posture using an over-the-back “crushing” grip to prevent kumi-kata.
3. The time frame on this is generally more than five seconds.
4. Application of any negative judo penalties, such as refusal to grip should be made with intuitive timing and the assessment of the ongoing action and progress of the contest.
Article 27 – 2
Excessively Defensive Posture, Generally More Than 5 Seconds
1. This prohibited act will be penalised more quickly (6-8 seconds). The goal is to discourage sambo type wrestling style and tactics.
Article 27- 3
False Attack
1. Referees will be more stringent in the application of penalties for false attacks including diving at the legs without a clear attempt at a throw, drop seoi-nage without a clear attempt at a throw or similar unskilful attacks.
2. Consideration must of course be given to the opponent’s obvious defence.
3. A true failed attack is not a false attack.
Article 27 – 7
To Pull the Opponent Down in Order to Start Newaza; Not in Accordance with Article 16
1. This includes unskilful tomoe-nage, unskilful sumi-gaeshi and similar unskilful attacks where the intent is to enter ne-waza and not to throw the opponent. These types of attacks will be penalised with shido.
2. The uses of tomoe-nage to enter into juji-gatame or similar techniques (Hikkomi gaeshi) are acceptable as long as the attack is continuous and skilful.
Article 27 – 13
Grasping of the Trousers
1. A player may NOT first grab the trouser leg(s) then attack, but may grab the trousers to assist in finishing an attack that has already been initiated.
2. Grabbing the trousers first to either start or attack or as a defensive move will result in an immediate Mate and Shido penalty.
3. Grabbing the trousers in the middle of an ongoing attack or simultaneously in order to finish the attack should not be stopped or penalised and scored accordingly.
4. Grabbing the leg (not the trousers) using an arm-hook or hand-hook (as in Morote-gari and Kibisu-gaeshi) without grabbing the trousers is still legal. These actions should not be stopped or penalised and any subsequent action should be scored accordingly.
Article 3
Judogi Control
1. There will be stricter enforcement of the judogi control criteria. At National and International Events it is the responsibility of the coach, manager and competitor to meet the judogi rules.
2. The new judogi calliper (Sokuteiki) will be available at International Level events.
3. Before coming to a tournament, a competitor and his or her coach should be sure the competitor’s judogi meets all the judogi requirements as outlined in Article 3 of the Refereeing (Contest) Rules.
4. Before the competitor comes onto the contest area a gi calliper (Sokuteiki) will be available in the warm up area so the contestant and/or coach may check to see if the judogi meets all the requirements of Article 3.
5. When a competitor comes to the contest area they have assumed responsibility that the judogi is legal. There is no longer an option or opportunity to change the gi once on the competition area. Be Warned.
6. An on mat judogi check will be done by the referee and judges if they determine that the gi does not meet the requirements of Article 3.
7. If the referee and judges determine (unanimously) that the judogi is illegal after measuring it with the judogi callipers (Sokuteiki), then that contestant will lose by Hansoku Make.
8. This Hansoku Make will eliminate the competitor only from that contest, not from any subsequent contests.
9. Future discussion by the NRC will be taking place with regard to the application of this rule at National and Local tournaments.
Continuity of Landings
1. Assessing a scoring technique is based on the entire landing from the initial point of contact or impact to the final part of the body or back landing on the tatami when all controlled movement ceases.
2. The complete landing in nage-waza must be considered in total for scoring purposes, even if the action is slow, uneven (slight hesitation), or irregular (e.g. opposite side), so long as there is no clear break in the technique.
3. The landing must be continuous.