All spectators are to remain on the outside of the ring area. Only competitors, coaches and officials are allowed inside the ring area.
Competitors must be present in their scheduled ring 30 minutes prior to their division.
Any competitor not present when division starts will be automatically disqualified from the division, with no refund or recourse.
All spectators, competitors, and coaches need to act respectfully at all times. Unsportsmanlike behavior from spectators, competitors, or coaches may result in being kicked out of the event and disqualified from all divisions with no refund or recourse.
Competitors may enjoy the events offered at the expo, and are encouraged to walk around, prior to or after their division.
All under belt competitors will be competing on Saturday, November 16th from 9AM- 4PM.
All black belt competitors will be competing Sunday, November 17th from 9AM – 4PM.
All black belt 1st place winners will be competing on Sunday, November 17th for Grand Championship.
All competitors, spectators, coaches, etc. are welcome to participate in any of the seminars and classes that will be offered at the event.
The age a competitor is on June 30th of the current year, will be the required age the competitor will need to compete in. In the event there is a legitimate reason to question a competitor’s age (example: size), it is up to the competitor to provide proof of age (birth certificate, driver’s license, passport will be accepted).
The division (M/F) a competitor needs to register in will be based on the gender (chromosome) they were born with. In the event there is a legitimate reason to question competitors’ gender, it is up to the competitor to provide the original birth certificate.
All competitors need to compete in the division of the highest level they have received in the Martial Arts.
If a competitor is found competing in a division of lower rank than what they hold “Sandbagging”, the competitor will be disqualified from the tournament without getting a refund or the option to compete in their proper division. The opposite is acceptable for all divisions lower than black belt. For example, a beginner may compete in intermediate and/or an intermediate may compete in advance.

All referees must be 18 years old or older and a black belt.
All center referees must be 30 years old or older and a black belt for at least 10 years.
All referees must wear long black pants with event supplied shirt (white for referee, navy for center referee, red for arbitrators).
A referee without proper attire will not be allowed to judge and will not get paid.
All officials (referee, center referee, and arbitrators) must register at the event website.
There will be 3 judges on all Forms and Weapons (Traditional and CMX) divisions, except for adult black belts which will have 5 referees.
Referees must be present, in the ring they are assigned to judge, 30 minutes prior to the ring starting its division.
During Sparring Divisions, there will be 3 referees except for adult black belts which will have 5 referees.
Scoring for all non sparring divisions will be done after all competitors have performed in their division (see Forms and Weapons scoring guidelines for more details).
In all sparring divisions, the center referee is responsible for controlling the competitors, the referees, eliciting referees’ calls, interpreting referee’s calls, and conveying the outcome to the score keeper, if necessary. (See sparring guidelines for more details on point scoring).
The corner referees are responsible for informing the center referee that they have a “Call”. They may not stop the competition, unless the center referee is not responding to their call within a reasonable amount of time or they feel a competitor may get injured.
There will be 3 event arbiters. In the event a dispute arises and it can’t be resolved between the disputing parties, an arbitrator may be called to resolve the dispute. All decisions made by arbitrators are FINAL.
In the event a dispute arises that is not completely covered by the rules or guidelines presented here, an event Arbitrator may at his/her discretion modify, change, or overrule a defined rule or guideline if he/she believes that enforcing such a rule would result in an unfair outcome to a competitor. This rule is intended only to be used in rare or extreme circumstances and can only be executed with a confirmation from a second arbitrator.

Coaching is only allowed from pre-registered coaches. Any coaching from a non registered coach results in a penalty (see Penalty section for more details).
All coaches must wear their assigned coaching t-shirt in order to coach and must have ID present at the time of coaching when requested from any tournament official.
Only 1 coach, per side, per ring is allowed. Any other coaching will result in a penalty (see Penalty for sections for more details). Referees may give advice to competitors for the purpose of safety and/or ring control without it being construed as coaching. Any dispute about coaching from ring referees would be resolved via arbitration.
Coaches are provided for the purpose of helping/aiding their competitor(s), not for arguing and disputing referee’s calls. If a coach is not happy with the calls from a referee, they can seek arbitration by notifying the center referee.
All coaches must maintain sportsmanlike conduct at all times. Excessive hostility as determined by arbitration may result in a coach’s ability to coach, being removed and/or expelled from the tournament.
A coach can request arbitration by raising their flag. If dispute is not resolved between coach and center referee, an arbitrator may be requested. An event arbitrator will be called and have final decision making abilities (see penalties section for more details).
A coach is required to remain seated throughout the competition and is only allowed to leave their seat to attend to a potentially injured competitor.

Scoring

All forms and Weapon Division (Traditional and CMX) will be scored with the following numeration:
First timers and Beginners             9.90-9.99
Intermediate                                      9.90-9.99
Advanced                                          9.90-9.99
Black Belt                                          9.90-9.99

All competitors will perform prior to being scored (judges must track performance).
Referees will use mandatory scoring of: x.91-x.99. Cannot repeat your top 4 numbers, if you do, you must adjust your scores. A score lower than .2 of the middle score will be adjusted by the computer program.
It is the responsibility of the referees to be consistent with their scoring & use hundredths.
In the event of a tie, a tie breaker will be determined by the computer program. In the event a computer can’t determine a winner, determination falls to the referees. This will be done by a show of flags or pointing to the winner at the prompting of the center referee.

The following situations lead to a one point deduction from center referee

Not wearing traditional gi/uniform on traditional Form and Weapon divisions.
Stepping outside the ring in a Traditional Forms or Weapons division without prior approval from the center referee.
Major loss or control of the weapon, weapon hitting the floor, loss or major disruption of balance (major- meaning it effected the flow of the form).
Restarting, or executing a creative or extreme maneuver in a Traditional division (see form and Weapon Guidelines section for more details).
The use of foam weapons or incorrect weapon is left to the discretion of the center referee, as long as there is no dispute from other competitors and/or coaches.
Not performing a Creative or Extreme maneuver during a CMX division (see CMX Form /
Weapon guidelines section for more details).

Traditional Forms 

Traditional gi/uniform must be worn.
Must stay inside the ring during the entire form, unless your form requires more space in which case you need to inform the center referee prior to performing the form.
No gymnastics, acrobatics, splits or other freestyle type maneuvers are allowed.
Form may have (x) amount of Kick in any direction w/o touching their foot to the floor:
Beginner- (1), Intermediate- up to 2 kicks, Advanced/Black Belt- up to 3 kicks
Techniques may not involve any more than a 360-degree turn.
Judging will be based on Balance, Stances, Focus, Technique, Power, Coordination, and Difficulty.

Traditional Weapons     

Traditional gi/uniform must be worn.
Must stay inside the ring during the entire form, unless your form requires more space in which case you need to inform the center referee prior to performing the form.
No gymnastics, acrobatics, splits or other freestyle type maneuvers are allowed.
Form may have (x) amount of Kick in any direction w/o touching their foot to the floor:
Beginner- (1), Intermediate- up to 2 kicks, Advanced/Black Belt- up to 3 kicks
Techniques may not involve any more than a 360-degree turn.
Other than being placed or sheathed, the weapon(s) may not leave the competitors hands at any times.
Weapons must be traditional, natural, and not specifically created for competition and/or training purposes (i.e. weapons made with foam or that are hollowed will not be allowed). Please resolve weapons challenges prior to the start of a division. Center referee can allow a competitor to compete without a proper weapon, ensuring that a 1 point deduction occurs.
There will be no deduction for the weapon touching the floor, only striking or losing control.
Judging will be based on Balance, Stances, Focus, Technique, Power, Coordination, and Difficulty.

CMX Forms (Creative/Musical/Extreme)

All gymnastic, acrobatic, splits or other freestyle type maneuvers are allowed.
Inversions are allowed but not required.
Music may or may not be used.
Judging will be based on Balance, Stances, Focus, Technique, Power, Coordination, and Difficulty.

CMX Weapons (creative/musical/extreme)

All maneuvers & gymnastics are allowed.
Inversions are allowed but not required.
May contain, but is not required, at least one release of the weapon.
Music may or may not be used.
Weapon(s) may not be used to strike the floor at anytime.
Judging based on use manipulation, control of the weapon(s), and creativity, then look at Balance, Stances, Focus, Technique, Power, Coordination, and Difficulty.

Scoring

In all Sparring divisions, bowing out in the first round without fighting at all, is an immediately disqualification from the division.

Point Sparring: (Double Elimination) 2 minute rounds

All kicks and punches to valid Targets are awarded 1 Point (see Legal Techniques section for more details).
All strikes (hand(s) and feet) must be considered effective, controlled, and make contact or have the ability to make contact (no further than 1 inch from target) as determined by the judges of the ring. Any punch that is fully extended, even if it makes contact, WILL NOT be considered effective. A strike that does not make contact is left up to the referees to use their discretion on whether or not it was a controlled strike. A strike that is purposefully diverted from its intended target WILL NOT be considered an effective strike.
Competitor must be inside the ring in order to score a point. If a competitor is outside the ring, they can still get scored on by a competitor inside the ring. Inside the ring is defined as no part of the competitor’s body touching anything outside the designated ring area.
Scoring a point from the ground is only accepted when the competitor is compelled to the ground by another competitor, and is completed within two (2) seconds to a legal target. Purposefully transitioning to the ground is not accepted and considered equivalent to avoiding the fight and may result in a potential warning or penalty (see penalty section for more details).
Most points at the end of the time (2 minutes) or a 5 point spread ends match.
Competitor may also be awarded points by the following actions:  illegal techniques, penalties, and/or by coaches or competitor having unsportsmanlike and/or inappropriate conduct (See Illegal techniques and Penalty section for more details).

Continuous Sparring: (Single Elimination)

Scoring will be based on ring control, a good balance of punching and kicking, clean, effective, and controlled techniques.
If all 3 areas above are even, then the referees will look at who connected more, which is the quantity of the techniques.

Guidelines

General

A standard 5×5 square ring will be used, with the exception of adult black belt grand championships, which will be held in a 6×6 square ring.
Competitors must start at least one square apart from one another.
All competitors must follow the directions of the judges in the ring.
Each competitor will have a chair outside the ring on their perspective side for a coach.

Point Sparring

All competitors must have head, mouth, hand, and foot gear as described below in order to compete.
Male competitors must wear a groin protector.
All Gear must be in good standing and contain no tears or tape as determined by the referees of the ring.
Hand gear must be soft padded and cover the majority of the fingers, wrist and any legal striking surface of the hand.
Foot gear must be soft padded and cover the toes, instep, sides, ankles, and back of the heel.
Mouth piece must fit and protect teeth properly.
Chest Protectors and face shields are encouraged but not mandatory.
Shin guards and elbow pads are encouraged but not mandatory.
Competitors must be ready to fight when called into the ring for their match.
If any required equipment is missing, i.e., mouthpiece, cup, hand gear, etc., that causes the match to be delayed, this will result in Penalty (see penalty section for more details).
Competitors will have a 10 second timeout that can be called by either themselves or their coach in each match.
Competitors will have a 1 minute break between their next match, unless there are other competitors sparring in their division.
Winner will be determined by whoever has the most points at the end of the match, or when one competitor has a 5 point spread. With the exception of Black Belt Grand Championship which needs to be won by 7 point spread or at least by 2 points ahead when time runs out.

Continuous Sparring

All competitors must have head, mouth, hand, and foot gear as described below in order to compete.
Male competitors must wear a groin protector.
All Gear must be in good standing and contain no tears or tape.
Hand gear must be soft padded and cover the fingers, wrist and any legal striking surface of the hand.
Foot gear must be soft padded and cover the toes, instep, sides, ankles, and back of the heel.
Mouth piece must fit and protect teeth properly.
Chest Protectors and face shields are encouraged but not mandatory.
Shin guards and elbow pads are encouraged but not mandatory.
Competitors must be ready to fight when called into the ring for their match.
If any required equipment is missing, i.e., mouthpiece, cup, hand pads, etc., that causes the match to be delayed, this will result in Penalty (see Penalty section for more details).
Competitors will NOT have the ability to call for a 10 second timeout by either themselves or their coach unless under extreme circumstances.
Competitors will have a 1 minute break between their next match, unless there are other competitors sparring in their division.
Competitor must disengage after a 4 technique combo before continuing.
Winner will be determined by a show of flags or pointing at the end of the match.
Light Contact to HEAD or FACE SHIELD is allowed. Excessive force will lead to a warning, penalty and/or disqualification (see Penalty section for more details).

• Any controlled intentional offensive maneuver that makes contact with or has the ability to make contact with a legal target (see Legal/Illegal Target for more details).
  A controlled sweep (below the knee joint) that does not injure an opponent (intentionally or unintentionally). A sweep does not need to force the opponent to the ground and may be used for destabilization of the opponent.
  Follow up maneuvers after a sweep must be done as followed: While the opponent in not on the ground, both hand and foot maneuvers are acceptable. Once the opponent in on the ground, acceptable maneuvers are limited to hands.
  Once an opponent is on the ground, all maneuvers must be concluded within two (2) second to be considered legally acceptable. Time of two (2) seconds will be determined by center referee and confirmed by other ring judges.
  A transitory grab to an opponent on the sleeves, arm, or pants for the period of approximately two (2) seconds. A grab for an extended period longer than specified may result in a penalty (see Penalty section for more details).

The following techniques are considered Illegal techniques and will result in an immediate
disqualification: head butting, biting, spitting, hair pulling, scratching, elbowing, kneeing, any attack to the eye(s), throwing / lifting an opponent, kicking / stumping on an opponent while they are on the ground, and purposefully striking to any illegal target.
The following techniques are considered Illegal techniques and will result in a Warning (see penalties for more details): kicking below the waist, grabbing an opponent for more than two second, uncontrolled blind techniques, and any other technique considered not safe in a tournament setting.

• The following targets will be considered legal targets: the entire face (including face shields), side of the head, rib area, chest, abdomen, and kidneys. Adult Black Belts will also be allowed to strike to the back of the head.
  The following targets will be considered Illegal targets: top of the head, spine, neck, throat, groin, legs, back, and any joint on the legs or arms.
  The following are considered non-target areas: hips, shoulders, arms, hands, and feet.

• A penalty point (1) will be awarded to the opposite competitor if a competitor or their coach breaks any of the rules listed below, as determined by the judges.   

  Competitor:

  Having any negative talk about officials, coaches, or other competitors (displaying bad sportsmanlike conduct).
  Avoiding competition is defined as: purposefully- running around, leaving the ring, turning one’s back, faking an injury and/or falling to the ground. Faking is determined by the referees.
  Is using excessive contact as interpreted by the referee(s).
  Is purposefully and/or accidently striking an illegal target or using an illegal striking surface.
  Is not following the rules and guidelines set forth by the event (see general rules, and Sparring scoring and guidelines section for more details).
  Is not ready or missing gear when called to the ring.
  Is wearing inappropriate equipment when called to the ring.
  Is grabbing and maintain the grab on the opponent for a period longer than two (2) second.

  Coach:

  Having any negative talk about officials, coaches, or competitors (displaying bad sportsmanlike conduct).
  Coaching without being pre-registered. Please have your photo ID with you at all times.
  Coaching without an official Battle of the Martial Arts coaching shirt.
  Requesting arbitration and losing the arbitration.
  Performing excessive hostility (e.i. screaming at judges, making referees’ calls from coaches’ chair, standing up from the chair).
  Is not following the rules and guidelines set forth by the event (see coaches guidelines for more details).

  All competitors may be given a verbal warning prior to receiving a penalty with the exception of black belt competitors, who will not be given a verbal warning as it pertains to excessive force. Any black belt who has received a penalty for excessive force, and does it a second time, will be immediately disqualified. No Exceptions. Excessive force can result in an immediate disqualification based upon the determination of the referees.

(Awards and prizes are subject to change without notice)

Awards
In all first timer divisions, the competitors will be awarded a medal.

All categories (Traditional Form/Weapons, CMX Form/Weapons, and Point/Continuous Sparring) will receive a 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd place trophy for the top three competitors.

All competitors who win first place in their division will be allowed to compete in the Grand Championship Division. Only the first place winner of this division (Grand) will receive a special award and be invited to next years’ tournament without having to pay the entrée fee, to defend their title.

Adult Black Belt Prizes
All competitors who win their division will receive $100.00 and will be allowed to compete in the Grand Championship Division. 2^nd place will receive $50.00, and 3^rd place will receive $25.00.

Winner of the Grand Championship for Forms/Weapon division will receive $5,000.00 (each). Both winners will then be allowed to compete in the Ultimate Grand (Form vs. Weapon) division.

The winner of the Ultimate Grand will receive $5,000. In the event, that the same competitor has won both divisions (Form and Weapon Grand), the Grand prize money for the Ultimate Grand Championship will be awarded without the competitor having to compete again.

Both female and male sparring grand will be awarded $15,000 and a special award.

All winners of the Grand division(s) will receive a special award and be invited to next years’ tournament without having to pay the entrée fee, to defend their title.