How hard can you hit in karate kumite?
A · Advanced · Scoring · 1 of 5Kumite is scored on controlled techniques. To the body, a controlled impact is allowed. To the head, a technique scores if it stops within 5 cm for a kick or 2 cm for a hand, or lands as a light skin touch with no force. No contact at all is allowed to the throat. Excessive contact is penalised.
How it works
- Body: controlled impact, without causing injury. Losing breath does not in itself show a lack of control.
- Head, hand techniques: may score when stopped within 2 cm of the target.
- Head, kicks: may score when stopped within 5 cm.
- Skin touch: touching the target without transferring energy into the head or helmet. Allowed in all age categories.
- Throat: no physical contact.
- Cadets and under 14: the distances are 5 cm for hands and 10 cm for kicks.
- Too hard: a warning if it does not reduce the opponent's chances, and a heavier penalty if it does.
- A score then a foul: a technique followed by excessive contact or injury is invalid.
The glossary has the control and skin touch, the jodan and chudan, the chui and hansoku chui, the hansoku and shikkaku, the mubobi and the prohibited behaviour.
Tricky cases
A kick stops 4 cm from a senior's head without touching. Can it score?
Yes. A head kick can score when stopped within 5 cm, if it meets the six criteria.
A punch makes the opponent's head snap back. Is that a good score?
No. Skin touch means no energy passes into the head. Contact beyond that is excessive and brings a warning or penalty.
An athlete is winded by a body kick. Was the kick too hard?
Not necessarily. Loss of breath by the receiver does not in itself indicate a lack of control.
An athlete walks on to a controlled punch and is hurt. Who is penalised?
It may be the injured athlete. A warning or penalty for mubobi is given when an athlete is hit through their own fault or negligence. A technique that injures is not penalised when the receiver caused it.
Why the rule exists
Control is the skill that sets karate competition apart from full-contact fighting. A technique that stops a finger's width from the face shows more command than one that lands. The rule also keeps athletes fit to fight again, often several times in the same day.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Controlled impact | WKF Kumite 8.7 |
| Head, seniors | Within 2 cm (hand) or 5 cm (kick), or skin touch | WKF Kumite 8.8 |
| Head, cadets and under 14 | Within 5 cm (hand) or 10 cm (kick), or skin touch | WKF Kumite 8.8 |
| Throat | No contact | WKF Kumite 8.8; 10.4.6 |
From the rule book
World Karate Federation, Kumite Competition Rules (version 2026.01, valid from 1 January 2026), Articles 8.7 to 8.9, 8.11 and 10.4.1 to 10.4.6. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Kumite Competition Rules.