What is not allowed in kurash?
I · Intermediate · Scores and penalties · 4 of 4Kurash allows throws from a standing grip and little else. Strangles, arm locks, strikes, bending back the fingers and grabbing the trousers are all penalised. So are blocking without attacking, false attacks and stepping out of the area without a technique. Most bring a tanbekh. A head dive brings disqualification.
How it works
- Stalling: blocking without attacking for more than 10 to 15 seconds.
- False attack: an attack with no real attempt to throw.
- Leaving the area: going outside without a technique, or pushing the opponent out without one.
- Grips: grabbing the trousers, twisting the collar, keeping one's own collar from being gripped, tearing a grip off with the knee, bending back the fingers.
- Holds that are not throws: strangling and arm locks.
- Striking: kicking with the leg or hitting with the arms on purpose.
- After the call: a technique after tokhta or vakt.
- Conduct: speaking to the opponent or the referee, arriving late, refusing the correct bow, undoing the jacket without permission, rolling up the sleeves.
- All of those: tanbekh.
- Head dive: girrom.
The glossary has the false attack, the head dive, the tanbekh, the girrom, no ground fighting and the yakhtak.
Tricky cases
Can an athlete grab the opponent's leg to tip them over?
No, not by the trousers. Grabbing the pants is a forbidden action and brings a tanbekh. The saved page does not say more about holds below the belt.
An athlete keeps a stiff-armed defence and does not attack. When is that penalised?
After more than 10 to 15 seconds of blocking without attacking, with a tanbekh.
An athlete steps out of the area while being pushed. Who is penalised?
The pusher, if there was no technique. Pushing the opponent out without a technique and going out without one are both on the list.
Can athletes talk to each other during a bout?
No. Speaking to the opponent or the referee brings a tanbekh.
Why the rule exists
Most of the list protects the grip-and-throw contest: an athlete may not hide the jacket, stall or step out to avoid being thrown. The rest protects the body. A head dive loads the thrower's own neck, which is why it alone on this list means disqualification.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stalling, false attack, leaving the area | Tanbekh | IKA Rules 30.1 |
| Strangles, arm locks, strikes | Tanbekh | IKA Rules 30.1 |
| Head dive, hard objects, drinking | Girrom | IKA Rules 30.3 |
| A repeat of a tanbekh offence | Dakki | IKA Rules 30.2 |
From the rule book
International Kurash Association, International rules of organization and holding of Kurash competitions (web page, adopted 1998, categories for 2026), section 30. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's competition rules (saved as a web page only).