Can you push or hold your opponent in taekwondo?
I · Intermediate · Penalties · 4 of 7A single quick push is allowed, after which the athlete must let go. Grabbing any part of the opponent, their uniform or their protectors is a gam-jeom. So is a long or repeated push, a push out of the area and a push that stops a kick. Two kinds of kick from the clinch are banned as well.
How it works
- Grabbing: any part of the opponent's body, uniform or protective equipment with the hands.
- Catching a leg: grabbing the foot or leg, or hooking the leg with the forearm, is grabbing.
- The allowed push: "a quick impact", after which the athlete "must disengage from opponent after one push".
- A long push: pushing "with prolonged or continuous contact" is penalised.
- Pushing out: so is pushing the opponent over the boundary line.
- Spoiling a kick: so is a push that prevents a kicking motion or a normal attack.
- Clinch kick to the trunk: attacking the trunk protector "with the side or bottom of the foot in clinch position" is a gam-jeom.
- Clinch kick to the head: so is attacking the back of the head protector in the clinch.
- Knees and heads: butting or attacking with the knee at close range is a prohibited act.
- Review: grabbing is not on the list of opponent's fouls a coach can take to video replay.
The glossary has gam-jeom, the prohibited acts entry, the protector and scoring system, the permitted techniques and areas entry, the referee and the instant video replay.
Tricky cases
An athlete shoves the opponent once and kicks as they stumble back. Is that legal?
Yes. One quick push with a release is permitted, and the kick that follows can score.
An athlete catches a kick under the arm. Is that a foul?
Yes. Hooking the leg with the forearm is grabbing.
In a clinch, an athlete curls a foot round to tap the back of the opponent's head protector. Does it score 3?
No. It is a prohibited act, and points that follow a prohibited act are invalidated.
A knee meets the opponent's body as they rush in during a kick. Is that an attack with the knee?
No. Contact with the knee is not punished when the opponent rushes in abruptly as a kick is being executed.
Why the rule exists
Taekwondo is a striking sport, so holding has no place in it. The two clinch kicks were banned because sensors would register a foot hooked over the opponent's shoulder or pressed sideways into the protector at close range, moves with no force behind them.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Any contest | Grabbing and long pushes are a gam-jeom | WT Article 14.4.1.4 |
| Clinch position | Side or sole to the trunk and kicks to the back of the head banned | WT Article 14.4.1.11; 14.4.1.12 |
| Team competition | Grabbing listed; pushing not listed | WT Article 22.8.1 |
From the rule book
World Taekwondo, Competition Rules & Interpretation (in force 1 June 2026), Article 14.4.1 with Explanation 1 (iv) and (ix). Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: WT Competition Rules & Interpretation, 1 June 2026 (PDF).