Where can you hit in sanda?
I · Intermediate · Scoring · 3 of 5The head, the torso and the thighs are the scoring areas. The back of the head, the neck and the groin must not be struck at all. Everything else, such as the arms, shoulders, lower legs and feet, is neutral: a hit there is neither a score nor a foul.
How it works
- Scoring areas: "The head, the torso and the thighs".
- Prohibited areas: "The back of head, the neck and the crotch".
- Back of the head: the part behind a vertical line through the ear.
- Neck: below the first vertebra and above the collarbone.
- Neutral areas: shoulders, upper limbs, lower legs, heels, soles and insteps.
- On a join: a hit where the shoulder meets the chest or back scores nothing. So does a hit where the thigh meets the lower leg.
- Waist and hip: a hit on the join scores one point.
- In doubt: the lower-scoring part is counted.
- Striking a prohibited area: a personal foul, with a warning and two points to the opponent.
The glossary has the scoring areas, the scoring in sanda, the admonition and warning, the forcible count, sanda and the protective gear.
Tricky cases
A kick lands on the opponent's raised forearm. Does it score?
No. The upper limbs are neither a scoring area nor a prohibited one.
A kick lands on the shin. Foul?
No. The lower leg is neutral, so there is no foul and no point.
A fighter turns away and is punched on the back of the head. Whose fault is it?
The rule makes striking the back of the head a personal foul. A fighter who turns their back to run from an attack commits a technical foul for passive evasion, so both can be penalised.
A kick lands half on the thigh and half on the body. How many points?
One. Where it is unclear, the lower-scoring part hit is counted first.
Why the rule exists
The scoring areas are the big targets that a clean technique can reach and that the body, with its padding, can take. The prohibited areas are where a blow can do lasting harm. Leaving the arms neutral rewards a fighter for blocking: a kick caught on the forearm earns nothing.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Head, torso | Punch 1 point; kick 2 points | Sanda Rules, Art. 5 (slides 47 and 58) |
| Thigh | Kick 1 point | Sanda Rules, Art. 5 (slide 58) |
| Arms, shoulders, lower legs, feet | Nothing | Sanda Rules, Art. 3 (slide 41) |
| Back of head, neck, groin | Personal foul | Sanda Rules, Art. 4 and 6 (slides 42 and 66) |
From the rule book
International Wushu Federation, Sanda Rules and Judging Methods (2017 rules, as set out in the federation's 2023 judges' training course slides), Valid Scoring Areas (Article 3), Prohibited Striking Areas (Article 4) and Scoring Criteria (Article 5). Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Sanda Competition Rules and Judging Methods (not saved; a training copy was used).