Individual competitors may enter some or all of these; major championships also feature team versions.
Competitors perform a designated pattern (often one chosen by the competitor and one drawn by the ring). Judges score technical content, accuracy, power, balance, rhythm and correct sine-wave motion. Usually run as head-to-head pairs decided by flags, or by points.
Free sparring under semi-contact rules, with foot and hand protectors. Points are scored for controlled, accurate techniques to legal target areas. Bouts run for timed rounds; the higher score (or a knockdown advantage) wins.
Competitors break boards (or measuring boards/machines) to demonstrate raw force with set techniques — typically forefist punch, side piercing kick, knife-hand strike, turning kick and back piercing kick. Most boards broken wins.
Jumping and flying kicks break a target fixed at height or distance — flying high kick, flying side piercing kick, overhead (high) kick, and more. The greatest height/distance broken wins.
Team events add team patterns, team sparring and pre-arranged free sparring / demonstration, where choreographed sequences of throws, breaks and flying kicks are judged for difficulty and presentation.
ITF sparring rewards difficulty: kicks score more than punches, and high or jumping techniques score most. Exact values vary slightly between ITF organisations, but the typical scale is:
| Technique | Target | Points (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Hand attack | Middle or high section | 1 |
| Foot attack | Middle section | 2 |
| Foot attack | High section | 3 |
| Jumping foot attack | Middle section | 3 |
| Jumping foot attack | High section | 4–5 |
The standard ITF sparring kit. Hand and foot protectors are mandatory; the rest depends on the division and rules.
Competition is organised in a pyramid from club to international level:
Because the ITF divided into several bodies after 2002, more than one organisation now stages its own “World Championships”. They share the same four events and the same patterns, so the format is familiar across all of them.
Beyond medals, the tournament is treated as an extension of the dojang: competitors bow, show courtesy to opponents and officials, and accept the result with self-control — the tenets in action.