Kickboxing Rules: WAKO Disciplines, Scoring, Amateur vs Pro

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A Sunday kickboxing tournament: on the mats, a referee shouts “Stop!”, points two fingers at the blue corner for a head kick, and the scoreboard ticks over. In the ring next door, three judges sit with clickers, a kick counter tallies every kick, and a low kick to the thigh draws a wince from the crowd. Same sport, very different rules. This page explains the kickboxing rules of the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO), how each discipline is scored, weigh-ins, how amateur and pro fights differ, and the protective gear each one requires.

For the bigger picture, start at our kickboxing hub. Muay Thai’s rules (elbows, the full clinch, the Wai Kru) are on our Muay Thai rules page, and boxing’s on our boxing rules page.

The WAKO kickboxing disciplines

WAKO splits kickboxing into tatami (mat) disciplines, fought with controlled contact for points, and ring disciplines, fought with full power to win by points or stoppage. Musical forms, a performance against one or more imaginary opponents, is a tatami discipline too.

Discipline	Where	What’s allowed	Who can compete
Point fighting	Tatami	Controlled punches and kicks; stop after each score	Ages 7 and up
Light contact	Tatami	Continuous fighting with well-controlled contact	13 and up
Kick light	Tatami	Light contact plus controlled low kicks to the thigh	13 and up
Full contact	Ring	Full-power punches and kicks above the waist, foot sweeps; at least 6 kicks a round	15 and up
Low kick	Ring	Full contact plus kicks to the thigh	15 and up
K1 style	Ring	Kicks and knees to legs, body and head; hold the neck for one knee; no elbows	15 and up

WAKO counts age by year of birth. Children (7-9) and younger cadets (10-12) compete only in point fighting and forms; older cadets (13-15) and juniors (16-18) add light contact and kick light; ring disciplines are for younger juniors (15-16), older juniors (17-18) and seniors (19-40). Masters (41-55) compete on the tatami.

Point fighting rules

Point fighting is fought on a 7 × 7 m mat. At every valid score, the referee stops the fight and shows the points with their fingers, together with two judges; a score needs at least two of the three to agree, and they must see the technique land, not just hear it.

• 1 point: a punch, a kick to the body, or a foot sweep that puts the opponent on the floor.
• 2 points: a kick to the head, or a jumping kick to the body.
• 3 points: a jumping kick to the head (the kicker must still be in the air when it lands).

Legal techniques: straight punches, uppercuts, hooks, ridge hands and backfists (not spinning backfists); front, side, roundhouse, crescent, jumping and spinning kicks; and hook and axe kicks with the sole of the foot only, because striking with the back of the heel is dangerous. Targets: the front, sides and back of the head, and the front and sides of the torso; the feet only for sweeps. Fouls include knees, elbows and head-butts, strikes below the belt, to the neck or the back, grabbing, throwing, attacking someone who’s down, and excessive contact. A technique that only touches or pushes doesn’t score.

Fights are short: 2 × 1 minute for children, 2 × 1.5 minutes for younger cadets, 2 × 2 minutes for older cadets and masters, and 3 × 2 minutes for juniors and seniors at championships. A 10-point lead ends the fight. A tie goes to one extra minute, then sudden death: next score wins.

Light contact and kick light

These are continuous: the referee doesn’t stop for each score. Three judges each pick a winner, and the majority decides. If one fighter builds a lead of at least 15 points on two judges’ cards, the fight is stopped. Kick light adds controlled kicks to the thigh.

Ring rules: full contact, low kick and K1

	Full contact	Low kick	K1 style
Kicks to the legs	No (ankle-level sweeps only)	To the thigh, outside, inside and back; not the knee or below	Kicks and knees to the legs, including the joints; front and side kicks not to the front of the thigh, knee or shin
Knees	No	No	Yes, to legs, body and head
Clinch	No	No	Hold the neck or shoulders for one knee, 5 seconds at most
Spinning backfist	No	No	Yes
Elbows	No	No	No
Special rule	At least 6 kicks per round	Front, side and spinning back kicks to head and torso only	No catching a leg; no throws with the hips or shoulders

In full contact, a kick counter reports to the referee after each round; a fighter short of six kicks can make them up in the next round, but kicks still missing, including any in the last round, cost a point.

How ring bouts are scored

Every WAKO ring bout, at every age, is 3 rounds of 2 minutes with a minute’s rest. Three judges click a button for each legal technique landed with full power, good form and balance on a legal target; blocked or partly deflected strikes don’t count. A knockdown adds one extra point. A minus point from the referee takes 3 points off the fighter’s total. If the fight ends level, the fighter who scored more in the last round wins; if that’s level too, judges decide on activity, kicks, defense and technique.

A fight ends early by knockout (no recovery by the count of ten), by the referee stopping the contest, by disqualification, or under the three-knockdown rule: three knockdowns in a fight and it’s over. Younger juniors get a two-knockdown rule. After every knockdown, the referee counts at least to eight before the fight can continue. A doctor gets at most two minutes per fighter to treat a cut or other injury.

Weight classes and weigh-ins

WAKO’s senior ring classes run from under 51 kg to over 91 kg for men (12 classes) and from under 48 kg to over 70 kg for women (7 classes); tatami classes are different, and youth classes start under 18 kg for children. You may enter one class above your weight at most. At world and continental championships, the official weigh-in is 48 to 72 hours before the event, and a fighter who’s over gets one more try an hour later. Ring fighters are weighed again every morning they fight, with fights usually starting at least three hours later, and nobody fights more than twice a day in the ring. Missing weight at the second attempt means disqualification.

Amateur vs pro

	Amateur (WAKO)	Pro (examples)
Head guard	Required	None
Gloves	10 oz, approved (8 oz open-hand in point fighting)	GLORY 8 oz under 65 kg, 10 oz above; ONE 8 or 10 oz; ABC model rules 8 or 10 oz
Shin guards	Required	None
Rounds	Ring 3 × 2 min	GLORY and ONE 3 × 3 min, 5 rounds for titles; ABC model rules up to 10 × 3 min
Scoring	Judges count clean, full-power techniques	10-point must system, round by round
Clinch	K1: one knee, then let go (5 seconds max)	GLORY: hold only to throw a single knee, then release
Catching a kick	Not allowed in K1	GLORY and ABC: catch a leg only to throw one strike right away, then let go
Who’s in charge	The federation and its doctors	The promotion plus a state athletic commission in the US

GLORY uses six weight classes, from featherweight (up to 65 kg) to heavyweight (over 95 kg), and weighs fighters the day before. Its judges rank knockdowns first, then damage, then clean strikes, then aggression; sweeps and elbows are fouls; and if a three-round fight is a draw, a “sudden victory” extra round decides it. The Association of Boxing Commissions’ (ABC) pro kickboxing rules, which many US commissions adopt, use 10-point must scoring, allow kicks to the whole leg except thrusting kicks to the knee joint, and stop a fight when a fighter is knocked down three times in one round by head strikes; a downed fighter can’t be saved by the bell. Some states also regulate amateur events, so ask who sanctions a show before you sign up. More on our kickboxing organizations page.

Protective gear rules

• Head guard: required in every WAKO fighting discipline, covering the forehead, top and back of the head, temples, ears and upper jaw, with no full face cover; children and younger cadets add a face mask in point fighting.
• Mouthguard: required at every age; anyone with braces needs a dentist’s certificate. Spitting it out on purpose earns a warning.
• Groin protection: required for men and women.
• Chest protection: required for female fighters 13 and older.
• Shin guards and foot protection: tatami and full contact fighters wear shin guards plus foot pads; low kick and K1 fighters wear guards that cover shin and instep (no sock-type guards). Point fighters also wear elbow pads.
• Hand wraps: 2.5 to 5 m of 5 cm cotton.
• Clothing: point fighters wear a V-neck top and long pants; full contact fighters wear long pants and low kick and K1 fighters shorts, with men bare-chested and women in a sports top.

Two cautions from the doctors: the American Academy of Pediatrics notes there’s no evidence that soft headgear reduces concussion risk, and a mouthguard mainly protects the teeth and mouth. Our kickboxing gear page explains how to choose each piece.

Competition gear usually has to be approved, so check with your federation before buying for a tournament. For the sore days after sparring, see our combat sports recovery gear guide.

Safety rules after a knockout

WAKO: at least four weeks out after a knockout or a stoppage for head trauma, a special medical check before returning, and doctors can extend the ban. Pro suspensions are set by the state commission and cover fights, not your gym, so the break from sparring is up to you, your coach and your doctor. If you see concussion signs in the gym, follow the CDC’s HEADS UP advice: remove the athlete the same day and don’t let them back until a healthcare provider clears them. The full picture is on our kickboxing injuries page.

Kickboxing rules FAQs

Are elbows allowed in kickboxing?

No. Elbows are a foul in every WAKO discipline, in GLORY and in the ABC’s pro and amateur kickboxing rules. Elbows are part of Muay Thai, not kickboxing.

Is the clinch allowed in kickboxing?

Only briefly in K1 style: you may hold the neck or shoulders to throw one knee, for no more than about five seconds under WAKO rules, then let go. Clinching is a foul in full contact, low kick and point fighting.

How many rounds is a kickboxing fight?

WAKO amateur ring bouts are 3 rounds of 2 minutes at every age; point fighting runs from 2 × 1 minute for children to 3 × 2 minutes for adults. Pro fights in GLORY and ONE are 3 × 3 minutes, 5 rounds for titles, and the ABC’s model rules allow up to ten 3-minute rounds.

What gloves are used in amateur kickboxing?

WAKO uses approved 10 oz kickboxing gloves in light contact, kick light and the ring sports, and 8 oz open-palm gloves in point fighting. The ABC’s amateur model rules use 10 or 12 oz gloves.

Can you catch a kick in kickboxing?

Not in WAKO K1: grabbing the leg, even briefly, is a foul. GLORY and the ABC’s pro rules let you catch a kicking leg only to throw one legal strike right away, then you must let go.