Kyokushin, the toughest karate style

Mas Oyama's full-contact style: no chest protection, knockdown-based scoring, effort over points. Paak encodes it as a distinct discipline from WKF karate — with its own rules, its own scoring, its own grading, its own severity.

Paak contacts list for a Kyokushin dojo with 'Overdue payment' filter active

Your kohai and sempai, their kyu, their fees, their dojo — in one view. Paak manages your club, not just your sport.

Before Kyokushin: what Paak does for your whole club.

  • Members & families
  • Fees & online payments
  • Teams & convocations
  • Background checks & GDPR
  • Newsletter & communication
  • Equipment & volunteers
Everything Paak does, in detail →

Kyokushin, a karate style with its own rules

Mas Oyama founded Kyokushin in 1964. Alongside Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Goju-ryu and Wado-ryu, he set down a fifth framework: full-contact, no chest protection, strikes landed for real, with knockdown as the declared objective. Multi-sport platforms that configure Kyokushin like WKF karate pre-check boxes that make no sense: point scoring (no, it's knockdown scoring), chest protection (none), permitted targets that differ (yes to low kicks, no to head punches). Paak treats the two distinctly because the rules demand it.

Full-contact, not point scoring

WKF karate awards a clean, controlled strike as a point. Kyokushin awards a strike when it removes the opponent from the fight. Scoring recognises knockdowns, waza-ari (near-knockdowns), effective low kicks. Different scale entirely.

Tameshiwari — breaking, not choreography

No other amateur combat sport asks you to break boards with your bare hands before competition. Tameshiwari is a statistic in its own right in Kyokushin. Paak tracks it as such — personal records included.

Kyu / dan, not WKF colour belts

Distinct progression: 10 kyu from white to brown, then dan ranks from black. Grading criteria vary between IKO, WKO Shinkyokushin, KWF — each federation has its own tameshiwari, kumite and kata requirements.

Encho-sen — there must be a winner

If the regular match doesn't produce a clear winner, an extension (encho-sen) is played, then a second if needed. Weight difference breaks the final tie. In Kyokushin a draw is an exception, not an option.

Live full-contact scoring

Kyokushin Knockdown is not won on accumulated points: it ends with ippon, two waza-ari, hantei (judges' decision) or shikkaku (disqualification). During the fight, Paak records the counts (waza-ari, knockdowns, sanctions) and the hantei criteria (damage, technique, spirit, tameshiwari) — not an arithmetic score.

ActionEffectNote
IpponInstant winClean KO, or opponent counted out and unable to continue.
Waza-ariCount (max 2 = ippon)Technical knockdown: opponent down or staggered, recovers within 3 s.
HanteiJudges' decisionIf no ippon at time-up: 3 flags decide on damage, technique, aggressiveness, spirit, sometimes tameshiwari.
TameshiwariHantei criterionPre-match breaking test. Counted per successful board to break ties at hantei.

Kyu & Dan — Kyokushin progression

10 kyu from white to brown, then dan ranks from black. Each grading combines technical exam, kata, kumite against multiple partners, and often tameshiwari. Paak records the progression, dates and examiners.

10 kyu — White 9 kyu — Orange 8 kyu — Orange w/ tip 7 kyu — Blue 6 kyu — Blue w/ tip 5 kyu — Yellow 4 kyu — Yellow w/ tip 3 kyu — Green 2 kyu — Green w/ tip 1 kyu — Brown Dan — Black (I to X)

Exact colours and ordering vary by federation (IKO, WKO Shinkyokushin, KWF...). Paak respects your dojo's configuration: declare your system once, Paak applies it everywhere.

Sanctions: Chui, Genten, Shikkaku

SanctionDescription
Chui IchiFirst warning (technical fault or passivity).
Chui NiSecond warning. May escalate to Genten.
Genten IchiFormal penalty: counts against you at hantei, or waza-ari awarded to the opponent.
Genten NiSecond penalty. Moves toward disqualification.
ShikkakuDisqualification. Unsportsmanlike behaviour, repeated illegal strikes, deliberate injury.

Weight categories

Standard competition categories. Paak checks each karateka's registered weight and places them automatically in the correct category. Variations by federation (IKO All Japan, Open Tournament, World Championships) are configurable.

Men

-60 kg · -70 kg · -80 kg · -90 kg · +90 kg

Women

-50 kg · -55 kg · -65 kg · +65 kg

Juniors (under 18)

Age-adjusted categories — configurable by dojo.

Veterans (40+)

Often the same as seniors, but with reduced match duration.

Tameshiwari, 100-man kumite — the unique events

Tameshiwari (breaking)

Boards broken per hand, per foot, per technique (seiken, shuto, hiza, mawashi geri). Each karateka has a personal record field on their profile — you enter the new figure after a grading or competition, it stays stored there. Automatic new-record detection and a date-by-date timeline are on the roadmap.

Hyakunin Kumite (100-man kumite)

One hundred consecutive fights — an event Mas Oyama himself created. Only a handful of karateka in history have completed it. Paak will never ask you to run one, but if your dojo attempts it, the software can track it fight by fight.

An AI advisor who has known the fight

Paak Pro includes a sport-specific AI advisor. For Kyokushin it's Kenshi Midora — a legendary full-contact champion known for devastating low kicks and iron conditioning. He won't talk to you about Shotokan or WKF points: he thinks in knockdowns, conditioning, spirit (osu).

Student progression

Identify karateka ready for the next kyu grading: attendance, fight count, tameshiwari, kata mastered.

Conditioning plan

Physical-block suggestions by level. Not generic recipes — blocks calibrated on your dojo's population.

Fight analysis

Post-tournament, Kenshi Midora highlights what worked and what was missing. Many low kicks but few knockdowns? A timing problem, not a power problem.

Mental preparation

Kyokushin isn't won on physical alone. The AI advisor suggests mental-prep angles — without the platitudes of a generic life-coaching app.

Licences, compliance, federations

What Paak doesn't do yet for Kyokushin

Transparency beats empty promises.

  • No sync with Kyokushin federations. IKO, WKO Shinkyokushin, KWF and the others each have their own grade and licence databases with no public API. You'll re-enter licence data once; Paak tracks it internally thereafter.
  • No live video streaming. During a tournament, Paak scores live. It doesn't stream video — OBS + YouTube Live remain your tool for that.
  • No referee-software chronometer integration. The referee decides, the coach clicks. There's no integration (yet) with official buttons and timer systems at the head table.
  • No tameshiwari pre-event management. Paak records results, not board-preparation workflows or pre-inspection checks. That stays with the event supervisor.

Sensei honorabilité — French loi du 8 mars 2024

The French law of 8 March 2024 makes club presidents personally liable for the honorabilité (background-check status) of every sensei and adult volunteer in regular contact with minors — in Kyokushin, this covers the head sensei (shihan / hanshi), assistants, kids' programme instructors, club referees and any belt-rank holder teaching minors. Paak makes that tenable for a volunteer-run dojo.

  • Status per sensei — valid / expiring soon / expired
  • Automatic reminders 30, 14 and 7 days before each attestation expires — email to the sensei and notification to the president
  • CSV export in the ministry SI Honorabilité / FIJAISV column order, one click
  • Federation membership, dan grade and medical certificate on the same sensei profile

Honorabilité tracking is included in every plan, including Free. The 30/14/7-day reminder cadence runs automatically via the qualification-expiry job — no per-sensei setup.

Frequently asked questions

Why a separate page from WKF karate?

Because Kyokushin isn't a WKF style. No chest protection, strikes delivered, knockdown scoring. Software that treats both the same produces wrong data.

Does Paak handle gradings with tameshiwari?

Yes. During a grading, you record kata, kumite and tameshiwari results. Paak updates the grade + personal record + examiner + date.

My dojo is IKO Matsui, yours is WKO Shinkyokushin. Does Paak work for both?

Yes. Grades, weight categories and grading criteria are configurable per dojo. Declare your federation once, Paak applies its rules.

Is Paak really free?

Yes, up to 100 members, 3 training groups, 1 sport. Online payments included (Mollie). No credit card at signup.

Three plans, nonprofit rates.

Free
0 €forever
Up to 100 members. Start with zero risk.
Paak Pro
99 €/month · ex-VAT
Unlimited members. Performance and analytics.
See all features →
Configure my Kyokushin dojo in 30 seconds

OSU!

Free up to 100 members · Hosted in France · GDPR compliant