Contents
Sundome, not knockdown
Shotokan competition runs under WKF (world) and national-federation rules (FFKarate in France, Swiss Karate Federation in Switzerland, DKV in Germany): a points karate in sundome (寸止め, "stopping an inch short"), meaning light, controlled, non-injurious contact. The score is a judged arithmetic tally (Yuko, Waza-ari, Ippon), and excessive contact is penalised, never scored [WKF kumite rules]. This is categorically different from knockdown / full-contact (Kyokushin, a separate discipline, outside this corpus). Everything below is a gradient of this one chassis.
The WKF contact ladder, by category
Contact tightens as age drops, and the mandatory protectors scale up with it. The head threshold (jodan, 上段, upper level) is the hard line [WKF kumite rules]:
| Category (WKF) | Hand contact to head / neck | Kick contact to head | Extra protectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under-14 | No contact | No contact | Helmet + external chest protector compulsory |
| Cadet (≈14–15) | No hand contact | Light skin-touch allowed | Face mask / grille |
| Junior (≈16–17) | No hand contact | Light skin-touch allowed | (standard set) |
| Senior (18+) | Light controlled skin-touch (never the throat) | Controlled skin-touch allowed | (standard set) |
Protectors, by age and category
Protection is a function of the category, never a constant: the youngest bands' extras are the physical expression of the contact gates above. All competition kit must be WKF-homologated [WKF, Art. 2 equipment].
| Equipment | Senior | Junior | Cadet | Under-14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White karategi (WKF) + aka/ao belt by the draw | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mitts (WKF), gum-shield | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Body protector (WKF, M/F), shin pads, foot protection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Groin guard (male) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Face mask / grille | – | – | ✓ | (with the helmet) |
| Helmet | – | – | – | ✓ |
| External chest protector | – | – | – | ✓ |
The grade belt is not worn in the bout: the competitor wears one red (aka) or blue (ao) belt per the draw. No jewellery or metallic objects, nails short [WKF, Art. 2].
The age categories (FFKarate)
FFKarate sets categories by year of birth, updated each season (2025-2026) [FFKarate]:
| Category | Ages | Category | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-poussins | 4–5 | Cadets | 14–15 |
| Poussins | 6–7 | Juniors | 16–17 |
| Pupilles | 8–9 | Seniors | 18+ |
| Benjamins | 10–11 | Espoirs | 18–19–20 |
| Minimes | 12–13 | Veterans 1 to 5 | 35–45 … 75+ |
The WKF's bands are coarser: cadet / junior / U21 / senior (+ veterans). The minimum age for senior kumite is 18; U21 is a distinct competitive band [WKF]. Kumite is weight-categorised; kata is not [FFKarate, WKF].
The four Paak bands, honestly
The u9 / u13 / u17 / sen bands used by the drills are a product marker published by no authority (a Paak inference), and two of them straddle a real border:
- u9 (~5–8): below any competition floor (the WKF opens nothing before the cadet category). This band is training only: pads, distance and timing games, "block-only" pre-arranged kumite. No skin-touch.
- u13 (~9–12): still no head contact and no skin-touch (under-14 = none). Sparring work is the pre-arranged ladder (gohon, sanbon) and touch / distance play.
- u17 (~13–16): this band straddles the cadet threshold. The 14–15s carry the cadet gate (face mask, no hand contact to the head, light kick skin-touch under the helmet). Tag u17 kumite drills with the cadet gate: the rulebook decides, not the band.
- sen (~17+): mixes a 17-year-old junior still in headgear and youth at every federation, with seniors of 18+ in sundome. A 17-year-old is not a bare-headed senior fighter. U21 and veterans also fold into "sen".
Do / never do, by band
| Band | Do | Never do |
|---|---|---|
| u9 (~5–8) | "Block-only" pre-arranged kumite, pads, distance and timing games | Any skin-touch, any head contact, any free (jiyu) sparring |
| u13 (~9–12) | Pre-arranged ladder (gohon, sanbon kumite), touch and distance work | Any skin-touch (under-14 = none), any head contact |
| u17 (~13–16) | Cadet-gated kumite: light kick skin-touch to the head under helmet/mask, body control | Hand contact to the head (cadet/junior gate), bare-head sparring for a youth |
| sen (17+) | Senior sundome from 18: light controlled skin-touch, never the throat | Treating a 17-year-old as a bare-headed senior; contact to the throat, at any age |
Frequently asked
From what age can a child do free (jiyu) kumite?
Does the under-14 helmet allow light contact?
Why does this guide cite "WKF" and "FFKarate" separately from the style (JKA, SKIF)?
Sources
WKF, Kumite Competition Rules (edition 2024.00; Art. 2 equipment and tatami; contact progression by category) + the 2026 edition (valid 1.1.2026). FFKarate (FFKDA), Catégories d'âges et de poids 2025-2026. Swiss Karate Federation, J+S / FTEM framework. Paak Shotokan corpus, files 00 (map), 02 (age, contact and protectors) and 06 (equipment and formats). The contact ladder and the under-14 / cadet protector mandates come from the 2024 rulebook, corroborated; the 2026 edition articles (image PDF) remain to be re-verified against the primary source. Content verified September 2026.