Age groups & contact rules

TAEKWONDO TRAINING Reading time : 9 min Updated September 6, 2026
Taekwondo's contact rule is not coaching opinion: the FFTDA writes it category by category. No contact below benjamin, trunk only and head forbidden for minimes, the head opening only at cadet — and only with foot techniques. This guide puts the full table, the published sanction ladder and the playing-up rules in front of the coach.

The contact ladder, category by category

Three authorities, three jobs: World Taekwondo governs competition, Kukkiwon governs grades, the national federation issues licences and writes the children's rules. The contact gate belongs to the national federation — and the FFTDA publishes it verbatim:

FFTDA categoryAgesPublished contact rule
Poussins · Pupilles5–8No contact. No-contact encounters: 2 techniques each in turn, 3 × 0:30. This age’s « kyorugi » is the open-hand tag, as a game.
Benjamins9–10Two formats: no-touch initiation, or chest-protector touch only. 3 × 1:00.
Minimes11–12Trunk only, head forbidden — best of 3 rounds, 3 × 1:00, no golden round. The sanction ladder below is published verbatim.
Cadets13–14The head becomes a legal target — foot techniques only, headgear and PSS mandatory. WT Cadet = 12–14, the first international category.
Juniors · Seniors15+Full WT rules: 3 × 2:00, electronic PSS, the 1/2/3/4/6 scale.
The first international kyorugi category is WT Cadet (12–14). Below it there is NO WT category at all: children compete only under their national federation's children's rules — which is why the ladder above is the dojang's reference.
Safety · The FFTDA contact ladder

Contact, category by category

No contact below benjamin, trunk-only for minimes, the head only from cadet — the rule is written, not inherited.

Contact, category by category Five rows, one per FFTDA category. Poussins-Pupilles (5–8): no contact. Benjamins (9–10): chest-protector touch at most. Minimes (11–12): trunk only, head forbidden. Cadets (13–14): the head opens, foot techniques only, headgear and PSS. Juniors-Seniors (15+): full WT rules. An arrow marks the head opening at cadet. Poussins · Pupilles — 5–8 NO CONTACT Benjamins — 9–10 chest-protector touch at most Minimes — 11–12 trunk only · head FORBIDDEN Cadets — 13–14 head opens · FOOT only · headgear + PSS Juniors · Seniors — 15+ full WT rules the head opens HERE

Source: FFTDA, Règlements généraux des compétitions (2024) and the benjamins/minimes application note (27.03.2024) — rung 1, the age is written in the source. Paak taekwondo corpus, file 02.

The minimes sanction ladder

For minimes the FFTDA does not merely forbid the head: it publishes the exact consequence of every contact, up to disqualification. A coach preparing a minime prepares this table too:

Head contact in minimesPublished sanction (FFTDA)
Kick toward the face, no contactVerbal warning
Punch to the faceGam-jeom
1st light foot contact to the headGam-jeom
2nd light contactRound lost
Violent contactGam-jeom + medical check
2nd violent contactDISQUALIFICATION

Playing up, regulated

The FFTDA lets benjamins, minimes, cadets and juniors compete one weight category above their own — no more. For benjamins and minimes the weigh-in is single, with no tolerance. There is no « double playing-up » of weight in the youth rules.

What it changes in training

  • Poussins/Pupilles: forms, lines, reaction games, the open-hand tag — this age's entire repertoire is contact-free, and it is rich.
  • Benjamins/Minimes: trunk-condition bouts, chest-protector touch, the belt-laddered curriculum — never a head drill.
  • Cadets+: the head opens with foot techniques, headgear and PSS mandatory — this is where turning kicks and open sparring in rounds begin.
In Paak's session generator these gates are in the data: no head or full-contact drill exists for u9/u13 — a generated plan cannot violate the ladder.

FAQ

At what age can a child touch the head?
From cadet (13–14), and only with foot techniques, with headgear and PSS. Below cadet the head is forbidden — and for minimes every contact is sanctioned along the published ladder, up to disqualification at the second violent contact.
Is the punch to the face allowed for adults?
No. The fist scores only to the trunk (1 point). A punch to the face draws a gam-jeom at every age — only foot techniques score to the head.
Can a benjamin fight a minime?
The youth rules regulate WEIGHT playing-up (one category up, single weigh-in, no tolerance); crossing an AGE category is governed by the rules of the competition in question — check the event's own regulations, never a club habit.

Sources

FFTDA — Règlements généraux des compétitions (2024) and the benjamins/minimes application note (validated 27.03.2024): the contact ladder, the 3 × 0:30 / 3 × 1:00 formats, the minimes sanction ladder, playing-up. World Taekwondo — Competition Rules (edition in force 01.01.2026): Cadet/Junior categories, full rules. Paak taekwondo corpus, file 02 (every value at rung 1 — the age is WRITTEN in the source). Content verified September 2026.

Last updated: September 6, 2026 ID : help.taekwondo.age-groups-and-contact-rules