Internal Martial Arts

Rules for Internal Martial Arts

General Rules

• Maximum performance time for All Internal Kung Fu Styles is 1.5 minutes; minimum performance time 30 seconds.
• Salute to the judges upon entering ring, then announce to the chief judge your name and the form you will be performing.
• Once an age group is announced to perform, the cut off time for competitors at that age group to enter the competition is 5 minutes.
• All Internal Martial Arts styles are scored based on good stance, balance, power, and coordination; characteristics of the particular style performed and the representation of combat effectiveness.

Internal Martial Arts Styles

• Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, & Other Internal Styles

Xingyiquan Characteristics

• Expression of the whole-body power and short power
• Display the storing and releasing of internal energy without external stiffness
• Stepping must be agile and coordinated with the body movements
• Each movement must be unison with the intention of the mind

Baguazhang Characteristics

• Expression of the whole-body power and circular power
• Display coiling of the body without external stiffness
• Stepping must be smooth and coordinated with the body movements
• Changing directions are done with hook step (kuo bu) and swing step (bai bu)
• Each movement must be in unison with the intention of the mind

Scoring

• Beginner Under Belts: 6 – 7.5 points
• Intermediate Under Belts: 7 – 8.5 points
• Advanced Under Belts: 8.5 – 10 points

Additional Rules

• Unfinished routine – competitors of any event  leave the area of competition midway with the routine unfinished shall not be scored.
• Forgetfulness – each occurrence of last memory shall result in a deduction of 0.1-0.3 according to the severity of the case. A subsequent pause affecting the rhythm of the movements shall result in a deduction of 0.1; a long pause 0.2; and pause leading to confused movements in a deduction of 0.3 point.
• Weapon tangle/cut in the uniform, or touching the floor (if is recognized as not a part of the technique) shall result in a deduction of 0.1 point for each occurrence.
• Dropping weapon/s on the ground shall result in a deduction of 0.5 point.
• Loss of balance, tripping, shall result in a deduction of 0.1 for each occurrence, and a subsequent fall to the ground in deduction of 0.5 point.
• Restarting routine – shall result deduction of 1 point 
• A competitor’s performance of the routine is interrupted by uncontrollable circumstances and may repeat it with the head judge’s approval without point deduction!
• Extra acrobatic movement in traditional styles should not be taken in consideration for extra point scoring.
• No flexible blade weapon (modern Wushu weapons) should be used in traditional divisions.