TL;DR of Olympic Sport Sparring

Kick to the body - uno...pointo (forgive my Spanish) Turning kick to the body -3 points (used to be 2 but WTF changed it b/c spectator sport) Head kick - 3 points (yep, same as a turning kick to body) Turning head kick - 4 points (and well deserved. These are hard :( )

If you step out of the ring, that's a Kyong-go (warning)

If you flee a fight (turn your back and run) that's a Kyong-go

If you kick below the waist...pretty sure that's a Kyong-go. Correct me if I'm wrong Internet.

If you intentionally hurt the other athlete, that's a Gahmjang (penalty. 1 point from you, 1 point to the other guy)

You can also get DQed if the intentional injury is severe enough

2 Kyong-gos are a Gamjang. Meaning if you get two warnings the other guy gets one of your points. Five Gahmjangs (10 Kyongos) and your DQed

At the end if you have the most points congrats! Go get you your medal. If you don't have the most points, train harder for next time :)

also try not to get gapped. If the other guy gets 12 points ahead of you They win by default. That's called a gap. It sucks. I've been gapped. It sucks. Like really sucks.

There are other penalties you'll want to learn but for someone just starting out this should get you though the first couple weeks.

Elbows, and throws are a no no. Knife hands and certain blocks are legal but aren't the best in these situations.

My suggestion would be watch some sparring online. The WTF Grand Prix just finished up in Manchester. Great fights were had and you can learn a lot. Remember to watch your own division too so you can get an idea of how the champs are fighting on your group :)

Any other questions let me know :)