Competition

Rules change, so every rule here carries its date. There are two kinds of kung fu competition: forms, taolu, judged on a 10 point scale, and fighting, either full contact sanda or, for most children and club members, light contact qingda. The IWUF sets the world rules, and in the UK the BCCMA runs the national championships. ^{40,41,43,82,84}

The Olympics and the Youth Olympics

• Not an Olympic sport. The IWUF aims to make it one. It was shortlisted as a possible extra sport for Tokyo 2020, in 2011 and again in 2015, but not chosen. ⁴⁰
• Recognised by the International Olympic Committee at its 113th Session in 2002. With the IOC's approval the IWUF held wushu tournaments alongside the Beijing 2008 Olympics and the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympics. ⁴⁰
• Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Wushu's first Olympic series medal events are set for 1 to 3 November 2026 at the Dakar Expo Center: 48 athletes, 12 in each of four events, men's and women's long fist combined with the staff, and men's and women's taijiquan combined with the tai chi fan. They use the IWUF's 3rd Set of compulsory routines and its 2024 taolu rules, judged without degree of difficulty. Sanda is not included, and no British athlete is on the IWUF's list. ^40,45 Wushu's place was approved in 2020, for Games then planned for 2022. ^3,40
• Other multi sport games: the Asian Games since 1990, and the World Games in 2009, 2013, 2022 and 2025. ⁴⁰

Taolu: the IWUF's 2024 rules ⁴¹

• Age groups: adults 18 and over; youth 15 to 17; juniors 12 to 14; children 11 and under.
• Etiquette: a palm and fist salute to the head judge on entering, on finishing and when the score is shown.
• Time limits: adult optional long fist, southern fist and weapon routines 1 minute 20 seconds to 1 minute 35 seconds; optional taiji routines 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds; duilian 50 seconds to 1 minute; group routines, jiti, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Scoring out of 10: quality of movement 5, deducted by Group A judges; overall performance 3, from Group B; degree of difficulty, nandu, 2, from Group C, who say yes or no to each difficult jump, balance or connection.
• The carpet is 14 m by 8 m, with a safety area of at least 2 m. Weapons must be IWUF certified and of set sizes: a staff, for example, at least as long as the athlete is tall.

Sanda: the IWUF's 2017 rules

The 2017 rulebook is the current one; individual events publish their own regulations on top. ^40,43

• The platform, leitai: 80 cm high and 8 m by 8 m, with a cushion 2 m wide around it. ⁴⁰
• Bouts: three rounds of two minutes with a minute's rest; the winner takes two rounds, or wins by knockout. ⁴⁰
• Ages: seniors 18 to 40, juniors 15 to 17, children 12 to 14. ⁴³
• Kit: head guard, chest protector, gloves, gum guard, groin guard and hand wraps. ⁴³
• Allowed: wushu punches, kicks and throws. Not allowed: head butts, elbows, knees, joint locks, throws that land an opponent on the head, and striking a downed opponent. Juniors and children may not punch continuously to the face or kick to the head unless the event rules say otherwise. ⁴³
• Points: 2 for a kick to the head or body, for making the opponent fall while staying up, or when the opponent falls off the platform; 1 for a punch to the head or body or a kick to the thigh. ⁴³

Traditional competitions

• The IWUF's World Kungfu Championships have run since 2004 as sport for all events, where most competitors win a prize. The BCCMA reported on the 9th, in Emeishan from 23 to 28 August 2023. ^40,81 The IWUF published its traditional rules in 2019, as a trial. ⁴⁴
• The BCCMA's traditional taolu rules of 2024 say "any style should be able to win". Age groups run from 8 and under to 60 and over; routines last 40 seconds to 2 minutes, or 3 to 4 minutes for taiji; scores are out of 10, in bands from beginner to advanced; any IWUF difficulty move of B level or above costs a point; and weapons are inspected, with any judged too dangerous not allowed. ⁸⁵

UK national championships, BCCMA

Sources: ^81,82. The 2027 diary lists 19 June for traditional taolu, tai chi, tui shou and shuai jiao; 10 July for modern taolu, to be confirmed; 24 July for the 4th British Junior Light Sanda, 7 to 17; and 25 July for youth and adult sanda and adult qingda. Entries go through Smoothcomp, and every sparring event has a weigh in on the day. ⁸¹

Light sanda, qingda: the BCCMA's rules of June 2024 ⁸⁴

• For children 5 to 17 and adults 18 to 50, in groups 5 to 14, 15 to 17, 18 to 35 and 36 to 50; rounds of up to 2 minutes, 1 minute for 5 to 14 year olds, best of three.
• Compulsory kit: head guard, shin and instep pads, boxing gloves (8 oz for all juniors, 10 oz for juniors over 65 kg), body armour, gum shield and groin guard.
• No strikes to the head or face for 5 to 14 year olds. 15 to 17 year olds may strike the side of the head with control.
• Force above 30% of full power is penalised, a knockout disqualifies, and head butts, elbows, knees, joint locks and dangerous throws are banned. Entrants must belong to a BCCMA member association.

Great Britain and Europe

• GB team selection. For the 2024 European Championships the BCCMA held trials: modern taolu athletes performed three routines, and a score of at least 9.0 in two earned a place. Athletes needed a UK passport and membership of a BCCMA association. ⁸²
• The 20th European Wushu Kungfu Championships were held in Lyon from 7 to 10 May 2026; Great Britain appears in the results only among the judges. ^51,52

Other competition in kung fu clubs

• Lau Gar fighters in the BKFA compete in semi, light and full contact kickboxing and in pushing hands, under rules based on WAKO's kickboxing rules. In semi contact the fight stops after each point. ¹⁰⁰
• Shaolin Temple UK says it first entered students in the BCCMA's national sanshou competition in 2003. ¹¹⁹
• Push hands, tui shou, has its own BCCMA championship. ^81,82

How age is counted

It differs. The WKFE counts taolu ages by year of birth but sanda ages by actual age on a fixed day; BCCMA light sanda uses either age on 1 January or age at registration, as each event decides; and the 2024 GB trials used year of birth. Check the rule before entering a child near an age boundary. ^51,82,84