Dae Ryun (Sparring)

Judge's Signals

Hand and flag signals used by center and corner judges.

Key takeaways

Only the center judge can call "Jung Ji" — a corner judge who sees a point or penalty shouts "Call" instead, prompting the center judge to stop the match.
Every judge, center or corner, has exactly one vote in every decision.
A warning is always resolved before a point is polled when a judge sees both at once.
Flags are optional for corner judges; when used, red points to the red competitor and blue points to the blue competitor.

Who controls the call

The center judge starts and ends every match and has complete control of the ring, moving anywhere in the contest area without becoming an obstacle to competitors. On seeing a point or penalty, the center judge calls Jung Ji, polls the other judges for a vote, and administers the resulting action.

Corner judges stay within their corner boundaries but can move around within that area to get a better look. If a corner judge sees a point or penalty, they shout "Call" — the center judge then stops the match by shouting Jung Ji, polls the judges, and administers the action. Only the center judge can use the command Jung Ji.

Every vote is equal

All judges — center or corner — have exactly one vote in every decision. If a judge sees a penalty for one competitor and a point for the other at the same moment, they must signal for the warning first; warning calls are always resolved before the center judge polls for any points. During a single stoppage, an individual judge can never award both a warning and a point.

Hand signals

Four hand signal photos in sequence: No point (arms out to the sides), Warning (hands crossed at the waist), Point (one arm extended, pointing), and No See (hands covering the eyes). — Hand signals: No point, Warning, Point, No See.

When the center judge polls for a penalty, a judge can only respond with one of two signals: a penalty against one of the individuals, or a no-point signal, meaning no penalty. During a warning call specifically, a judge who initially signaled "no see" keeps that vote — it stays out of the decision for that stoppage.

Flag signals

Four flag signal photos in sequence: No point (flags held out to the sides), Warning (flags lowered), Point (red flag raised and pointed), and No See (flags crossed in front of the face). — Flag signals: No point, Warning, Point, No See.

Corner judges may optionally use colored flags for dae ryun competition during a Championship — the center judge always uses standard hand signals, never flags. When flags are in use, judges hold them so the red flag points to the red competitor and the blue flag points to the blue competitor. Red or blue ribbons in each competitor's belt make it easy to tell them apart.

Keep point and warning signals visually distinct

Every point call must clearly result in a hand or flag signal pointing out at shoulder height, or it risks being confused with a warning signal. When signaling a point or warning, keep the opposite flag close to the body so it doesn't interfere with the call being made.