Improve your chances to be a champion karate competitor by knowing the rules better than your opponent--and even the officials. Make all your hard work pay off as you make use of the hundreds of rules in both kumite and kata competition, and in both individual and team events. Did you know you can challenge the match area if you think it doesn't meet safety standards? Or that a competitor can be disqualified for wearing a bandage, or the wrong kind of protective gear, or having nails that are too long? Dozens of action photos and technical drawings help explain referees' and judges' terms and signals, with illustrations of each command. Prohibited acts and penalized behavior are fully covered, including offenses by your manager or your supporters that can cost you a match. The subjective area of "fighting spirit" receives a special discussion, with explanations of how to be sure you are awarded a full point when you deliver a strike with decisiveness and focused power to a recognized target area. Other essential topics include standards regarding attitude, etiquette, and convention, as well as the rules regarding injuries and accidents, protests and disqualifications.