7 Scoring Tips for Taekwondo Sparring

Olympic Gold Medalist Kuk Hyun Chung and co-author Kyung Myung Lee share these scoring tips in Taekwondo Kyorugi: Olympic Style Sparring:

1. Counterattacking has a better chance of scoring than attacking for advanced competitors.
   
2. Beginning and intermediate competitors are most likely to score with single direct attacks.
   
3. In a close match, an attacking fighter is more likely to win that a counterattacking fighter unless the counterattacker can score a knockout.
   
4. The most frequently used attacks are roundhouse kick, back kick and axe kick.
5. Successful competitors can effectively counter these kicks.
   
6. The side kick and front kick are rarely used in competition any more and are highly unlikely to score points.
   
7. The roundhouse kick is the preferred kick for scoring, followed by the back kick and axe kick.