How Poomsae Is Scored: Accuracy, Presentation, Deductions and Tie-Breaks

Poomsae (patterns) is scored very differently from sparring. There are no points for techniques landing; instead a panel of judges starts each athlete from a fixed score and takes marks away for mistakes, then adds a separate mark for how well the form was presented. If you are a parent, a new coach or an organiser setting up a patterns division, this is the scoring system in plain English.

The two parts of a poomsae score

Accuracy (up to 4.0)

Every athlete starts with 4.0 for accuracy. Judges deduct for technical errors as the form is performed:

• Minor mistake: −0.1. A small error in a technique that is otherwise correct — a stance slightly too long or short, a hand position a little off, a kick at the wrong height, an imprecise chamber.
• Major mistake: −0.3. A clearly wrong movement — the wrong technique, the wrong stance, a missed or added movement, or a pause long enough that the form breaks down.

Accuracy deductions are cumulative, so a nervous performance with several small slips can lose more than one big mistake would.

Presentation (up to 6.0)

Presentation rewards the quality of the whole performance rather than individual movements. It is split into three areas, each marked out of 2.0:

• Speed and power — are techniques fast and strong at the right moments, with real intent behind them?
• Strength, speed and rhythm control — does the athlete vary tempo correctly, holding slow movements and snapping fast ones?
• Expression of energy — focus, eye line, breathing and the sense that the athlete is actually fighting imaginary opponents.

Presentation is where experienced judges separate two technically clean forms. At club level most athletes land between 3.5 and 4.5 here; elite athletes score higher.

How the panel's scores become one result

A poomsae panel normally has five or seven judges. Each gives an accuracy score and a presentation score. With seven judges, the highest and lowest totals are usually removed and the remaining five are averaged; with five judges, some events average all five and others still drop the extremes. The final score is normally shown to two decimal places, e.g. 7.46.

Always check the event's published rules: national associations and open competitions often simplify the system for colour belts — fewer judges, or a single overall mark.

A worked example

A blue-belt athlete performs Taegeuk 5. Across the form, one judge notes two minor errors (a short front stance, a high block finishing too low) and one major error (a missed kihap point treated as a missed movement):

• Accuracy: 4.0 − 0.1 − 0.1 − 0.3 = 3.5
• Presentation: 1.4 + 1.3 + 1.4 = 4.1
• That judge's total: 7.6

If the seven judges' totals were 7.9, 7.6, 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, 7.4 and 7.0, the 7.9 and 7.0 are dropped and the remaining five average to 7.50.

How ties are broken

When two athletes finish on the same score, WT-style rules generally look first at the higher presentation score, then at the total including the dropped high and low marks. If it is still level, the athletes perform again (often a different form chosen by the referee). Again, local events vary, so the tie-break order should be printed in the rules pack before the day.

Recognised, freestyle and team poomsae

• Recognised poomsae — the Taegeuk and Black Belt forms. Scored as above.
• Freestyle poomsae — choreographed to music. It uses a different, higher-scoring sheet that rewards acrobatic kicks, creativity and music harmony as well as technique.
• Pairs and team — scored the same way as individual recognised forms, with synchronisation affecting both accuracy and presentation.

ITF patterns (tul) use their own scoring sheets and terminology; see our WT vs ITF comparison.

What goes wrong when organisers score poomsae on paper

• Arithmetic errors. Dropping highs and lows and averaging five decimals by hand, under time pressure, is where most wrong podiums come from.
• Lost score sheets. Paper sheets go missing between ring and results table.
• Slow results. Parents wait while a table official recalculates every score.
• No audit trail. When a coach queries a result, nobody can show which judge gave what.

Tablet-based scoring removes all four: each judge enters marks on their own device, the system drops highs and lows, averages, ranks and applies the tie-break order instantly. See consensus scoring in taekwondo for how panel-based judging works in software.

Key takeaways

• Recognised poomsae is scored out of 10: accuracy (4.0) plus presentation (6.0).
• Minor mistakes cost 0.1; major mistakes cost 0.3, both from accuracy.
• Presentation covers speed and power, rhythm control and expression of energy.
• Panels drop the highest and lowest totals and average the rest.
• Ties usually go to the higher presentation score, then to a re-perform.

Frequently asked questions

How many points is poomsae scored out of?

Recognised poomsae under World Taekwondo rules is scored out of 10.0: up to 4.0 for accuracy and up to 6.0 for presentation.

How much is deducted for a mistake in poomsae?

Judges deduct 0.1 from the accuracy score for each minor mistake and 0.3 for each major mistake, such as a wrong or missing movement.

What is presentation in poomsae?

Presentation is marked out of 6.0 across three areas, each worth 2.0: speed and power, strength/speed/rhythm control, and expression of energy.

How are poomsae ties broken?

Most WT-style events give the win to the higher presentation score, then compare totals including the dropped marks, and finally ask the athletes to perform again.

Is ITF pattern scoring the same as WT poomsae?

No. ITF patterns (tul) use different scoring sheets and terminology. Always check the rules pack for the event you are entering.