I saw this posted by Master Voorhees on OEPlayers. Very interesting!
To see a picture of the new round ring, click here:http://english.donga.com/srv/service...h_dir=20070413
Text of the "article":
"Taekwondo, disregarded by bored Korean fans, will get a boost. On April 12, the first nationwide federation match in World Taekwondo Headquarters showed Taekwondo’s new rules. Instead of a 10x10 meter square, a round 100 square meter area was marked on the floor, on which players attack and defend. A newly adopted 15-second rule warns a passive player to do more. A face attack is 4 points, up 1 point from before, allowing players to win a come-from-behind victory with offensive play."
Thoughts? I'll note that the circle in the picture is clearly 10 meters in diameter, making the circle about 78.5 square meters in area. Not a 100 square meter circle as the web article suggests. The 21.5% reduction in the size of the competition area is significant. Currently there are about 5 meters from the center of the ring to the coaches chair and 7 meters to a corner judge. Now the edge of the ring is 5 meters in all directions. That should heat things up and give the referees a better view.
I understand that Chairman Kim had the referee development camp in COS try putting the judges on the sides of the ring rather than the corners. In general the referees felt they had a better view of the ~14 meter diagonals in the ring that go from corner to corner. Players spend a lot of time fighting along those diagonals, making it hard for the judges to see. Going to a circular ring should have a similar positive effect for the judges.
Crossing the boundary line may become more of an issue with a smaller Competition Area, although it should be easier for a competitor at the edge of the ring to move sideways out of the "corner".
Seems like there could be some extra expense relating to mats, since they would be less versatile if it was necessary to lay them in a specific configuration in order to display the circle. More setup time too.
I think the 15 second "shot clock" idea is worth consideration, although it could lead to a lot of checking with a half-hearted kick to reset the clock. How would the clock be maintained? Computer operator?
3 points to the head plus 1 for the 8-count would make it possible to stage a come from behind victory. It may widen the training gap between the no head contact/junior rules and adult rules, however.
Can you clarify what you ment about the corner being even further from the judges when the judges are on the sides of a square rather than the corners?
It would seem that you'd have decent visibility into the two corners on either side of you. The players can't really block your view without going out of bounds. The opposite two corners are still pretty far away, but neither is as far or as hard to see as being on the opposite end of the ring's diagonal. In the corner you are about 14 meters from the opposite corner. From a sideline the distance would be 11 or 12 to the opposite corners and about 5 to the corners on either side. On average it would seem like a better setup. By that logic the coaches would probably have a less favorable view, since they would presumably need to sit on the back corners, where judges 2 and 3 are now.