Karate Lei Tai: French federation launches a discipline with throws

The French Karate Federation (FFK) unveiled a new competition discipline on 6 November: Karate Lei Tai. Its sporting rules were approved by the federal board on 22 October. The format combines the punches and kicks of contact karate with grips, sweeps and throws, but stops where the ground begins: after a throw, the bout restarts standing.

Between karate contact and karate mix

The FFK already runs three full-contact formats. Karate contact and karate full contact are stand-up striking only, while karate mix adds ground phases. Lei Tai sits between the two: an exchange can move from a striking combination into a throw, but no submissions and no groundwork are allowed. The name refers to the lei tai, the raised platform of tournaments in ancient China, on which sanda bouts are still fought today; the FFK also governs sanda in France.

Knockouts are allowed under the conditions set out in the federal rules. Bouts are best of three rounds, with one minute of rest between rounds. Rounds last 1 minute 30 for under-14s and under-16s, and 2 minutes for juniors and seniors. Mandatory protective gear, permitted techniques and refereeing are detailed in the rulebook published on the federation's website.

A French Cup to start

The first competition in this format is a French Cup, scheduled for Saturday 21 November at the Lucien-Martinel gymnasium in Fontainebleau, south-east of Paris. It is open to competitors from under-14 to senior. The federation sees it as a trial run: competitors get to test the format in real conditions, and clubs, coaches and referees come to watch. Entries go through the FFK's competition platform. The same weekend, the same gym hosts the French Cup of light sanda.

What it means for clubs

With Lei Tai, the FFK continues to widen its combat offering, a process that began with karate mix, in order to keep members drawn to MMA or kickboxing from leaving the federation. For a karateka used to kumite, the format means learning to strike with power and to defend against grips, two areas absent from traditional competition. The results in Fontainebleau will show whether it earns a lasting place on the federal calendar alongside the French Cups of karate contact and semi-contact, due on 14 and 15 November in Villebon-sur-Yvette.