Judo rules guide
Hansoku-make
Hansoku-make (反則負け) is the judo term for disqualification. It ends a match immediately, awarding the opponent an ippon-equivalent result. But not all hansoku-make are the same — the type determines whether the athlete loses only that match or is removed from the entire tournament. Understanding the distinction matters for organisers, table officials, and athletes alike.
Two types of hansoku-make
The key distinction every organiser and table official must understand is whether a hansoku-make applies only to the current match or to the entire tournament.
Accumulated shidos
A shido (指導) is a minor penalty awarded for passivity, minor infringements, or avoiding combat. Shidos do not directly score for the opponent but accumulate within the match. When an athlete accumulates a set number of shidos in the same match, they receive a hansoku-make and lose the match.
Shidos from one match do not carry over to the next match. Each match starts with a clean slate. Only the match-level hansoku-make (loss of that match) results from accumulated shidos — not tournament disqualification.
During the match, the opponent's score does not increase when a shido is given — the shido is shown on the scoreboard as a penalty mark against the athlete who received it. At the end of time, if the match is otherwise level, the athlete with fewer shidos wins. If shidos are equal and scores are equal, golden score (sudden-death overtime) decides the match.
Direct hansoku-make
Some violations result in an immediate hansoku-make without requiring prior shidos. These are typically dangerous techniques or actions that the IJF considers unacceptable regardless of intent.
Common categories of direct hansoku-make violations include:
- Techniques that bend or twist the spine, neck, or joints in a dangerous direction.
- Grabbing or blocking below the belt (forbidden in IJF rules since 2010).
- Intentionally throwing the opponent directly on their head or neck.
- Actions clearly intended to injure the opponent.
- Repeated or flagrant disregard of the referee's instructions.
Whether a direct hansoku-make results in match disqualification only or full tournament disqualification is at the referee's and jury's discretion, based on the severity and intent of the violation. The IJF rules define which actions are match-level and which are tournament-level, and the referee or mat jury applies this judgement in the moment.
How hansoku-make affects results and brackets
For table officials and bracket managers, hansoku-make is recorded as a win by ippon for the opponent. The winning method — hansoku-make — should be noted in the results, but the outcome in the bracket is identical to an ippon win.
In pool/round robin events, the score value of a hansoku-make win is treated as a maximum-value win (equivalent to ippon = 100 points in the sum of match scores tiebreaker). The time recorded is typically the time at which the hansoku-make was given.
For a tournament hansoku-make, the athlete's remaining scheduled matches are cancelled. In single-elimination, any opponents who would have faced the disqualified athlete advance without competing (a walkover). In round robin pools, the already-played results remain; unplayed matches against the disqualified athlete may be awarded as walkovers or removed from the pool standings depending on the competition rules — always clarify this with your federation before the event.
Disqualification in other combat sports
Most combat sports have an equivalent to hansoku-make, though the terminology, thresholds, and match-versus-tournament consequences differ. The following comparisons cover only details we are confident about — check each sport's current rulebook for authoritative information.