Judges decide most amateur bouts and many professional ones. Yet judging is often treated as an afterthought, handed to whoever is available. At KBN events, judges score in the referee app, and their scores appear live. That transparency makes good judging more important than ever.
The job in one sentence
Score each round independently, based only on what happened in that round, using the criteria of the discipline, without being influenced by the crowd, the corner, reputations or previous rounds.
The 10-point must system
Most combat sports use it: the winner of each round gets 10 points and the loser 9 or fewer.
| Score | Typical meaning |
|---|---|
| 10-9 | Close or clear round won |
| 10-8 | Dominant round, often with a knockdown or overwhelming control |
| 10-7 | Extremely dominant round, often multiple knockdowns |
| 10-10 | Genuinely even round (used sparingly in many rulesets) |
Ten-point must: how KBN judges score a round →
Criteria by discipline
- Kickboxing: clean, effective strikes to legal targets, knockdowns, technique and ring control.
- Muay Thai: effective, damaging techniques including knees, elbows and clinch work, balance and composure; traditional scoring has its own emphasis.
- Boxing: clean punches, effective aggression, defence and ring generalship.
- MMA: effective striking and grappling first (impact, damage, near-finishes), then effective aggressiveness, then control of the fighting area.
Learn your discipline's official criteria word for word.
How to practise
- Score full bouts on video, round by round, then compare with official scorecards and experienced judges.
- Discuss disagreements with mentors: the reasoning matters more than the number.
- Score without commentary, which influences you.
- Track your consistency over many bouts.
Bias to watch for
- Crowd noise and home-town reactions.
- Reputation: favouring the better-known fighter.
- Recency: letting the last 20 seconds decide the round.
- Carry-over: scoring a round based on the previous round.
- Activity bias: rewarding volume over effectiveness.
Scoring in the KBN app
At KBN events judges score on a pad with buttons for 10-9, 9-10, 10-8, 8-10, 10-10 and 10-7, plus knockdown and foul counters for each corner, then submit the round. Scores sync to the server and appear on the live centre within seconds. If the device is offline, rounds are queued with a unique ID and synced later; the server stores each round once, so there are no duplicates.
Using the referee app offline →
Becoming certified
Contact your national branch or federation about judging courses. Expect a written exam on rules and criteria and a practical scoring test. Start at amateur events and build experience with assessments.
A practice routine
- Choose ten bouts in your discipline with published official scorecards.
- Score each round silently and write one sentence explaining your score.
- Compare with the official cards; note where you differ.
- Discuss the differences with an experienced judge.
- Repeat monthly, tracking how often you match the majority of officials.
Independence
Judges must not discuss scores with each other, corners or promoters during an event, and should declare any connection to a fighter. Attempting to influence an officiating decision is prohibited conduct under the Code of Conduct.
Myths and facts
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| Judges score the whole fight | Each round is scored separately |
| More strikes means a won round | Effective strikes matter, not attempts |
| 10-10 is a safe choice | It should be rare and used only for genuinely even rounds |
| Live scores are the final decision | The official result is entered at the end and verified |
Seating and what judges can see
Judges usually sit on different sides of the ring or cage so that together they see the whole bout. Each judge may see some exchanges better than others; that is why independent scores from different angles are combined. Judges should score what they saw, not what they think others saw.
Keeping records
Keep your own notes on each bout you judge: round scores and one line of reasoning. They help you review your consistency and answer questions if a result is queried.
Frequently asked questions
QCan judges talk to each other during a bout?
No. Each judge scores independently.
QDo live scores decide the ranking?
No. The final result creates pending bouts that administrators verify before they count.
QHow often should 10-10 rounds be given?
Rarely in most rulesets. Follow your discipline's guidance; many ask judges to find a winner whenever possible.
QWhat if I realise I made a mistake after submitting?
Tell the officiating supervisor. Corrections are handled by administrators and recorded in the audit log.
Figures in this article are computed from the KBN register at the time of reading. View, like and share counters on this demo site are sample values.