ICMAC Mission Statement
Our mission is to transcend political boundaries and advance Chinese Martial Arts through a network of championships scheduled for a number of major cities in North America and in several countries around the world. "Friendship through Martial Arts®" will be our guiding motto.
Our goal is to elevate the standards of competition, from the selection of venues to the smallest details of the daily competition.
We want to work at improving judging standards by implementing guidelines that promote objective and not subjective judging. Every tournament will offer judges' training courses, and special seminars to provide additional training.
We are promoting a National Rating System that awards points based on placement in the competition. National Champions will be recognized at the closing of the season in October at our tournament in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
The ICMAC World Championship will be held each December in the Bahamas.
Inside Kung-Fu Magazine publishes monthly updates and features regarding upcoming events. In addition, competition results and point standings will be regularly posted in the magazine.
We encourage all Chinese Martial Arts enthusiasts to join us in these championships. We look forward to your participation and appreciate your support.
Nick Scrima
ICMAC President
The Evolution of Kung Fu Tournaments
To better understand the full scope of the ICMAC it is worthwhile to briefly look at the evolution of Kung Fu tournaments.
Karate type tournaments developed in the late 1960s and flourished during the following two decades. Kung Fu stylists who wanted to participate in tournaments had no choice but to compete in the Open Karate Circuit.
Chinese Martial Arts (CMA) competitors were judged by Karate officials according to their view of what constituted a good form and sound technique. This created a system that was governed by subjective and not objective standards. Typically, Kung Fu stylists competed along with their Karate counterparts. Larger tournaments often offered a soft-style category for advanced practitioners (Black Belts).
The label “Soft Style” is still widely used in the Open Karate Tournaments to refer to Chinese Martial Arts even though many Kung Fu systems employ hard power sufficient to match any Karate style.
It was not until the 1980s that a few visionaries pioneered tournament competition for Chinese Martial Arts practitioners.
Over the last 20 years the number of Kung Fu tournaments has increased considerably. Nevertheless, Karate type tournaments have grown more expeditiously to include events that boast 1500 to 2500 competitors. Most CMA events fall short of that mark; some events run only once and others are inconsistent.
Considering the multitude of Kung Fu schools spread across North America and the rest of the world, there is no reason not to be able to host Kung Fu tournaments that are on a par with prestigious Karate events such as the U.S. Open, the U.S. Capital Classic, the Battle of Atlanta, and the Diamond Nationals. The only CMA event to approach this level consistently over the years has been the International Chinese Martial Arts Championship in Orlando, Florida.
The ICMAC: Taking Kung Fu tournaments to a new level
World class venues, quality awards, objective officiating, high level competition, increased participation, live streaming of competition, and standardized rules are the ICMAC's goals for elevating all aspects of Kung Fu tournaments.
Venues and tournament rankings
ICMAC assigns every Kung Fu tournament that is part of its circuit a ranking: This ranking is based on several determining factors including the quality of the venue, the number of competition days, and the experience of the promoter, among others.
The selection of venues in most cases is the major factor for assigning a high rating. Ideally, the tournament venue should include in its property comfortable lodging, a ballroom or convention space for the competition, a number of restaurants and other key necessities that are required in hosting a large scale event.
The experience and organizational skills of the promoter are also important factors in determining a rating, as is the number of days allotted for the competition.
The ICMAC tournament ratings are as follows:
- 5 Star Rated Kung Fu tournaments
- 4 Star Rated Kung Fu tournaments
- 3 Star Rated Kung Fu tournaments
The 5 Star Rated Kung Fu tournaments are the most prestigious and award the most points to the athletes; these are often International Championships or qualifiers for World Titles.
The 4 Star Rated Kung Fu tournaments are regional events that typically are one- or two-day events. These tournaments provide an opportunity for athletes who place in the Top 10 to amass points that can be used to improve their national standing.
The 3 Star Rated Kung Fu tournaments are small, local events that provide newcomers, both judges and athletes, with an opportunity to season their skills and gain experience. Athletes can still accumulate points to advance their national standing.
National Circuit
5 Star Rated Tournaments
| 1st Place: |
300 Points |
| 2nd Place: |
250 Points |
| 3rd Place: |
200 Points |
| 4th Place: |
175 Points |
| 5th Place: |
150 Points |
| 6th Place: |
130 Points |
| 7th Place: |
110 Points |
| 8th Place: |
90 Points |
| 9th Place: |
70 Points |
| 10th Place: |
50 Points |
All competitors will automatically be awarded 25 points for entering a division.
4 Star Rated Tournaments
| 1st Place: |
200 Points |
| 2nd Place: |
150 Points |
| 3rd Place: |
100 Points |
| 4th Place: |
80 Points |
| 5th Place: |
70 Points |
| 6th Place: |
60 Points |
| 7th Place: |
50 Points |
| 8th Place: |
40 Points |
| 9th Place: |
30 Points |
| 10th Place: |
20 Points |
All competitors will automatically receive 10 points for entering a division.
3 Star Rated Tournaments
| 1st Place: |
100 Points |
| 2nd Place: |
75 Points |
| 3rd Place: |
50 Points |
| 4th Place: |
40 Points |
| 5th Place: |
35 Points |
| 6th Place: |
30 Points |
| 7th Place: |
25 Points |
| 8th Place: |
20 Points |
| 9th Place: |
15 Points |
| 10th Place: |
10 Points |
All competitors will receive 5 point for entering a division.
Although National ratings and placements will be published on this site and in Inside Kung-Fu Magazine, to qualify for National Championship Titles for the 2009 season competitors must enter at least two of the three 5 Star Rated tournaments. However, competitors can still qualify for the Top 10 Rating by entering any one tournament, assuming their accumulated points warrant a placement.
Only advanced competitors can qualify for National Titles but all divisions, from Novice to Advanced, can qualify for a Top 10 Rating.
Only competitors who are U.S. Citizens or are in possession of a Permanent Resident Card can qualify to be ranked in the Top 10 or for National Titles.
Foreign competitors are welcome to participate in the National Circuit championships. While they can receive medals for their accomplishments, they will not receive consideration for National Titles or Top 10 Rating.
International Circuit
While our immediate objective is to expand the National Circuit, we are moving forward with establishing tournaments in other countries. We are finalizing plans for several International tournaments for the 2010 competition season. Each year the circuit will close in December with our premier International event: the ICMAC World Championship in the Bahamas.
The International Circuit features only 5 Star Rated championships where athletes from other countries can earn points to qualify for the World Championship. Other tournaments can be sanctioned with ICMAC and can be used for athletes and judges to sharpen their skills.
In order for athletes to qualify to compete at the World Championship they must have competed in at least in one 5 Star Rated tournament and have placed in the Top 10 in the advanced divisions.
The World Championship in the Bahamas is open to all competitors; however, only advanced competitors who have previously placed among the Top 10 at a 5 Star Rated tournament qualify to compete for World Titles.
Note: Athletes can only compete for World Championship Titles in those events for which they have already placed in the Top 10. This requirement raises the standards of competition and the skill level of the athletes.
5 Star Rated Tournaments
| 1st Place: |
300 Points |
| 2nd Place: |
250 Points |
| 3rd Place: |
200 Points |
| 4th Place: |
175 Points |
| 5th Place: |
150 Points |
| 6th Place: |
130 Points |
| 7th Place: |
110 Points |
| 8th Place: |
90 Points |
| 9th Place: |
70 Points |
| 10th Place: |
50 Points |
The names of the World Champions and the names of the athletes who place among the World Top 10 will be posted on this website and published in various Chinese Martial Arts magazines around the world.
Kung Fu competition and styles overview
One of our goals is to provide a Kung Fu tournament circuit that offers a competition platform for all major Kung Fu styles. To fulfill this task, our Chinese Kung Fu tournaments offer a great number of divisions for various age groups and skill levels.
Although the number of divisions will differ between 5 Star Rated, 4 Star Rated, and 3 Star Rated Kung Fu tournaments, competitors from the disciplines listed on this page will find an event that is appropriate for them.
Among the major categories featured are: Traditional Northern Kung Fu styles, Traditional Southern Kung Fu styles, Contemporary Wushu, and Internal Chinese Martial Arts styles. Each of these categories includes numerous events so that the maximum number of Kung Fu/Wushu styles can be featured.
The division sheets for each Kung Fu championship will offer a detailed breakdown of the categories. We are providing here a general overview of the different styles and divisions available for competition.
Traditional Northern Kung Fu Styles
Long Fist Category includes:
Cha Quan, Hua Quan, Hong Quan, Pao Quan, Tan Tui and other systems that contain long-range movements, jumping and kicking techniques from the Northern Shaolin school.
Other Northern Kung Fu Styles include:
Tong Bei, Fan Zi, Pi Gua, Chuo Jiao and similar systems that are from the Northern school but which have certain characteristics that distinguish them from the Long Fist styles.
Northern Open Kung Fu styles:
Systems that incorporate acrobatic, tumbling and falling techniques—such as Monkey Kung Fu, Drunken Kung Fu, and Di Tang—are included in this category.
Depending on the championship, special divisions may be available for Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, and Baji.
Traditional Southern Kung Fu Styles
Southern Long Hand styles:
Hung Gar Kung Fu (Hong Jia), Lau Gar Kung Fu (Liu Jia), Choi Li Fut Kung Fu (Cai Li Fo), Jow Gar Kung Fu, and other similar systems that employ strong low stances, long-range strikes and strong bridging techniques fall into this category.*
* Wherever possible, the Pinyin spelling for each style is provided.
Southern Short Hand styles:
Systems that employ a close-in stance and close-in fighting techniques such as White Eyebrow, Dragon Style, Five Family Style, Wing Chun, Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu and other similar styles are included in this category.
Internal Competition Styles
Styles such as Taiji (Tai Chi), Xing Yi, Bagua, and Liuhe Bafa belong in the Internal styles category.
Taiji has evolved into several different schools and includes the following major styles: Chen Taiji, Yang Taiji, Wu Taiji, Hao Taiji and Sun Taiji.
Contemporary or Modern Wushu
Contemporary Long Fist Wushu, commonly known as Chang Quan, is mostly based on the traditional Cha Quan and Hua Quan styles along with elements from other Traditional Long Fist Kung Fu systems.
Nan Quan refers to Southern style contemporary Wushu routines that are also based on the Traditional Southern systems, such as the Hong, Liu Quan, Li Quan, Mo and other styles.
Animal imitation routines, Drunken and Di Tang (falling and tumbling styles) are also found in the Contemporary Wushu repertoire.
Chinese Kenpo
Text coming soon.
Weapon Routines
The numerous weapons divisions in both traditional Kung Fu and contemporary Wushu include long, short, flexible, and open weapons categories.
Long weapons: Staff and spear
Short weapons: Sword and saber
Flexible weapons: Three-sectional staff, rope dart, and chain whip
Open weapons: Any weapon not classified in the above categories
Reaction Skills Competitions
Reaction skills events involve two competitors who engage in a match. Each of the different reaction skills is governed by certain rules, as follows:
Tui Shou or Push Hands:
Tui Shou is a distinctive reaction skill common to Tai Chi tournaments. It is offered in all of the Chinese Martial Arts Championship Worldwide Circuit competitions. We feature Fixed Step Push Hands, Restricted Step Push Hands and Moving Step Push Hands.
Light Contact Continuous Sparring:
Continuous light contact Sanda permits flowing action; the match is not stopped every time someone scores a point. This allows for a flurry of techniques to be exchanged between opponents.
Chi Sao:
Chi Sao incorporates sticking, redirecting and striking techniques. This is one of the key training aspects of Wing Chun Kung Fu. But competitors from other disciplines may enter this category to develop and sharpen their sensativity and sticking skills.
Shuai Jiao:
Commonly known as Chinese wrestling, this is a dynamic art that uses many throwing techniques.
Sanda:
Sanda is unique to Chinese martial arts. It is an exciting full contact sport that features kicking, striking, and throwing techniques. All Sanda (Full Contact Fights) hosted by ICMAC will be sanctioned with ISKA.
Sword Sparring:
This sparring event allows competitors to display the skills of Chinese swordsmanship.
