British Taekwondo Poomsae Referees

We will be running a National Poomsae Referee course in London on Sunday 4th June. The course is open to new referees and existing referees for refresher and promotion.

Please click here to sign up 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-taekwondo-national-poomsae-referee-course-tickets-592522469657

We are thrilled to announce that Master Bilal has been appointed as Operations Manager for the Poomsae Referee Department.

Master Bilal says ‘I’m delighted to have been appointed as Operations Manager, joining the Poomsae Referee Department. I look forward to working with everyone and in developing our Poomsae National Referee program’.

Many congratulations to Master Bilal!

Our next Poomsae Referee Course will be on Sunday 21st May 2023 in Birmingham. The course will run 9am-6pm, and is open to new and existing referees.

You can register for the course here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-taekwondo-national-poomsae-referee-course-tickets-552637482587

Last weekend we ran our first physical courses of 2023 in Loughton and Carronshore. The course saw new referees, as well as refresher and promotion for existing referees. Thank you to Master Glen and Grandmaster David for tutoring the courses.

We’re planning for our next courses, and look forward to sharing the details with you soon.

We have had a cancellation for this coming Sunday's All Classes Poomsae Referee Course in Loughton, this means we have one space available. If you would like to sign up please visit

All Classes British Taekwondo National Poomsae Referee Course All Classes British Taekwondo Poomsae National Referee Course

Congratulations to our new IRs!

Three new International Poomsae Referees.

Three British Taekwondo members have newly qualified as International Poomsae Referees.

Congratulations to Gerry Reilly, Carolina Barros Clark, and Kambiz R. Ali for successfully passing the International Poomsae Referee course in Paris.

The three highly renowned British Taekwondo Poomsae referees recently attended the course, led GM Mustapha Moutarazak and Professor Kwak Taek-Yong. The course included two days of technical training at the end of October, followed by a three day detailed seminar and assessment from the 31st October to 2nd November 2022.

Find out more on our website at https://www.britishtaekwondo.org.uk/three-new-international-poomsae-referees/

On 22nd January 2023 the department will be running 2 Poomsae Referee courses in Loughton and Carronshore. The courses are open to new and existing referees, including referees looking for promotion.

We are also running a virtual Freestyle Poomsae Referee course on Sunday 8th January.

For more details and to sign up, please click here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-taekwondo-poomsae-referees-department-31254123055

Master Glen Culbert has decided to step down as British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Director to allow more time for family, job and other Taekwondo activity.

We would like to thank Master Culbert for his outstanding contribution. Over the last two and half years he has led the development and delivery of our new courses, restructuring of our development pathway, new policies and procedures as well as leading from the front as an active referee domestically and internationally, including at the 2022 World Championships, and as Chief Referee for the largest ever National Championships earlier this month.

However, he isn't going too far and we are pleased to confirm that he will remain as a tutor, member of our panel of chief referees and as an active part of our International Referee community.

We will soon be advertising for a new Referee Director to join the Poomsae Referee Department as well as seeking applications for our open vacancy for an Operations Manager. Watch this space.

British Taekwondo Freestyle Poomsae Referee Course

Sunday 8th January 2023 🗓

Open to Poomsae Referees Class 3 and above.

The course will run 10am - 1pm virtually.

Sign up here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poomsae-referee-national-freestyle-qualification-tickets-454930237587

For further details please contact the British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department.

British Taekwondo National Poomsae Referee Course

Date: Sunday 27th November 2022
Venue: Aghalee Village Hall 6 Lurgan Rd, Aghalee, Craigavon BT67 0DD, Northern Ireland.

👉 Class 3 Qualification (New referees)
👉 Class 3 Refresher Course
👉 Class 2 Promotion Qualification
👉 Class 2 Refresher Course
👉 Class 1 Promotion Qualification
👉 Class 1 Refresher Course

Course schedule 9:30am - 6pm Theory, Practical & Physical

Sign up via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/all-classes-british-taekwondo-national-poomsae-referee-course-tickets-447471919557

Closing date: 18th November 2022

For further details contact the British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department.

On Sunday 16th October, the Poomsae Referee Department will be hosting a virtual Para Poomsae course. The course is open to Class 2 Referees and above. Please sign up via Eventbrite here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poomsae-referee-national-para-qualification-and-refresher-course-tickets-389790392557

Registration is open for the next Poomsae Referee course in Basingstoke on Sunday 7th August. Find out more and register for the events via the British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department’s Eventbrite page at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-taekwondo-poomsae-referees-department-31254123055

Registration is open for the Poomsae Referee course on Sunday 7th August in Basingstoke. The course is open to existing referees and new referees looking to qualify.

To find out more and register please click here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-taekwondo-poomsae-referees-department-31254123055

Registrations are now open for Poomsae Referee courses in Griffithstown, Wales and Basingstoke, South England!

Courses are open to new and existing Poomsae referees.

For more information and to register please click here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-taekwondo-poomsae-referees-department-31254123055

After 2 days of referee training Master Culbert and Master Duffy are representing Great Britain & Northern Ireland as referees at the 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae championships in Go-Yang, South Korea. They joined top referees from all round the world in judging at theses prestige championships. A fantastic achievement for Master Culbert and Master Duffy, congratulations.

The Poomsae Referee Department will be hosting an Online Freestyle Poomsae Referee course from 10am to 1pm on Sunday 10th April.

The course will cover Freestyle Poomsae Rules, with scoring practice. Entry to the event is £15. To sign up visit the Poomsae Referee Department Eventbrite Page at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poomsae-referee-national-freestyle-qualification-tickets-261016656847

On Sunday, British Taekwondo Poomsae Referees referred at the Harrogate KTA 6th Mayor Cup Open. Thank you to all Referees who supported the competition, and K.R.Ali Taekwondo Academy for running a great event.

There’s still time to sign up for the Poomsae Referee courses next Sunday in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland! Register now to confirm your place 📲

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our first in person courses on Sunday 20th March!

On Sunday 20th March we will run 3 Class 3 Poomsae Referee courses around the UK in Carronshore, Scotland; Craigavon, Northern Ireland; and Manchester, England.

The courses are open to those looking to qualify as a Class 3 Poomsae Referee, as well as a refresher course for existing referees.

For more information and to sign up please click here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-taekwondo-poomsae-referees-department-31254123055

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our first in person courses on Sunday 20th March!

On Sunday 20th March we will run 3 Class 3 Poomsae Referee courses around the UK in Carronshore, Scotland; Craigavon, Northern Ireland; and Manchester, England.

The courses are open to those looking to qualify as a Class 3 Poomsae Referee, as well as a refresher course for existing referees.

For more information and to sign up please click here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-taekwondo-poomsae-referees-department-31254123055

There’s still time to register to for the Freestyle Poomsae course next weekend! Click here to sign up 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poomsae-referee-national-freestyle-qualification-tickets-261016656847?aff=esfb&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=fb&utm-term=checkoutwidget

Our first course of 2022 is the National Freestyle Poomsae Referee course on Sunday 20th February 10am-1pm. The course will be held virtually covering the Freestyle Poomsae rules with scoring practice.

The course is open to all Class 3 and above Poomsae Referees and is a great opportunity to refresh on Freestyle Poomsae rules before the 2022 competitions.

To sign up please click here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poomsae-referee-national-freestyle-qualification-tickets-261016656847?aff=esfb&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=fb&utm-term=checkoutwidget

Our first course of 2022 is the National Freestyle Poomsae Referee course on Sunday 20th February 10am-1pm. The course will be held virtually covering the Freestyle Poomsae rules with scoring practice.

The course is open to all Class 3 and above Poomsae Referees and is a great opportunity to refresh on Freestyle Poomsae rules before the 2022 competitions.

To sign up please click here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poomsae-referee-national-freestyle-qualification-tickets-261016656847?aff=esfb&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=fb&utm-term=checkoutwidget

Congratulations to Poomsae Referee Director, Master Glen Culbert on promotion to Class 1 International Referee! A fantastic achievement for Master Glen, recognising his excellent knowledge and contribution to Poomsae Refereeing. Well done Master Glen! 🎉

Over the last 18 months, the Poomsae Referee Department has developed a programme of online training courses which has allowed us to continue to develop the referee community. We are now preparing to return to running some of the courses ‘live’.

To enable us to do this effectively across the whole of the UK, we have recruited a small team of tutors from our experienced group of International Referees, each brings a wealth of refereeing knowledge and experience in tutoring and education delivery.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Grandmaster David Bailey, Master Damian Duffy and Master Bilal Naqshbandi as our first tutors.

We will be looking to expand the team further in the future.

Following their appointment, our new tutors attended a ‘train the training’ event with the department at the National Taekwondo Centre in Manchester on the 13 November led by British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Director, Master Glen Culbert. This provided an opportunity to review the course material, delivery methodology and our approach to ensuring consistency in assessment.

This has placed us in a great place to roll out our hybrid course programme for 2022.

Some courses will remain online but we will be resuming physical courses with Class 3 New Referee and Refresher Courses in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland on the weekend of the 19th/20th March.

More details to come soon!

Last weekend, British Taekwondo Poomsae Referees refereed at the Bluewave Open Poomsae Championships. The Bluewave Open Poomsae Championships marked a pivotal moment for the return to competition, seeing the first Poomsae competition since March 2020.

It was great to see Referees back together after a long time apart. Thank you to all of the Poomsae Referees, and thank you to Bluewave Korean Martial Arts for the hosting a great Championships.

Today the British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department hosted an Online Poomsae Referee Refresher course. The course led by Master Glen, Referee Director, refreshed referees on Recognised Poomsae rules supported by video analysis and scoring practice.

The course provided a great refresher ready for the return to competition next month. We look forward to meeting again in person very soon!

Today the British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department hosted a Freestyle Poomsae Referee Course. Master Glen, Poomsae Referee Director, taught Referees the Freestyle Poomsae Rules supported by video analysis and scoring practice.

The Poomsae Referee Department are taking a short break for courses and look forward to a series of courses in the Autumn, with hope that some courses will be held physically.

The British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department are hosting a Freestyle Poomsae Referee Course on 20th June 2021 10am-1pm. The course will take Referees through the Freestyle Poomsae rules in detail, complimented by video analysis. The course will be led by Master Glen Culbert, Poomsae Referee Director.

The course is open to Class 3 and above Poomsae Referees, holders of 1st Dan Kukkiwon and those aged 18+. The course will be held virtually and is a pre-requisite for the Class 2 Poomsae Referee Fast Track qualification.

To sign up for the Freestyle Poomsae Refereeing Course, please click the following link - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poomsae-referee-national-freestyle-qualification-tickets-156516704677?aff

Poomsae Referee National Freestyle Qualification National Freestyle Qualification for existing British Taekwondo Class 3 Referees

The British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department held a Class 1 Poomsae Referee Course on the 23rd May 2021. Congratulations to the five newly promoted Class 1 Poomsae Referees.

Bethany Johnson
Gillian Waite
Hyeong-Seon Turner
Kamrul Bari
Abdullah Safi

The next Poomsae Referee course is the National Freestyle Qualification on Sunday 20th June 2021. You can sign up via the British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department Eventbrite.

Over the last week, the Poomsae Referee Department has been working with the Poomsae Performance Department to run a ranking competition and selection event for the World Taekwondo Challenge. 80 members of the National Poomsae Squad, covering divisions from Under 11 to Over 66, have participated in the online events. The department deployed 31 referees, ranging from newly qualified National Class 3 referees to highly experienced International Referees, scoring videos of the squad's performance performances under full World Taekwondo rules to provide a rigorous ranking event. For many of our referees this has been their first chance to referee for over a year. The event was overseen by Master Glen Culbert as Referee Director and Master Gerry Reilly as Technical Co-ordinator.

Feedback has been great and shows our referee's having been missing this!

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, Glen Sir and the entire team for organising such a great event to benefit from and gain great experience. It was an amazing 1st step towards my judging journey and I m so grateful to you all." - RH, new Class 3 Referee

"This ranking event has been great fun, and it was great to get back into some judging and gaining some experience of online refereeing, thank you for organising the opportunity!" - GW, Class 2 Referee

Today the Poomsae Referee Department hosted a Class 1 Poomsae Referee course. The department were joined by 8 Poomsae Referees, partaking in Class 1 promotion and refresher. The course led my Master Glen, Poomsae Referee Director, covered Recognised Poomsae rules and Freestyle Poomsae rules, complimented with extensive video analysis. The department are developing plans for further courses in 2021, keep an eye out for details coming soon!

Today the Poomsae Referee Department hosted a Class 2 Poomsae Referee course. Master Glen, Poomsae Referee Director, taught Poomsae Referees Recognised Poomsae and Freestyle Poomsae rules with video analysis and scoring practice.

Next Sunday the Poomsae Referee Department are hosting an Introduction to Poomsae Refereeing and Rules course. There’s still time to sign up, registration can be done via the Poomsae Referee Department Eventbrite.

Happy 60th Birthday to Master Gerry Reilly, British Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Department Chair! 🎂

2nd WTE Online Poomsae & Freestyle Workshop 2021 (European residents only).
Registration is now availiable at the following link:

https://bit.ly/32fjU0J

The Poomsae Referee Department are hosting an introduction webinar into Poomsae Competition Rules and Refereeing on 25th April 2021 10am-12pm. The presentation will be led by Master Glen Culbert, Referee Director Poomsae Referee Department.

The webinar will cover the key elements of refereeing and scoring to share with British Taekwondo Coaches, Competitors and Parents of Junior Competitors. The webinar gives time for Q&A with the Poomsae Referee Department.

The webinar is an information event, with no examination. For £10, the webinar is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about Poomsae Competition Rules. To sign up, please follow the link - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-poomsae-competition-rules-and-refereeing-tickets-144465511233.

Today the Poomsae Referee Department hosted a virtual Class 3 Poomsae Referee course. Master Glen taught referees the qualities of referees, duties of referees, competition rules and scoring criteria. The course was complimented with video analysis and scoring practice. We were joined by 54 Poomsae Referees, with 48 new Poomsae Referees and 6 Class 3 Poomsae Referee refreshers. Thank you to all the referees joining the course today and Master Glen for leading the course!

Over the weekend British Taekwondo Poomsae Referees have been refereeing at the Virtual JCUK Open Poomsae & Para Poomsae Championships. Yesterday Barbara and Della were awarded Best Referee for their courts. Congratulations Barbara and Della on your achievements!

Congratulations to Master Damian Duffy on his promotion to WT Class 2 International Poomsae Referee. Master Damian is a highly active International Poomsae Referee who’s judged at the highest level, including the European Championships, and most recently the WT Online World Championship. A well deserved promotion for a dedicated Referee.