Which software should I use to run a karate competition?
CompetHub is online software to organize a karate competition in kumite (combat). It handles registrations by weight and age class, the weigh-in and re-seeding, generates the pools and the single-elimination brackets with two-bronze repechage, advances the winner of each bout automatically, displays the podium and the schedule by combat area, then publishes it all on a branded public page.
The karate organizer's real problem
Building a karate competition on a spreadsheet means keeping dozens of grids in parallel. Kumite is contested by gender, by weight and by age: among seniors, the WKF rules count five men's weight classes (-60, -67, -75, -84, +84 kg) and five women's (-50, -55, -61, -68, +68 kg), to which are added the grids for mini-poussins, poussins, benjamins, cadets and juniors. Each class runs its own competition, and kata, judged separately by a panel, often runs in parallel.
On event day, the headache steps up a notch. After the weigh-in, depending on the number of entries, a kumite class is played as a pool (everyone meets) or as a single-elimination bracket with repechage, where those beaten by the two finalists come back to contest two bronze medals. Drawing these brackets by hand, carrying over each winner, tracking the repechage, all of it across several areas at the same time, multiplies the mistakes and the dead time.
On top comes the tracking. You have to know who is fighting, on which area and at what time, keep each pool's ranking up to date and inform a public that doesn't see the scoring sheets. A spreadsheet doesn't keep up with this pace. Dedicated software centralizes registrations, weigh-in, brackets, results and schedule, and makes every line reliable.
Why not run a karate competition in Excel?
Excel forces you to recopy each registration, to draw each bracket by hand and to carry over each winner from one bout to the next. A single carry-over error throws off an entire bracket, the repechage and the podium. Dedicated software generates pools and brackets, advances the winner automatically and publishes the ranking, with no recopying.
How CompetHub runs a karate competition
CompetHub ties each building block of the software to the reality of a kumite competition. Here's how.
Online registrations, club lists and weigh-in
Each fighter registers online in their class. The staff sees the list, filters by class and by status, searches by name, approves or rejects each request and checks in the present fighters (check-in) on event day. An automatic email goes out on registration, on approval and on rejection. You can also enter a club's list in bulk: fighter records without an account, created in one go. At the weigh-in, you record each fighter's body weight, and CompetHub automatically re-seeds them into the right weight class when only one fits.
Weight, age and grade classes
You create your kumite classes by combining three axes: gender, weight (bounds in kg, for example -67 kg or +84 kg) and age (year bounds, from mini-poussins to veterans). A fourth, free-form level field lets you require a minimum grade (belt). The fighter chooses their class at registration, you keep control over approval, and the weigh-in confirms the weight class.
Pools and single-elimination brackets with repechage
CompetHub automatically generates the format suited to each class. For a small class, a pool (round-robin) where everyone meets. For a well-filled class, a single-elimination bracket with a two-bronze repechage format, recommended and pre-selected for karate: those beaten by the two finalists are repechaged and contest two bronzes, as the WKF rules require. The winner of each bout advances on its own.
Bout entry and automatic advancement
On the tatami, the referee and four judges count the points of the bout (yuko, waza-ari, ippon) and decide the winner: that's the officials' business, not the software's. In CompetHub, all you have to do is record the winner of each bout; it then advances on its own to the next round, and the loser joins the repechage where applicable. An entry error stays correctable. You never carry over a result from one sheet to another again.
Podium, pool ranking and export
Once the final is played, CompetHub displays the podium of the class (gold, silver and two bronzes) and exports the final ranking to CSV (rank, medal, athlete, club). For classes played in a pool, the software keeps the table of bouts, wins, draws and losses, awards the ranking points (three for a win, one for a draw) and breaks ties on the difference, up to date at each bout entered.
Schedule by combat area
A karate competition often runs across several tatami in parallel. You assign each bout an area (free-form label) and a time, and CompetHub displays the schedule and flags conflicts (same area in the same slot). You orchestrate your tatami without a side spreadsheet.
Public results page
You publish a public page in the competition's colors (logo, colors), with the overview, the participants, the brackets and the pool ranking. It updates automatically during the competition, without the spectator reloading the page, and stays accessible without an account. The list of entrants, the pool ranking and the schedule export to CSV for your archives.
How do I create a karate competition with CompetHub?
Create your account, add the competition, create your weight and age classes, then open registrations. On event day, weigh in the fighters, generate the pools or the single-elimination bracket with repechage, enter the winner of each bout (the winner advances on its own) and publish the podium, ready to follow on the public page.
Which format to run for a karate competition
Kumite is played through head-to-head bouts within each class. For a sparsely filled class, the pool (round-robin) guarantees several bouts for everyone. For a numerous class, the single-elimination bracket takes over, with a repechage that gives a second chance to those beaten by the finalists and lets you award two bronze medals. CompetHub generates these two formats (pool and single-elimination bracket with repechage) and advances the winner automatically at each bout entered.
Which format for a karate competition?
A sparsely filled kumite class is played as a pool, where everyone meets. A numerous class moves to a single-elimination bracket with repechage. CompetHub generates the pool and the single-elimination bracket with repechage (two bronze medals), advances the winner on its own and keeps the ranking of each pool up to date.
Why CompetHub rather than Excel or a spreadsheet
| Step | Excel or paper | CompetHub |
|---|---|---|
| Registrations | Manual recopying, duplicates | Online form, approval, auto emails |
| Weigh-in | Manual carry-over, classes to recombine | Weight entered, automatic re-seeding |
| Brackets and pools | Brackets drawn by hand | Pools and elimination generated, repechage included |
| Bout results | Carry-over from one sheet to another | Winner entered, automatic advancement |
| Tatami schedule | Separate grid, conflicts unseen | Area and time per bout, conflicts flagged |
| Informing the public | PA announcement, quickly lost | Brackets and podium on a public page, no account |
Does CompetHub replace Excel for a karate competition?
Yes, for kumite. Where Excel imposes recopying and brackets drawn by hand, CompetHub generates pools and brackets with repechage, advances the winner automatically, displays the podium and publishes the schedule. You keep the history and export entrants, pool ranking, schedule and final ranking to CSV.
CompetHub versus other software
CompetHub aims for simplicity. You create a karate competition in a few minutes, with no installation or heavy configuration. Where some platforms demand a long learning curve, CompetHub offers the essential building blocks directly: weight and age classes, weigh-in, pools, single-elimination brackets with repechage, bout entry, podium, pool ranking, schedule by combat area and a public results page. It's a tool to get started fast, whether you're putting on an internal club tournament, an interclub or a regional open. The point counting in kumite stays in the hands of the referee and judges on the tatami.
What's the difference between CompetHub and other competition software?
CompetHub aims for simplicity: you create a karate competition in a few minutes, for free and with no credit card. Weight and age classes, weigh-in, pools, single-elimination brackets with repechage, bout entry, podium, pool ranking, schedule and a public page are included, with no complex configuration or installation.
Free to start
CompetHub is free to start, no credit card. You create your first karate competition, open registrations, define your classes, manage the weigh-in, generate the pools and the brackets, enter the bouts and publish the podium without paying anything. You test the full cycle, from registration to the final ranking, before any commitment.
Is CompetHub free to organize a karate competition?
Yes, CompetHub is free to start, no credit card. You manage registrations, classes, the weigh-in, pools, brackets, bouts and the podium, and publish the public results page without paying. You test the full cycle before any commitment.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a karate competition online?
Create a CompetHub account, add your competition, create your weight and age classes (kumite), then open registrations. On event day, weigh in the fighters, generate the pools or the single-elimination bracket with repechage, enter the winner of each bout (the winner advances automatically) and publish the podium on the public page.
Is the software free?
Yes, CompetHub is free to start, no credit card. You manage registrations, classes, weigh-in, pools, brackets with repechage, bouts and podium, and publish the public results page for free, before deciding to go further over a full season.
How are weight and age classes handled in karate?
You create your kumite classes by combining gender, weight (for example senior men -60, -67, -75, -84, +84 kg and women -50, -55, -61, -68, +68 kg) and age (mini-poussins through seniors and veterans). The level field, free-form, lets you require a minimum grade (belt). The weigh-in confirms the weight class.
How do the brackets and the repechage work in CompetHub?
CompetHub automatically generates pools (round-robin) for small classes and single-elimination brackets for the larger ones, including a repechage format that awards two bronze medals. When a result is entered, the winner advances on its own, and the loser joins the repechage where applicable. Once the final is played, the podium is displayed and the ranking exports to CSV.
How do you enter the bout results?
On the tatami, the referee and judges count the points (yuko, waza-ari, ippon) and decide the winner. In CompetHub, you record the winner of each bout; the result stays correctable, and the winner advances automatically to the next round or updates the pool ranking.
Does CompetHub handle kata?
CompetHub is designed for kumite (combat), managed by weight class in pools and single-elimination brackets. Kata, judged by a panel on performances, is not managed by weight class and is not the purpose of the tool. You can still use CompetHub for registrations and the public page of an event that offers both.
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