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The World Combat League (WCL) is a full contact, team-based martial arts
Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
 competition. Each team (consisting of 5 men and 1 woman) is from a different city or region: Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
, St.Louis, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, Miami, and Denver; the league intends to grow to more cities in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and have both a Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an League and an Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
n League.

The WCL is a "striking war" with short fights, to encourage an all-out style of fighting.






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The World Combat League (WCL) is a full contact, team-based martial arts
Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
 competition. Each team (consisting of 5 men and 1 woman) is from a different city or region: Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
, St.Louis, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, Miami, and Denver; the league intends to grow to more cities in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and have both a Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an League and an Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
n League.

The WCL is a "striking war" with short fights, to encourage an all-out style of fighting. Any striking techniques from Boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
, muay thai
Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The art is similar to others in Southeast Asian such as: pradal Serey in Cambodia, lethwei in Myanmar, tomoi in Malaysia, and Lao boxing in Laos....
, International-Style Kickboxing
Kickboxing

refers to the sport of using martial-arts-style kicks and boxing-style punches to defeat an opponent in a similar way to that of standard boxing. Kickboxing is a standing sport and does not allow continuation of the fight once a combatant has reached the ground....
, and Full-Contact Karate
Karate

or , and often mis, is a martial arts developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese martial arts kenpo. It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands....
 are allowed. In order to maintain the fast pace of the action, clinch
Clinch

To clinch , a variant of clench, was originally to fix or secure by hammering down or flattening the end that protrudes or the act of fastening together in this way....
ing, holding or ground fighting (grappling
Grappling

Grappling refers to the gripping, handling, and controlling of an opponent without the use of strike , typically through the application of various grappling holds, choke holds, and counters to various hold attempts....
) are prohibited.

The WCL was founded by movie star and martial artist Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris

Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an United States Martial arts, action film and television and film actor who is known for action roles such as Cordell Walker on Walker, Texas Ranger and for his iconically tough image and roundhouse kick....
. A portion of the proceeds from the World Combat League are dedicated to support , a charity created by Norris to bring martial arts discipline and values to at-risk children in middle school.

Teams


There are 8 teams in 2 divisions across the United States; four in the Western Division and four in the Eastern Division. Each team is comprised of 5 men and 1 woman (one fighter per weight class), with the same number of alternate fighters per team.

Western Division


  • Oklahoma Destroyers
    Oklahoma Destroyers

    The Oklahoma Destroyers is a full contact martial arts team in the Western Division of the World Combat League.MembersCurrent members include:...
     | Coach Dale Cook
    Dale Cook

    Dale Cook , nicknamed Apollo, is an accomplished United States martial artist and sometime actor.In the early 1990s, Cook starred in several action movie B-movies, including Blood Ring and American Kickboxer 2....
  • Texas Dragons
    Texas Dragons

    The Texas Dragons is a full contact martial arts team in the Western Division of the World Combat League....
      | Coach Tra Telligman
    Tra Telligman

    Tracy "Trauma" Telligman is an American mixed martial artist who has fought both in Japan and the USA. He is best known for his bouts in the UFC....
  • Denver Fury | Coach Steve Alley
  • Los Angeles Stars
    Los Angeles Stars (World Combat League)

    The Los Angeles Stars is a full contact martial arts team in the Western Division of the World Combat League....
      | Coach Colin Van Deusen


Eastern Division


  • New York Clash
    New York Clash

    The New York Clash is a full contact martial arts team in the Eastern Division of the World Combat League....
      | Coach Mike Conroy
  • St. Louis Enforcers | Coach Jesse Finney
  • Miami Force
    Miami Force

    The Miami Force is a full contact martial arts team in the Eastern Division of the World Combat League....
      | Coach John Morrison
  • New Jersey Tigers | Coach Danny "Tiger" Schulman


Rules

The rules are typical of other full contact striking competitions, with some minor variation.

Weight divisions

This represents the maximum weight for each of the men's division.
  • 147 lbs
  • 164 lbs
  • 178 lbs
  • 195 lbs
  • 235+ lbs


  • 128+ lbs for women.


For the fighter weigh-in, there is a window of a several pounds that must be met to qualify. For example, the 195lbs division fighters are required to weight between 178 and 195, whereas the 235lbs weight division must weigh between 195 and 235lbs.

Ring

The no-rope ring (sometimes referred by fans as "the pit") is a circle which is 27 feet in diameter, of which the inner 24 feet is colored blue. The next 3 feet is yellow, which is the caution area. When the fighter gets to the yellow area, he knows he's getting close to stepping out-of-bounds. The last edge of the ring is the red zone, which features a 30-degree upward angle. When a fighter steps on the red area, he's stepping up slightly, letting him know he's out-of-bounds. He must then fight his way back into the fighting area; if he stays in the red zone, the referee will call a foul and he'll lose a point.

Time

Each match is two rounds in duration, with each round lasting three minutes. After the fighters complete their first round, the next two fighters begin their first round. After each set of fighters has completed his or her first round, then halftime is called before the first set of fighters begin their second round. This gives each fighter about 20 minutes between rounds so he or she can fight full speed for the entire time allotted.

If the fighter is unable to compete in the second round (i.e. due to a KO
Ko

Ko may refer to:* Ko , the Romanisation of the Japanese kana ? and ?* Ko rule, in the board game Go* Ko Mountain, the second highest peak in Sikhote-Alin...
 or injury), then a pre-selected alternate will fight in his or her place.

Attire

All competitors must fight in approved team pants, with gloves and shinguards. No boots or shoes are allowed as of the 2006-2007 season, though fighters originally wore boots.

Allowed Techniques

  • Punching - Jab, Cross, Hook, Uppercut, and Spinning Backfist. No elbows or forearms allowed.
  • Kicking - Front-Kicks, Roundhouse Kicks, Side Kicks, Back Kicks, Hook Kicks, Wheel Kicks, Spinning Kicks.
  • Kneeing - Front and Roundhouse. Must be above the waist.


Fouls

  • No Throws
    Throw (grappling)

    A throw is a martial arts term for a grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent, and tossing them to the ground. It usually involves a rotating motion as opposed to a takedown )....
  • No Takedowns
    Takedown (grappling)

    A takedown is a martial arts and combat sports term for a technique that involves off-balancing an opponent and bringing him or her to the ground, typically with the combatant performing the takedown landing on top....
  • No Holding - Grabbing the opponent's body in an effort to stop them from attacking or countering. However, fighters may grab to immediately throw a knee. (i.e. they may not clinch and jockey for knee strike position.)
  • Limited Clinching
    Clinch fighting

    Clinch fighting is the part of stand-up fighting where the combatants are grappling in a grappling position#Stand-up grappling position, typically using grappling hold#Clinch hold....
     - Fighters may clinch and throw one knee but then must release.
  • No Low Kicks - Leg kicks are allowed to the support leg as well as the lead leg, but must be at least three inches above the knee.
  • No Stalling - Intentionally delaying the action of a contest in any way.
  • No Passivity - Retreating or circling without striking - or fighting only when the opponent attacks.


Starting the Team Contest

Both teams will enter the ring and stand with each team member facing their opponent. The referee will administer the pre-fight instructions and execute the "coin toss". The coach of the team who wins the coin toss is allowed to select which fighter will start the contest. If the coach chooses his middleweight, for example, then he and the opposing team's middleweight will stay in the ring for a match while the remaining fighters retire to the "fighter's pen" (a warm-up area close to the ring).

Judging Criteria

Each match within the team contest only lasts for three minutes, so each fighter is encouraged to fight constantly in order to earn as many points for their team as possible. Three judges score each fight based on knockdowns, extent of damage inflicted, and the volume of clean-scoring strikes landed. Each judge will award five points to the fighter they see as superior, and four or less points to the opponent. The judges points are combined at the end of each fight (15 points maximum, not counting penalties), and are then added to the teams overall total from the previous fights. The team with the most points at the end of the second half wins.

Match Conduct

The referee has the right to stop the fighters if a fighter cannot defend himself intelligently, the fights goes out-of-bounds (the red zone), a fighter is downed, or the opponents are holding. Fighters are expected to follow the referees instructions at all times or be disqualified, which results in the maximum points being awarded to the winner (same as a KO
Ko

Ko may refer to:* Ko , the Romanisation of the Japanese kana ? and ?* Ko rule, in the board game Go* Ko Mountain, the second highest peak in Sikhote-Alin...
). In addition, the three-knockdown rule is in effect (three knockdowns in a round results in a technical knockout) as well as a mandatory eight count on all knockdowns.

Match Outcome

At the end of each fight the judge's scores will be announced, and added to the total points awarded from the previous fights. Referee awarded penalty points are added to the cumulative team score when they occur.

Television

The World Combat League is televised on the Versus
Versus (TV channel)

Versus is a cable television sports channel owned by Comcast and shown in the United States. It was previously known as OLN until a name change on September 25, 2006....
 network, which was formerly known as OLN. As of Season 2, the WCL will be aired in over 100 countries.

WCL Championships


2007-2008 Championship Results
Winner Loser Score
LA Stars New York Clash 137-133


  • Summary of WCL Season 2 Scores


2006-2007 Championship Results
Winner Loser Score
Houston Enforcers Miami Force 139-131


Box Scores

  • Season 1 Box Scores
    World Combat League Season 1 Box Scores

    These are the box scores from the first season of the World Combat League....
  • Season 2 Box Scores
    World Combat League Season 2 Box Scores

    These are the box scores from the second season of the World Combat League....


External links