2026 USA Karate Referee Training Camp

Take your skills to the next level and invest in your development as a top referee! 

The Referee Training Camp is on Saturday, January 17 to Sunday, January 18, 2026. The course for licensing starts on Friday, January 16, and will include the camp and practical Saturday and Sunday. 

USA Karate announces an exciting opportunity for our officials with a USA Karate Referee Training Camp on January 17 to 18, 2026, in Miami Lakes, Florida! This camp will be held with a Team USA athlete camp, with access to top athletes, coaches, and referees. We are excited to kick off the year with this opportunity to build our referee corps skills. It is a fantastic opportunity to increase our standards, enjoy camaraderie with your peers, and learn from our senior USA international officials. This is a perfect learning opportunity for national officials, and great preparation for officials attending international events and those testing for international licenses in 2026. 

This first-ever USA Karate Referee Training Camp will feature the 2026 WKF and USA Karate rules update. Instructors will walk through detailed scenarios and examples in the day-and-a-half program. Learn how to review and score kata videos along with detailed examples. There will be kumite best practice examples as well as what to avoid to prevent errors. 

This camp is designed to be a true working camp. We’ll drill and refine the fundamentals that every official needs, and we’ll also dive into advanced skills, such as video review, protest procedures, kata scoring, and more. Alongside Fariba Madani, Will Gatch, and Chris Hodgin, our WKF AA officials and Regional Referee Leaders will help teach, guide, and share their experience and insight from regional, national, and international events.
The USA Karate Referee Training Camp will also feature information on managing stress, nutrition, and mental and physical preparation. 

The cost will be $95 which includes Saturday and Sunday. 

The USA Karate Referee Training Camp includes a licensing course opportunity. This includes practical matches working with coaches and USA athletes, using the latest equipment (clickers and flags) and video review. This opportunity to test for Referee A and Kata Judge A licenses was previously only offered at the US Open and the USA Karate National Championships. The cost for the USA Karate Referee Training Camp and licensing will be $260. The lecture for licensing starts Friday, January 16 at 5 p.m. and course and practical will continue Saturday and Sunday. 

Register here - GroupRegistration_Login 

Start the year off with this USA Karate Referee Training Camp and get ready for the US Open and Nationals. Our goal is to provide the athletes with the best-trained officials. This first-ever sanctioned training camp for officials strengthens our ability to meet that objective. We can’t wait to get everyone together in Miami, working hard, sharpening skills, and building a unified team of top-tier officials!

USA Karate