Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Bo-taoshi involves intensive full-body contact as a normal part of play — blocking, gripping, shoving, and piling on are all expected within the attacking and defending roles. Prohibited conduct is limited to actions considered excessively dangerous beyond the sport's inherent physicality.
- Dangerous physical techniques: strikes intended to injure (punching, kicking, eye-gouging, choking), or deliberate use of technique designed to cause serious harm rather than simply move or hold a player, are prohibited
- Targeting the head or neck: actions that place extreme force on a player's head, neck, or cervical spine are prohibited
- Equipment interference: sabotaging the opposing team's pole, its anchoring, or the event apparatus before the starting signal is prohibited
- Refusal of official authority: ignoring a stop-play signal from NDA officials results in immediate disqualification of the offending player and may result in a match penalty against the team
The NDA event committee has authority to issue warnings, remove players from the field, or award the match to the opposing team in cases of egregious rule violation. Officials may stop play at any time for a safety emergency.