Has anyone ever been in a forms competition what do judges usually look for?

I've competed in and officiated in dozens of these competitions.

There are two kinds of judging/judges: those who are familiar with the form being performed, and those who don't know the material. It's not uncommon to have a judge from a different style judging the performance of a form, so, such a thing is fairly common in open style competitions.

When judges know the form, they will be (or should be) critical of proper nuances of the form: timing, breathing, proper technique, starting and ending on the right spots, your pace throughout, your emotion, eye line, posture, balance. With more senior forms and competitors, they might try to see if you demonstrate proper application - any application. They also take particular note of your style of yell (kihap, or kiai). Flash means trash. Murder scene auditions are not acceptable, except in cases where children are performing. Screaming means you're breathing, but breathing doesn't mean you should scream.

When judges do not know the form, the above still applies, but obviously can't judge on the proper technique - only that whatever technique you perform is done correctly. So usually, they'll look for quality of technique, balance, breathing, and rhythm - and your yelling (kihap/kiai).

You can make mistakes - just don't dare to make them look obvious. In case you get a judge who doesn't know the form, you might not be noticed. With an experienced judge, they know that one mistake should not affect the rest of the form, and if you do - that's a fatal mistake.

Now... there are forms competitions where the goal has nothing to do with martial arts. These are common TKD, XMA, and such, where acrobatics, fast hand and foot techniques, screaming like a banshee, and high kicks are expected. Judges don't have to know the form, and even when they do, the proper technique is often trumped by fancy technique. This is especially common with "creative" forms, where a traditional form is embellished with different (but more spectacular) techniques.

And then there's musical forms. I don't really like musical forms, except as a practice exercise. But musical forms competitions have been around for a long time, and a judge will usually demand that the performer stay to the beat of the music, that the technique harmonizes with the music (eg, no soft, flowy, breath techniques during more dramatic crescendos, for example). Sometimes, the choice of music is important: if your judges are older, stick to traditional music of the culture of the style, or go with western classical music. Trying to do a form to rap or hip-hop is a near guarantee of failure for older judges; the reverse tends to be true with younger judges. So, here, you're not doing martial arts - you're playing to the judges. Common. Unfair. But that's life in musical forms competitions.

And finally, there are weapons forms. It is the same as for traditional weaponless forms. But when the form is a creative form, acrobatics is part of it: here judges also want to see flashy stuff, like flips, tosses, catches, multiple weapons, and one-handed control. They never want to see a weapon dropped! I don't like these kinds of forms, either - it's not really showing good technique with a weapon, but, these competitions are common.

In less formal competitions, it is possible to get every single technique wrong (or even make up the form on the spot), and still win. What are the judges looking for? Your attitude. Here, attitude trumps all else. Again, not my favorite kind of competition, but, these are especially common for young children, most of whom have no idea which way is "up". I hate judging these, because the focus is about the competition and not at all about the understanding of the form. If you get a really good competitor, you can get a lot of relief because you know you can score high. But many times, they all suck technically, and so you have to grope for a reason to find a first, second, and third place performance.

when i was young the tournaments that i would go to, forms were the only competitions i would win as in point sparring i was never really that aggressive. what they are looking for actually will vary from tournament to tournament. if you have a mixed bag of a tournament with multiple styles being represented it seems nowadays that judges are usually looking for the flashiest prettiest hollywood stunts they can find in a kata. while a traditionalist who has stayed true to thier style will usually have less flashy flamboyent movements but more proper technique the judges usually do not consider tradition over flashiness. on the other hand if you have a large organisation devoted to one style holding its own tournaments then the judges will start to consider proper technique and tradition as the people competing are almost always performing the same katas so, the only thing to judge is technique and stance, vs creativity (being some people make up thier own katas) and flamboyance. i prefer technique and tradition personally as my answer has probably indicated, and in my humble view i think alot of these less traditional katas complete with tricking, somersaults, and fancy movements are usually just a sign of a belt mill school, and a 8 year old black belt who will at some point most likely get his *** handed to him.

When I was younger, I did tons of tournaments-I was on my school's karate team. Right now, I'm a black belt in tae kwon do, and I competed for about 6 years. When I did forms (I mostly did fighting), judges looked for technique and solid moves. They made sure you knew what you were doing-if you mess up, KEEP GOING AND NEVER STOP. They also want good, solid moves. Don't look sloppy, kick and punch with ferocity, and you'll be great. Make sure everything is well practiced, and you know the forms like the back of your hand!

I was ranked in the top ten in North America in the Black-belt Senior and Executive Men's Traditional Japanese/Okinawan Kata division in NASKA for several years. I also produced several national kata or forms champions as well so I have quite a bit of background in this. You don't say what style you are so its hard to be specific so I will stick to generalizations. First is to make sure your kata or form really represents the essence of your style. That means hard style martial arts and forms should be done as such and the same applies to soft style as well. Secondly is to be consistent throughout your form especially with those techniques and movements that are repeated in your form. Nothing sticks out more like a sore thumb than you doing that technique really well or perfectly the first time in your form and then later in that same form executing it with something less. Even things being done while moving away from the judges with your back turned away count and a good judge can tell things from the back and if you are doing them less in some way as well as from the side also. Thirdly is to make sure you have the endurance or stamina to finish your kata or form with the same intensity, speed, and power as what you started with just like a sprinter running through the tape at the finish line. You can help yourself to accomplish this by doing a fourth or third of your kata again without rest after doing it during practice the first time. That will develop your mental focus and concentration along with your endurance and stamina to do your kata or form all the way through without tiring.

Lastly is to work on your presentation to the judges. First impressions can be important here and if you walk up there and mumble or stumble through your presentation and present yourself in an unkempt way without much confidence then judges tend to notice more negative things when you perform. Approach them exuding confidence and control, looking and acting sharp and speak clearly without getting too close to them when making your presentation. When done back up to a spot you have measured out in your mind during practice to perform your kata knowing that is how far you need to be when starting so that you don't run out of room or into them and have to stop and re-position yourself and then start again.

Take a small hand towel with you to the ring to wipe the sweat, dust, and dirt from the bottom of your feet so that you are not slipping and sliding all over the place. Learn to grip the floor with your toes during practice when needed as well as how to move through your kata from one move to the next easily and cleanly without losing your balance and perform your kata like you should while executing the moves and techniques perfectly and with good speed and power and you will better than you would be otherwise.

Stances are a big one. They also want to see if you know what is going on in the form-- are you defending yourself? People tend to do moves differently when they know what they are actually doing. Naturally they want to see that you know the form and can do it correctly. They look for power and speed but also clean techniques. Good spirit- such has how loudly and confidently you announce your form and how loud you shout (kiai/ kiyap).

We look at quite a bit including,

How good your stance is, breathing, timing, proper use of power. Balance, technique, practicality, focus. Etc.

Good stances mostly

deep stances, snap, fluid transitions, bladed sidekicks.....loud, loud kihap

a happy smile

The color of your tutu