How to Read Downs, Slips and Owaza in a ROBO-ONE Bout

Under ROBO-ONE’s public basic rules, an attacked fall is one down, a collision or trip is an unscored slip, and a decisive aerial throw ruled by the referee and judges is a two-down owaza; the first robot to three downs wins, but if neither reaches three within the set time, the higher total wins, with the first down deciding a tied sudden-death overtime.

To classify an ordinary fall, watch its cause. A robot falling because of an opponent’s valid punch, kick, throw or other attack concedes one down. If the robots merely collide, or one trips and falls, ROBO-ONE calls the event a slip and awards no down.

Recovery is a separate test. A robot that does not stand within ten seconds after either a down or a slip loses. The basic rules provide an exception for a slip: the team may call a timeout, make adjustments and resume the match without that slip becoming a loss. A timeout is unavailable after an opponent-caused down, and each team may call one only once per match.

For an owaza, look for an attack that lifts the opponent off the ring and into the air. If the referee and judges recognize the resulting aerial throw as decisive, it counts immediately as two downs, so it can produce a comeback. ROBO-ONE presents these points as a basic explanation; viewers should also consult the detailed competition rules issued for the particular tournament.