OWN THE RING. Bianca Walkden and Aaron Cook demonstrate some techniques to own the ring. Control of the ring space is essential to win a taekwondo match. The contest area is a flat, non‑slip mat. There are two shapes used in competition. For the square area, the contest area is an 8m x 8m square. For the octagonal shape, the competition area measures 8m in diameter and each side of the octagon is 3.3m long. At the start of the match, the contestants are at two opposing points, 1m from the center point of the contest area. The referee is positioned at 1.5m from the center of the contest area.