LONDON (AP) ― Taekwondo officials trying to take the sting out of the sport’s deadliest kicks have come up with an interesting new rule: don’t bother kicking hard.

To make the sport safer, officials recently announced that any head kicks will be awarded points even if there is no force behind the kick; athletes only need to touch their opponent’s head with their foot to score.

The London Olympics will be the first games to use the new rule. Previously, players had to use some power to demonstrate a proper kicking technique, and kicks that just grazed or touched the opponent’s head didn’t count. That’s now history.

The change has met with criticism from some of the sport’s top athletes, who say it undermines the spirit of the martial art, originally developed by ancient Korean warriors.

“Personally, I think it’s a little silly,” said American Steven Lopez, a double gold Olympic medallist and record five-time world champion. “Taekwondo is a full-contact combat sport and I think a good head kick should still be a good head kick.”