Karate
Officially Karate-dō
Okinawan striking art of empty-handed punches, kicks, elbows and knees — contested as forms (kata) and sparring (kumite).
What is Karate?
Karate (空手, literally 'empty hand') is a striking martial art that developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern Okinawa, Japan) between the 15th and 19th centuries, drawing on Chinese kung-fu and Okinawan te. Formalised and exported to mainland Japan in the 1920s by Gichin Funakoshi, it now has four major styles — Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Goju-ryu and Shito-ryu — plus the full-contact Kyokushin family. Competitive karate is contested in two disciplines: kata (choreographed solo forms scored by a panel) and kumite (structured sparring, usually to a fixed point total). Karate debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but was not retained for Paris 2024.
Quick facts
Category
Combat Sports
Type
Individual
Players
2–2
Duration
~4 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
tatami
Country of origin
🇯🇵 Japan
Estimated origin
15th-19th century Okinawa; codified in Japan c. 1920 (Gichin Funakoshi)
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
In kumite, score more points than the opponent within the round via controlled strikes to permitted target areas. In kata, deliver a technically perfect prearranged form judged on precision, power and rhythm.
Match structure
Athletes enter the tatami, bow to each other and the referee. In kumite the referee calls 'shobu hajime' and the round begins; scoring pauses each time a point is awarded and resumes with 'tsuzukete hajime'. In kata each athlete performs the announced form; a panel of judges scores technical and athletic components, and the higher-scoring athlete advances.
Rules
Basic rules
Legal targets (kumite)
Head, face, neck, abdomen, chest, back and sides. Strikes must be controlled — full-contact head strikes are illegal.
Scoring techniques
Ippon (3 points) — jodan kick (kick to head) or any technique to a downed opponent. Waza-ari (2 points) — chudan kick (kick to body). Yuko (1 point) — punch to head or body.
Distance and control
Techniques must be delivered with proper form, timing and control — hitting hard enough to injure results in warnings or disqualification.
Kata judging
A panel of 5 or 7 judges scores technical performance (70%) and athletic performance (30%); highest and lowest scores discarded, remainder averaged.
Referee signals
Referee calls 'yame' (stop) after scoring; kansa (chief judge) confirms points using coloured flags corresponding to aka/ao.
Advanced rules
Category 1 warning (chukoku, keikoku, hansoku-chui, hansoku)
For excessive contact or dangerous behaviour — escalates from verbal warning to disqualification.
Category 2 warning
For passivity, avoiding combat, faking injury, or leaving the tatami — same escalation ladder.
Senshu
The competitor who scored the first uncontested point holds the 'senshu' advantage — wins in the event of a tie.
Scoring
Kumite: first to 8-point lead or highest score after time. Kata: judged panel score, best average wins.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Yuko (punch to head or body) | 1 |
| Waza-ari (kick to body) | 2 |
| Ippon (kick to head / throw + strike) | 3 |
| Hansoku (major penalty) | opponent wins |
Win condition · 8-point lead, highest score at bout end, senshu tiebreak, disqualification (hansoku or shikkaku), or unanimous kata decision.
Playing area
Called
tatami
Dimensions
8 m × 8 m square competition area with a 1 m safety zone
Padded tatami mats. Two athletes start facing each other 3 m apart, red belt (aka) versus blue belt (ao).
Equipment
Karategi
White cotton uniform — jacket, drawstring trousers and a coloured belt (obi).
Coloured belt (obi)
Signals rank — white (beginner) through many colours to black (dan grades).
Fist protectors
Padded gloves worn in WKF-style kumite competition.
Shin and instep guards
Foam pads for kumite.
Mouthguard, groin guard, chest protector
Mandatory protective equipment for WKF kumite.
Officiating
The referee controls the bout inside the tatami; four judges signal points and fouls with red/blue flags from the corners. A majority of officials must agree for a score to be awarded.
- Referee (shushin, in-tatami)
- Four corner judges (fukushin)
- Kansa (arbitrator)
Penalties & fouls
Penalties
Chukoku
First warning for a minor infraction — no point loss.
Keikoku
Second warning; opponent awarded a yuko (1 point).
Hansoku-chui
Third warning; opponent awarded a waza-ari (2 points).
Hansoku
Disqualification for repeated fouls — automatic loss.
Shikkaku
Immediate disqualification for serious misconduct; possible tournament ban.
Strategies
Counter-strike style
Wait for the opponent to commit, then intercept with a scoring technique — the classic 'ippon' style.
Pressure fighting
Constantly close the gap to force the opponent into panic techniques.
Kick-first game
Use long jodan kicks to score three points at once — favoured by tall competitors.
Terminology
- Kata
- A prearranged sequence of movements simulating combat with imaginary opponents.
- Kumite
- Sparring — competitive fighting between two karateka.
- Kime
- The moment of focused impact — a technique's climax.
- Kiai
- The sharp vocal shout accompanying a decisive technique.
- Dojo
- The training hall — literally 'place of the Way'.
- Sensei
- Teacher; used for any senior instructor holding a dan grade.
- Obi
- The belt tied over the karategi, indicating rank.
- Ippon / waza-ari / yuko
- 3 / 2 / 1 point scores in WKF kumite.
- Kyu / Dan
- Coloured-belt ranks (kyu, descending) then black-belt degrees (dan, ascending 1-10).
- Dojo kun
- The dojo oath — five ethical precepts recited at the end of training.
Major competitions
Karate World Championships
biennial · worldwide · since 1970
WKF senior event, in odd-numbered years.
Karate 1 Premier League
annual · worldwide · since 2011
Summer Olympic Games
quadrennial · worldwide · since 2020
Debut Tokyo 2020; not on the 2024 or 2028 programme.
WKF Youth League
annual · worldwide
Where it is played
Governing bodies
World Karate FederationWKF
Founded 1990 · Madrid, Spain
Official site ↗International Traditional Karate FederationITKF
Founded 1974 · Warsaw, Poland
World Kyokushin Karate OrganizationWKO
Founded 1994 · Tokyo, Japan
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan)
- Mas Oyama (founder of Kyokushin)
- Rafael Aghayev
- Alisa Buchinger
- Antonio Diaz
- Sandra Sánchez
- Ryo Kiyuna
- Steven Da Costa
Records
Most WKF World Championship gold medals (male)
Rafael Aghayev — 5 (2006-2016) (2016)
First Olympic karate gold
Sandra Sánchez (kata) / Ryo Kiyuna (kata) — Tokyo 2020 (2021)
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Basic stances (dachi)
Zenkutsu-dachi (forward stance), kiba-dachi (horse stance), kokutsu-dachi (back stance).
- 2
Basic strikes (uchi)
Choku-zuki (straight punch), oi-zuki (lunge punch), gyaku-zuki (reverse punch).
- 3
Basic kicks (geri)
Mae-geri (front kick), yoko-geri (side kick), mawashi-geri (roundhouse).
- 4
First kata
Heian Shodan / Taikyoku Shodan — the foundational 20-move forms.
intermediate
- 1
Combination techniques (renraku-waza)
Chain 2-5 techniques with proper transitions.
- 2
Ippon kumite
Prearranged one-step sparring drills.
- 3
Advanced kata
Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Enpi, Jion — the intermediate kata syllabus.
advanced
- 1
Jiyu kumite
Free sparring — read distance, timing and the opponent's rhythm.
- 2
Competition kata
Master three tournament-legal kata; tune performance for maximum panel score.
- 3
Dan-grade requirements
Written thesis, teaching demonstration, and grading kata performed to standard.
Frequently asked
Which karate style is best for competition?+
WKF-style (semi-contact) is the Olympic and World Championship discipline — most club karate is in this ruleset. Kyokushin is preferred if you want full-contact bare-knuckle sparring.
How long to earn a black belt?+
In most WKF-affiliated dojos, 3-5 years of consistent training. Some traditional dojos require longer.
Is karate an Olympic sport?+
It debuted at Tokyo 2020 but is not on the 2024 or 2028 programmes. Its Olympic future is currently uncertain.
What's the difference between karate and taekwondo?+
Both are striking arts, but taekwondo (Korean) emphasises high, fast kicks (80%+ of scoring), while karate (Okinawan/Japanese) uses a more even mix of punches and kicks with a strong emphasis on kata.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Karate— Wikipedia
- World Karate Federation — Kumite/Kata Rules— WKF