9 Best Karate Tournament Circuits

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Maybe you're a huge Karate Kid movie fan like me and you've finished watching the new Cobra Kai Series. The excitement of the All Valley Tournament is still fresh in your mind and you've been getting back in shape, or are planning to, and would like to possibly test out your Karate Moves against some other practitioners to see how you fare.

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Karate is an amazing sport and unlike the Original Karate Kid Movies, it's not just about fighting for the championship title for under 18 years old. Now there are many different divisions, classes, age groups, weight groups and more to help you match up against similar opponents and ensure fairness. There's also Kata and Weapons divisions in addition to Sparring or Kumite, and some circuits even have board breaking and tricking.

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We saw in Cobra Kai season 4 the reimagined All Valley Tournament that looked like an XMA performance, Eagle Fang Karate was knocked out of the final bout but Cobra Kai and Miyagi Do continued head to head.

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Get warmed up with Billy Blanks in Cobra Kai Bo, or check out Hanshi's free warm up below.

If you still need more training, grab one of the 11 best karate gi brands, sharpen up with these 72 Karate moves, learn the kata from the Karate kid, and stick around till the end of the article for a free online karate membership.

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Karate Tournament Circuits Ranked

1. NKF (National Karate Federation)
2. AAU (Amatuer Athletic Union)
3. WKF (World Karate Federation)
4. KickUSA
5. AAKF (Amatuer American Karate Federation)
6. ISKA (International Sports Karate Association)
7. NASKA (North American Sport Karate Associations)
8. USMAF (United States Martial Arts Federation)
9. Karate Combat

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NKF (National Karate Federation)

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The NKF is the premier league in the USA for Traditional Karate and the governing body for selection of the USA National Team, WKF Selection and Olympic Committee selection. The NKF has divisions for Iaido, Kata, Kobudo and Kumite. The judging is held to very strict standards and professional Karate is expected. This is the highest level of competition, so maybe it's not as fun for hobbyists or beginners to try out.

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AAU (Amatuer Athletic Union)

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The AAU is the alternate Traditional Karate League for under 18 athletes and is held to a very strict level of performance like the NKF. The AAU has it's own National team and is the governing body for the selection for the WUKF. The WUKF is an international karate league that has been around for several decades. The AAU is some tough competition, and they have divisions based on years of experience. Typically the teams show up to Regionals, State and National Tournaments to Face Off for glory and medals.

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WKF (World Karate Federation)

The WKF is the first organization that recognized Karate as the World Tournament and brought competitors from all over the world to compete since the 1960s. Recently the WKF was selected by the IOC as the governing body for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where Karate made it's debut. The WKF is the highest level of competition that one can perform in, and if you'd like to qualify you must attend the NKF national team selection under a sanctioned dojo.

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Karate Combat

Karate Combat is a relatively new sport that is a Full Contact Karate Option for anyone who wants to become a MMA fighter. The league features powerful professional karate athletes duking it out for fame, prize money and a golden black belt on streaming and television worldwide. If you'd like to fight in Karate Combat, you'll need to be at least 18 years old and want to be in peak physical condition.