I love how she is always stressing the difference between sports karate tradicional karate and karate applied to a street fight because those are actually really different

Love how she pointed everything wrong and didn't hold back on her ratings, but still was nice and funny about it.

I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE HER ON THIS VIDEO!!! She won her first world championship when I was training karate over 10 years ago. I remember her because I had a poster of her on my bedroom wall and the Male world champion who were affiliated with my school. Im gonna be cheering for her in Tokyo.

I can’t believe the office got a 10/10 I love it 😂,thank you so much for doing this I really hope you win your next competition

The actor in the white gi for "Black Belt" is actually Sensei Tatsuya Naka. He is a 7th dan black belt in Shotokan Karate and one of the chief instructors at the Japanese Karate Association (JKA). He's part of an awesome KZfaq Karate channel, Kuro-Obi World. Glad to see that Elisa recognized that real Karate talent and rated the movie a 10! Great job!

Fun fact about Karate Girl: Rina Takeda, the actress seen in the main role, is actually a Shorin Ryu Karate black belt... but almost nothing in the film is actually karate...

As someone who has fenced for 20 years and has never watched a minute of sports karate before this, I thought her fencing comparison was spot on. I was watching the competitors bounce...and while we don't quite do as much as we did like 15 years ago (general consensus at the international level seemed to be that while the bouncing did help disguise your movement, the added vulnerability of getting caught mid bounce wasn't worth it), it's certainly within the same ball-park. Also, as she said for karate, distance is absolutely king in fencing. I was taught that there's a line that divides two fencers. Once this line is crossed, either fencer can launch an attack and be likely to score. So the trick for our distance was to either 1. Mislead your opponent into thinking that s/he had passed that line and launch an attack that would not hit (to facilitate your own follow up action to score) or 2. Misdirecting your opponent into believing they *haven't* passed the line while they have, which would then allow you to attack the opponent in turn. Pretty cool stuff in the video. I guess martial arts is martial arts...whether you're in Europe or Japan and whether or not you're using a "sword" or your own body. I hope you guys do a fencing video. Almost every fencing scene in movies/TV shows is absolutely attrocious--like 2/10--at least in turns of Olympic fencing.

I trained sport karate for like 10-11 years and my sensei explained to me the "kiai" in a physical type of way. She told me that I must "yell" every time I punch/kick, not only so that I can score points, but to release the air from my lungs, so that If I get a counter punch I don't get the air blown from me. Just as I side note, but she is spot on, on everything. Brings back sweet memories :)

When I was 16 and taking Judo, I finally beat an opponent I could never defeat by using The Crane. I stuck my hands and foot up in the air in the Crane position, he burst out laughing and I tackled him. :-)

When "The Office" is the most accurate karate 'film' shown. 😂

Regarding The Karate Kid - my understanding is that, in the 70's and early 80's, there was a LOT less padding. My martial arts instructor (Arnis, but he also teaches TKD) has lots of stories about some fairly seriously injury-causing incidents during his high school days. So while it's certianly a cinematic fight scene, I'd guess it's not QUITE as unrealistic as it would be in a more modern movie.

Fun Fact about Ryu & Ken from the Street Fighter franchise: both character's designs are inspired by real-life Karatekas. Ryu is inspired by Grandmaster Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate and Ken is inspired by legendary US full-contact Karate/Kickbox champion, Joe Lewis.

"they look like jumping beans" relatable! I used to spar a lot, and being light on your feet is super important, great video!

The first set of sound in "Black belt" feel so real like it's come from the real scene.

These "How Real Is It?" videos have pros, but some of them lose their train if throught and begin talking about something irrelevant to the scene. I love the fact that she stuck to karate and just karate. Because in many scenes shown taekwondo and judo were very realistic and perfectly executed.

I love your comments on the movies! I was cracking up the whole time. "using them as a springboard". Thank you for making this rating video.

Most martial arts movies (especially the ones from the 80's and 90's) get ruined the second you focus on what the bad guys are doing. The last clip on here is exactly what I'm talking about.

"Black Belt" (2007) Me: this is a real karate! She: this is a real karate! Me: this is a real karate!!!!

As a 3rd degree black belt in Teakwando you definitely kiap when sparing. The purpose is to clench your diaphragm to A. scare/confuse your aponent and B. it can increase the power of your move if used properly

"Why is the referee there if he's not going to call poor sportsmanship?" Oh, trust me...that's the LEAST unrealistic thing in Bloodsport...😄

I’d like a Kyokushin fighter to critique some Karate moves. Their matches are exciting to watch.

From what I've gathered the fancy flying kicks are best left for the movies.

A few people have mentioned kiai, but one thing I haven't seen mentioned: it's a good tool in training for making sure people aren't holding their breath because they're concentrating too much on body movements and direction. It's a surprisingly common problem in beginners! A second good reason to kiai is to startle the opponent, especially by shouting on a feint (which plays up the importance of the move and encourages the opponent to commit to a block against it) or just before a strike. You would be surprised just how a spirited shout can put someone off-balance, or delay them, allowing you to establish dominance and control the rhythm of the fight. And, as ethical martial artists learn, the fighting skills learned are meant for self-defense. Which means if you're attacked, and you fight back loudly with kiai, you're more likely to attract attention from others whose presence might make the aggressor self-conscious and decide to leave you alone so he doesn't get in trouble, or even attract some armed authority who can step in and stop the aggression. There are many things we can learn about and think about deeply :)

I see Street Fighter Assassins Fist I instantly give it a 10/10. So many memories man :') always tear up a bit.

I agree with her but she did say Taekwondo doesn’t yell. I’ve studied Taekwondo for 20 years and we always yell. It adds power and gets the air out.

That last clip, Karate Girl, her punches were more Wing Chun Kung Fu than they were karate. The real short, rapid flurry to the center line, designed to open up an enemy's defense and break him down is a lot closer to what Bruce would do than what Chuck would do.

Never did Olympic style Karate. I did the Naska league when I was young. There are some big differences in both styles. Not the biggest fan of Olympic style but super glad the art is finally being represented in the Olympics and I hope you take home the gold.

I would love to see more videos with this lady! She's awesome :)

awesome analysis of these fight scenes

No disrespect, but it was really funny when she called Ip Man "the kung fu guy" hahaha

So, she's a world champion, so I won't even say she's wrong on several things, because I know I'll get asked "who are you to correct a world champion?", but that being said... the first thing you have to understand is that she's talking from a sports karate perspective. There are a lot of different karate fighting modes, from sport karate which in my opinion is the weakest form of karate all the way up to JKA, Kyokushin and Karate in full contact including MMA like UFC. So after that intro, this is what I think is wrong with this video: hook punches, while uncommon and inexistent in sports karate, do exist in other karate competitions like Kyokushin and full contact karate and even some traditional styles, karate kid and cobra kai tournament are not all karate (even the story admits there is a lot of tangsoodo), those are mixed styles tournaments which usually have their own rules, they don't follow WKF rules which she wrongfully presents as universally accepted in karate, which is not the case, even scoring and scoring areas change also protective gear requirements. Karate IS about a single blow... at least that's the philosophy, the spirit and that's why we train so much in makiwara and kotekitai and other body strength training, specially in okinawan and old school karate, non-contact karate does not exist, the technical term is "McDojo". True karate focuses on deadly blows. Not to mean that for some supernatural reason you'll win a fight with a single punch, but the spirit when training and fighting is "punch to kill or get killed" touch karate is essentially a sport and focuses on speed only and touching... very far from the true spirit of karate. Sports karate and traditional karate, full contact karate are very different. Karate is for long range??? (laughing in korean and thai) Sports karate is the only one that is terrible for short range fighting. If you've ever been in a fight in real life you know that once you have to defend yourself is usually close range combat. So all in all, I think her views reflect that she only sees from the sports karate perspective, which is fair, but misleading... so it is not correct to take these opinions as karate... that's way too broad. I'm not talking about her opinions on the movies, I'm talking about her arguments on karate.

Would be nice to see her back rating more martial arts moves.

I trained in tai kwon do for a lot of years and we learned to "kiah" as well when we land a hit. My trainer explained that it helps keep your energy up and the vocal component will encourage you to hit harder and make you less afraid. Like a way of psyching yourself up every time you hit.

This is so cool ... The genuine article commenting on what is portrayed on TV and movies

as a fencer i see so many moves that are just like ours and notice all the weird flourishes from "flashy" moves, too. glad you brought up the similarities early on.

I am glad she dissed all that Miyagi crap. Cobra Kai is the way!

I practiced tae Kwon do and we always yelled. Don’t know where her experience on us not yelling comes from. We do to help with using our core and exhaling for more power in our movements like with power or weight lifting.

I loved this and Elisa Au is a really insightful and witty commentator. Please bring her back for more movies! Gotta do Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris.

Cobra Kai is inspired (clearly altered to look cool on film) by Tang Soo Do and Miyagi Do is inspired by Goju Ryu.

i missed Best of the Best.. Great explantion!!

Even normal fights, shouting gives you boost to fight your enemies. It's called War Cry. I always use it to ran away from the stray dogs on our street.

"We don't use karate chops" Okinawan practitioners: We joke to you?

In the 80s when the movie was taking place we didn't have much protection equipment :)

In fighting games, the distance thing she talks about is called “footsies”, and it’s exactly as she described. Trying to put the opponent at the perfect distance for one of your moves to land or one of their moves to barely miss, giving you an opportunity to counter. So if you watch high level fighting game matches, a lot of times it’s just people moving back and forth over and over until they find that sweet spot.

Loved the commintary. And good luck at the Olympics! Hope you get gold!

Really enjoyed this 👍🏾

I wonder what she thinks of Raymond Daniels. Raymond Daniels is a point Karate specialist, but he's also trained other striking disciplines. Anyway, he is a kickboxer and his style is mostly point Karate based yet he has done what was thought impossible he's used his point Karate style to demolish some really talented kickboxers and Thai boxers. It's amazing and has to be seen.

Wished she'd looked at the fight in Fearless between Jet Li representing wushu and the Japanese fighter representing karate.

I love how she gives respect to Kung fu also, very good episode!😁😁😁😁

I studied Tai Kwon Do when I was a kid for about 4 years. I had to stop when I was about 11 years old because the company that my dad worked for dropped it from their health plan so my parents had to start paying the full price of $35 a week. It sucked, too, because I was really into it and I had made it to green belt and my next test would've been for the blue belt. I haven't practiced it since then so I don't remember a whole lot of it, but one thing I do remember is our teacher having us do the Kiai.

I was always told the reason we kia is not just to bring out your fighting spirit but also incase you get countered and punched in the stomach they cant knock the air out of you

love cobra kai!! cant wait for s4

Very fun to watch Elisa's critiques. I always wondered why Hollywood wouldn't want to consort with a REAL fighter of whatever technique. Because I get flashy, but real effectiveness is so much better looking to me. I mean, the movies that are authentic actually tend to do the best. Most recent is John Wick. So, if you're going to represent Karate specifically, get someone that knows it to help out. Even with the flashy! LOL

I really liked the moments where she’s explaining that fists or hand position, or using the heel in round kicks are often totally wrong. She stopped short of saying the the girl in ‘the next karate kid’ would’ve broken her wrists, but she would have. Great demystifying of many karate scenes!

I took a more old-school version of Tae-Kwon-Do, when I was a kid,and we did the equivalent of "ki-yai", "kya!" Which seemed to get phased out in the 80s. I remember walking into the dojang and hearing the floor rumbling. We would just sit in the corner and watch Jae Soon Park (one of the highest decorated body guards for the president of S. KOREA) and his nephew go back and forth sparring. Big concrete building with a woodworking shop to make boards. Master park was much more about fists and getting on the inside. Master Kim was much more into kicks and conditioning. Glad I had them both as teachers.

Theres a BIG difference between "SPORT" KARATE and REAL KARATE.

11:39 You underestimate the power of Miyagi-Do karate!

Am I the only person that gets annoyed when people just call it karate. I mean there are so many different styles and forms of karate for example my style with is kyokushinkai karate and shotokan . And in my style there are techniques that are for close range e.g shita tsuki

Kiai is basically like saying "UNO". Anyway I loved the vid, she's super badass, funny, nice and cute at the same time.

I can hear my brother that is the karate movie buff saying the opposite on the rating lol 😂 great review by the way

Elisa Au is a great teacher. Her explanations are thorough, she is not overly judgmental, and she contextualizes her critique fairly.

I love your content 💥💥💥

Good assessment. When we watched Cobra Kai se 1 finale for the 1st time we noticed that no one had any gear on. + they all wore black belts out of nowhere. How did the Miyagi-Do kid who just showed up know that he had to go online and order himself a black belt?

TaeKwon Do learns about yelling right off the bat. It is part of the theory of power and is tested on by yellow belt. No TaeKwon Do practitioner would question a yell.

Yes! I was wondering if someone would do this!!!

I need to watch Black Belt. The first thing that struck me with that scene was the sounds. It does not sound like they added effects in post, that sounded like they just picked up the sounds of the hits straight from the scene. Never seen that done in a fighting film before.

I love the freeze at 6:20 when you can totally tell its Ralph Macchio's double

This is really good reaction video, However you got to admit that if the other person is just standing there getting hit it is becase it is either too fast for them to respond or they are in pain or both

Pretty interesting ... but where is "Figher in the Wind" (2005 - Yang Yun-ho) ? Very nice biopic and good fight scenes ... i think :p Thx anyway for this content :)

I'm a Israeli Black Belt in WC Shotokan since July 2000 and I approve this video! BTW, in the 80's and most of the 90's we used to spar with very thinly padded white gloves (about 1/2") and later also with slightly thicker shin/foot pads. that was before those godawful massive padded blue and red gloves where you can barely keep your hand straight as it is curved and thick - I like my hands as free as possible so I can block with my palm as God intended. Oh, and a real life anecdote - on my Black Belt test one of my sparring partners really liked to do a flashy combination of Mae geri to Mawashi geri to Ura Mawashi geri. The first time I was almost caught by surprise as I barely blocked the last kick (a roundhouse kick in reverse, so it reaches your head from the opposite direction). But naturally I was ready when he tried that again - I closed distance fast between the 2nd and 3rd kick with a powerful Gyaku tsuki punch straight to his midriff that it's not possible to block in mid-kick-transition. After a while he tried it again, and I reacted the same. He spent the rest of the fight mostly standing there with no active attacks anymore, was to afraid to try anything (and I'm hardly an imposing physical presence). Moral of the story - Flashy kick combos are stupid!!!

i feel that the cobra kai series got inspired in the kyokushinkai karate style for the tournaments, since there is no protection used and it is full contact, and also the combatants start in a fighting stance not a neutral stance, and also the use of elbows is allowed.

I've often questioned the actual effectiveness of "sports karate". I once got into a fight with a guy who was a competition winner some form of karate and none of his punches or kicks actually hurt enough to cause me any damage. The fight ended when I powered through a hit and headbutted him on the nose. It just didn't seem like he could actually fight even though he'd been training all his life (supposedly). I've never been able to tell/understand the various differences in Karate styles, so I hope me saying "some form of karate" isn't too offensive or anything. Also to my limited knowledge it wasn't any major competitions he'd won, but I don't know what level you'd call it. He was supposedly black belt, that's about all I know.

What i learned while taking Karate, If a girl says to hit her, and you hold back, she will hurt you.

Black Belt is an AMAZING movie! The BEST Karate movie made about Karate!

The original Karate Kid has one of the greatest endings in 80’s cinema and the thought of Daniel-San hobbling around trying to punch Johnny would be 💩

Fun video...But to be a bit nitpicky, you guys should specify differing types of karate, and specify her Olympic style...Because some of the things she was saying weren't Karate actually were, such as the leg kicks which are a staple Kyokushin Karate, or the Bladed/Sideways stance thing, which is incredibly common in Kempo and oldschool Point Karate. Still overall, a great video.

Loved that Black Belt Was included. Thats what I hoped for when I clicked on the vid.

2:20 I just wanna say that in kyokushin style karate..... We do pose before beginning.

I participated in karate tournaments in 2013 and 2014 and the only gear we had was the gloves and mouthguards. Granted this is in South Africa, but considering that most of our competitions are held under JFK standards I'm assuming some places actually allow no padding in fights.

Sport karate videos I've seen they're arms are wide open leaving the solar plex wide open for either a punch or front kick a sideblade kick.

"you can tell she's not a martial artist" I mean, in the movie she learn karate in 3 days or something so...pretty realistic...

The Kiai is kind of a verbalization of the exhalation of breath. In terms of weight lifting you breathe out as you push/lift/strain giving "greater power" to your push. The same can be said about the kiai. Competitively, a strike without a Kiai is the equivalent of "Holding back your strike."

There are some more legit karate sparring techniques that they left out when she watched Blood and Bone such as the back fist feint to roundhouse kick.

On that one with the 2 guys, 1 in a suit. She mentioned a roundhouse kick while the guy in the sweater was doing a double spin kick, that was not a roundhouse, at least from I was Trained on. A Roundhouse kick used the Top of the Foot (Think Chuck Norris), the spinning kick uses the bottom the foot, particularly the Heel, which is optimal.

Blood and Bone looks pretty dope. I should watch

I am doing Viet-Vo-Dao its a self defending and Martial arts verry efficiant. And our pose in a fight is 100%like in 2:35 but not on in self defense situation. One leg in the front to protect abdomen and other stuff. And the hands a bit crossed little bit so if sb punches from front there is no gap

Would have loved her take on "Best of the Best"

If you look at the office clip you can see Dwight wearing a Goju Ryu (an okinawan style of karate) patch on his gi.🥋

Also... Back in the 70's, 80's, and early 90's (even earlier) we didn't use pads in class or competition.

Theres only one man that can land a crane kick. Machida.

lo que sería bueno es tener a alguien de WKF y alguien de una liga abierta que sea buena porque en WKF tiene muchas restricciones de muchas técnicas que cuando peleas en la calle es otra historia...

Old school karate tournies didn’t use many pads back in ‘the day’.

Love how experts rates these movies. Cool how she explains the difference.

Would have loved to see her opinion on Tony Jaa in the ong bak movie underground fight scene.. a lot of elbows there XD

I think for Movies, its just more fancy to actually show impressive Kicks, like Bloodsport , Undisputed and stuff Boxing or Punching just dont look as fancy besides maybe, its Jackie Chan r Ip man doing some stuff which is mostly Wing Chun kinda of a Style and it looks more fancy for Movies. this Jump hook Kick from Van damme in Bloodsport and also in Kickboxer is my favorite Kick on Screen i just Love it :D i actually wanna watch it now haha

11:55 interestingly enough the crane kick is a legitimate technique in the style of karate 'Daniel-San' does in the movie (goju ryu) created by Chōjun Miyagi as he was trained originally in various Kung-Fu styles such as Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan and Fujian White Crane (Whooping Crane style) where the crane kick comes from in that style of karate. A lot of people think the history side of The Karate Kid is bullshit but in actual reality it's mostly true.

I spent almost every day as a yellow belt in taekwondo , yellow is when we could first start sparring in my class, doing pushups because I would always do the Bruce Lee/ Matrix move when you take a stances and wave... everytime our instructor would say ok stop, "hey Bruce" go do fifty push ups.

Nice 😀😀

I love Enter the Dragon, Best of the Best and Cobra Kai. They are good and entertaining

That is why I loved wing chun so much after being introduced to it no , yelling, just hurry up move in close and hit as much as you can lol