The essential goal of this study was to determine physiological requirements of karate fight (kumite). The study determined the acute reactions triggered by karate combat in order for karate coaches to know which capacities need to be developed through a training program. Studies that measured physiological parameters during and after simulated/competitive karate combat were analyzed. The results show heart rate, blood lactate concentration, rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and oxygen uptake. Databases used to search literature were Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar and Hrčak. Test subjects were elite and amateur karate athletes between the ages of 16 and 29 and involving both sexes, although most studies have examined only male athletes. Blood lactate concentrations reached values between 8 and 12 mmol/L, and the values’ slight increase and stagnation were noted. Furthermore, kumite athletes spent more than 65% of their fighting time in the zone of maximum heart rate, or above 90% of maximum heart rate. Results also showed that the peak heart rate during competition may reach values above 90% of the maximum heart rate. For amateurs during a simulated 3 minute fight, a level of 47% of VO2max was recorded, while in elite kumite athletes it was 72.5% of VO2max. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) indicates that karate fighters perceive karate combat as somewhat difficult (RPE=4), difficult (RPE=5), and sometimes very difficult (RPE=7). Karate fight is predominantly performed in aerobic mode (70%), while anaerobic phosphogens (20%) and anaerobic glycolytic (10%) mechanism are significantly less represented. VO2 levels are significantly lower during karate fight compared to the heart rates of kumite athletes. This is due to different dynamics of heart rate and VO2 increase during intermittent activities. Because VO2 does not reach values above 90% of VO2max during a karate fight, sport specific training cannot be used as a training mode for VO2max development. The rise in RPE after successive fights can be linked to insufficient rest between matches, indicating the need to improve VO2max, which is responsible for faster and more quality recovery.