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Screenplay Beat Sheet: 3 Act Structure in The Karate Kid

Published: 4 months ago
Updated: July 2, 2025
2 Comments

“First learn stand, then learn fly.” So says Mr Miyagi in the coming-of-age meets karate movie, The Karate Kid. Discover a screenplay beat sheet for this 80s classic, made with Plottr:

About This Screenwriting Beat Sheet Series

In this series, we’re reverse outlining Team Plottr’s favorite movies to learn from their plot structure. The Karate Kid (1984) was suggested by our founder and CEO, Cameron Sutter.

Cameron shares what this movie means to him, what it teaches us about good storytelling, plus a few of his favorite scenes.

Keep reading for a detailed, beat-by-beat breakdown.

Download the Karate Kid beat sheet, made with Plottr to follow along there. We’ve included slug lines (the location and time headings for scenes) in the ‘Main Plot’ plotline, a handy way you can use Plottr to plan screenplays.

Why Study the Plot of The Karate Kid?

The movie was one of the highest-grossing of 1984, earning over $100 million at the box office and spawning many sequels and spin-offs. Its screenplay was written by Robert Mark Kamen, who also wrote Gladiator, The Fifth Element, and the Taken series.

In our chat with Cameron, here’s what he said about The Karate Kid:

Why did you choose this movie?

It’s been my favorite since childhood. I always felt like I was him (and wanted to learn karate like him).

What do you love about the plot and story?

I love that the underdog, loser kid ends up a winner.

What can authors and screenwriters learn from this movie?

Don’t make it easy for your main characters. He was beat up multiple times and you wonder when it’s going to stop, but then even at the end he’s illegally injured in the tournament.

What are some of your favorite scenes or moments?

The scene at the beginning on the beach where they fight the first time. The scene where after doing “wax on, wax off” for so long he realizes the purpose of it and that he “knows karate” now. The crane kick at the end.

What did The Karate Kid teach you about what makes a good story?

When your audience feels like the main character, they will love the story.

*

Thanks, Cameron! Let’s explore some movie beats:

3 Act Structure in The Karate Kid

Here’s a detailed synopsis of the movie’s three-act structure:

Act 1: Setup

Daniel LaRusso moves from New Jersey to Reseda with his mom Lucille and quickly finds himself an outsider in sunny LA. After a spark with high schooler Ali Mills at a beach party, he clashes with her ex, Johnny Lawrence (a skilled karate student with a mean streak). He forms a quiet bond with Mr. Miyagi, his apartment’s handyman, who offers unexpected kindness.

Beat 1 – Exposition

The exposition sets the scene of the story, introducing the protagonist in their ordinary world. It hints at what’s important to them, and also what is displeasing or challenging for them.

We see Daniel with his mom, Lucille, as they arrive in town. An old lady tells him to go back to Newark, his ‘ordinary world’, saying “This place is a dump.”

Daniel is invited to a beach party by a local teen, Freddy Fernandez. Here, he has his first brush with his eventual love interest, Ali, and the main antagonist, the mean and vicious Johnny Lawrence.

Note: We’re not using ‘beat’ here in the screenwriting definition (a small amount of action resulting in a pause of dialogue). Rather, the beat as a unit of story events that drive change.

Beat 2 – Inciting Incident

The inciting incident drives a character out of their comfort zone and into the story. This event typically disrupts a character’s life in such a way that it cannot be overcome on its own and needs direct intervention.

Daniel is smitten with Ali almost as soon as he meets her at the beach. Yet her ex Johnny arrives on his motorbike with his mean pals and proceeds to harass Ali.

When Daniel stands up for Ali, he gets smacked around. A black eye doesn’t deter him from getting to know Ali further. The bullying continues.

Beat 3 – Plot Point 1

The first plot point is where the main character crosses the threshold into the story after the inciting incident. A mentor may give them the tools or training to pursue their goals.

As Johnny and his pals’ bullying of Daniel intensifies, Daniel starts to get to know Mr Miyagi, his apartment’s Japanese handyman.

Miyagi comes to fix a broken faucet, and later, when Johnny and his pals force Daniel off the road down an embankment, breaking Daniel’s bike, Mr Miyagi fixes the bike unasked.

Miyagi literally hands Daniel tools when Daniel visits him in his workshop at the end of the first act, as he teaches Daniel how to prune a bonsai tree.

The older man also overhears Daniel telling his mom that he needs to learn karate to defend himself. This sets up the path to Mr Miyagi becoming Daniel’s mentor.

Act 2A and 2B: Confrontation

After a brutal beating, where Mr Miyagi comes to Daniel’s rescue, they resolve to go to Johnny’s dojo leader, Kreese, to address things. Miyagi volunteers Daniel for the upcoming karate tournament, telling Kreese there must be a pause to his students’ attacks so that Daniel can train. Daniel trains with Miyagi. As tensions with Ali rise and Miyagi’s past is revealed, Daniel learns that true strength starts from within.

Beat 4 – Rising Action

At the beginning of Act 2, there is more challenge and confrontation. Your main character may get to know new allies who assist them, or face new adversaries.

Daniel is awkward with Ali for a while after Johnny jumps him. He plans on skipping the school’s Halloween dance, to avoid another brush with Johnny and friends.

Mr Miyagi convinces him to go and helps him make a shower costume with a wraparound curtain so that he can attend more anonymously.

Daniel plays a prank on Johnny in the bathrooms, drenching him with a hose while Johnny’s in a cubicle. Johnny and his friends chase Daniel and beat him mercilessly, until Mr Miyagi appears and singlehandedly takes down all of Daniel’s bullies.

The conflict is the worst it’s been, and Daniel and Miyagi decide to go straight to the head of Johnny’s karate dojo, John Kreese, to address it.

Kreese accuses Miyagi of jumping his students. They agree to settle things at the upcoming under-18s karate tournament, to Daniel’s panic. This ends Act 2A.

Beat 5: Midpoint

The midpoint of the story re-establishes the main character’s core goal and the central question of the story. While they feel as though they are closer to their goal, this is the point where success is threatened, and the stakes for failure are raised.

The midpoint comes at the beginning of Act 2B. Daniel is panicked, and tells Mr Miyagi he thought he was going to solve things (not volunteer him for a karate tournament).

Miyagi counters that it did resolve things. The truce they called to prepare will spare Daniel three months’ beatings. Kreese told Daniel and Miyagi that if they lose the tournament, it’s ‘Open Season’ for further violence. The stakes are officially raised!

Miyagi teaches Daniel in unorthodox ways. He has him wax cars, sand his wooden deck, and paint fences. Daniel asks Ali out again, and they arrange to meet at the Encino Oaks country club after a dinner with her parents.

Beat 6: Plot Point 2

End of Act 2: Confrontation

The second major plot point throws the main character off balance. Maybe they’ve had a kick in their side from an ally, or their mentor. Now they must form a new plan of attack.

At the country club, Daniel sees Johnny kissing Ali on the dance floor and is heartbroken. He flees before he can see her slapping Johnny: he forced herself on her and it wasn’t reciprocal.

He goes to see Mr Miyagi, whom he finds inebriated. Miyagi reveals he was conscripted in the war and his wife and son died during childbirth due to complications and grows emotional before passing out.

Daniel is thrown twice over. He thinks Ali has betrayed or used him, just to make Johnny jealous. And now, his wise mentor turns out to be just as vulnerable as anyone else.

Act 2B ends with Daniel practicing the karate blocks and stances Miyagi has shown him, alone. It suggests a new plan of attack: finding the discipline and balance the fight will take, and the bravery to go the distance, even if alone.

Act 3: Resolution

Miyagi teaches Daniel offensive moves and gives him heartfelt birthday gifts: a hand-embroidered gi (karate uniform) and a classic car. Reunited with Ali, Daniel enters the tournament, overcomes dirty tactics, and wins with Miyagi’s teachings.

Beat 7 – Pre-Climax

The main character has overcome all odds to face the antagonist. Yet the antagonist has tricks up their sleeve or the main character learns their true power or conniving ways. Caught off guard, the main character fails and all seems lost.

As the tournament approaches, Daniel and Ali make up and clear up the misunderstanding.

At the tournament, Daniel reels back with each blow at first. Miyagi reminds him of balance and focus, and he starts winning all the way to the semi-finals.

The head of Cobra Kai dojo, Kreese, tells one of Johnny’s friends, Bobby, to ‘Take him out of commission.”

Bobby is reluctant but follows orders and deliberately injures Daniel’s knee in the fight. Bobby is disqualified. It seems as though Daniel will have to forfeit and he’s bitterly disappointed.

Beat 8 – Climax

Having suffered a significant setback, the Protagonist must use all they have learned and gained from the experience of their Darkest Hour to gather themselves and prepare for the final confrontation.

Daniel isn’t done yet, though. As they are about to announce that Johnny wins by default, Miyagi helps to fix Daniel’s leg. He’s back in with a fighting chance.

The match is close. Daniel wins the first two points, then Johnny wins two. Kreese tells Johnny to ‘sweep the leg’ and target Daniel’s injury, earning Johnny a warning. Yet Daniel wins the final point with a perfectly timed crane kick.

Beat 9 – Denouement

The main character is successful in their goal and can now return home with their reward – unless they have a few more minor obstacles to overcome before success is complete.

Ali and Daniel’s mom rush over to celebrate his win. The final shot of the movie is Mr Miyagi’s proud face as he sees what he and his student have accomplished together. Daniel calls, “Mr Miyagi, we did it!”

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Comments

2 thoughts on “Screenplay Beat Sheet: 3 Act Structure in The Karate Kid”

Jay Salam
July 14, 2025 at 6:50 pm

So disappointed that you missed one of the most important moments in the film. It has to do with Miyagi’s character and the teaching of NEVER Quit.
It occurs when, after years of trying, Miyagi catches the fly with his chopsticks. The lesson that Daniel needs to know.

Reply
1. Jordan Kantey
  July 15, 2025 at 8:44 am
  
  Sorry about that, Jay! We were surprised that we missed that, but apparently it actually happens in the second movie as that focused more on Mr Miyagi’s character development (in the first, Daniel catches the fly the first time to Miyagi’s annoyance and he mumbles that it’s beginner’s luck).
  
  It’s interesting because it reminds the viewer that sometimes a student may outdo their teacher but ultimately there’s no substitute for dedication and never quitting, so you’re right there.
  
  Reply