Kickboxing
Kickboxing can be described as a generic term for a sporting martial art that, while similar to boxing, uses feet as well as hands for fighting.
Forms of kickboxing that have been labelled under this term [1] include:
- Muay Thai - Thai boxing/kickboxing (strong emphasis on knee and elbow strikes)
- Savate - French kickboxing (Allows the use of shoes)
- San Shou - Chinese Kickboxing (Takedowns and throws are legal)
- Bando - Burmese Kickboxing (Any part of the body may be used to strike and be struck)
- Japanese kickboxing (Similar to Muay Thai, but elbow strikes are prohibited)
- Full Contact Karate - "American" Kickboxing" (Most of the time padding and in some cases body armour is used)
There are many additional deriviatives of these forms, as well as combined styles which have been used in specific competitions (e.g. K-1). The rules of 'kickboxing' also vary between these different styles.
The term kickboxing is disputed and has come to become more associated with the Japanese and American variants. It must be noted that many of the above styles do not consider themselves to be 'kickboxing' as such, although the public uses the term generically to refer to all these martial arts. The term itself was created by the Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi for a variant of Muay Thai and Karate that he created in the 1950s; this term was later used by the American variant. When used by the practioners of these 2 styles, it tends to refer to them specifically rather than the martial arts they were derived from.
- The rest of this article deals with the Japanese and American deriviatives of 'kickboxing'. For the other martial arts see their relevant articles.
History
Kickboxing, as a deriviative of Muay Thai, Karate as well as other styles, was created to compete effectively against these martial arts. The initial development of the styles (as well as the name) was in Japan. However there were also similar influences taking hold in the United States, and martial artists from many disciplines toured both areas allowing the development of a common kickboxing standard.
Initial Japanese development
Kickboxing (as a specific martial art) has its roots in Muay Thai, Savate and Karate. It was developed as a competitive sport by Japanese boxing promotor Osamu Noguchi. He wanted to introduce the Muay Thai style of fighting that he had seen in Thailand. Muay Thai fighters were taken to Japan in 1966, and help develop a combined martial art which Noguchi named kick-boxing. The Kickboxing Association was founded in Japan soon after this. The sport has spread through North America and Europe.
The first famous Japanese kickboxer was the karate fighter Tadashi Sawamura.
Rules
These are rules used in American Full Contact Karate. Opponents are allowed to hit each other with fists and feet, hitting above the hip. Using elbows or knees is forbidden and the use of the shins is seldom allowed. This is in contrast to Muay Thai where the use of elbows and knees are allowed; in fact some Muay Thai practioners consider kickboxing a "watered down" version of Muay Thai.
Governing Bodies
Kickboxing, like boxing, has many governing bodies leaving no organisation in overall control.
| Governing Body | Website |
|---|---|
| The World Kickboxing & Karate Association (W.K.A.) | http://www.kickboxing-wka.co.uk/ |
| World Kickboxing Network (W.K.N.) | http://www.worldkickboxingnetwork.com/ |
| World Kickboxing Union (W.K.U.) | http://www.wku-kickboxing.com/ |
| World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (W.A.K.O.) | http://www.wako-fikeda.it/wako/default.htm |
| International Kickboxing Federation (I.K.F.) | http://www.ikfkickboxing.com/ |
| World Kickboxing Federation (W.K.F.) | http://www.wkf-kickboxing.com/ |
Related articles
External links
- www.inzana-academy.de - Kickboxing,Muay Thai,ATFS and more
- "A History of Kickboxing"
- International Sport Karate Association (I.S.K.A.)
- Professional Karate Commission (P.K.C.)
- WAKO Weltweit - Weltrangliste, Resultate, Regeln, News
- WAKO Schweiz - Resultate, Termine, Rangliste
- Axekick - Swiss Kickboxing Source