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What is
Kickboxing?
Kick Boxing Video
What is called Kickboxing
today came out of Full Contact Karate competitions in
the sixties. Competitors included such fighters as Bill
Wallace, Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris. Each had different
backgrounds in Karate and boxing, as well as other
martial arts. New fighting styles, techniques and
strategies developed out of the need for a comprehensive
form of fighting that was effective in the ring.
Kickboxing is a
Western fighting method practiced worldwide with the
kickboxer using both hands and feet, as in Karate.
Because it is a realistic, practical method of fighting,
it has grown into a popular sport. Kickboxing is similar
to Full Contact Karate, as the goal of Kickboxing is to
knock out the opponent. Also in Kickboxing, strikes are
delivered full force.
Kickboxing combines
elements from Karate and Thai Boxing; both the strategy
and techniques from kicking and boxing. It mixes foot
techniques from Karate and fist techniques from boxing.
There are four different types of combat competitions:
Semi-Contact, Light-Contact, Full-Contact and Low-Kick.
Musical Forms are the fifth style of Kickboxing
competition. All these systems are the same worldwide
and follow precise rules and regulations.
 To minimize the
risk of injury during Kickboxing competitions,
competitors must wear protection for the feet and head,
as well as shin guards, safety gloves, mouth guards,
groin guards for men and chest protection for women.
Kickboxing competitors use sparring, kicks, punches,
kick blocks, shadow boxing, and wood breaking that is
learned and applied under professional instruction.
While Kickboxing was first developed as a
martial art for tournament fighting, it has more
recently become very popular; especially with women,
because the Kickboxing workout (Cardio Kickboxing) is
excellent for developing body toning and burning fat
while also helping students gain confidence in self
defense.
The History of
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a modern sport
with Western origin. It began during the early seventies
when American Karate competitors became frustrated with
strict controls and the primitive scoring system in
martial arts competitions. Competitors wanted full
contact kicks and punches to the knockout. The new sport
was born and names such as Full Contact Karate and Boxe
Americane eventually evolved into that of Kickboxing.
Early
bouts were fought on open matted areas. Kickboxing
competitions were later staged in regular size boxing
rings. Between 1970 and 1973 a handful of Kickboxing
promotions were staged across the United States.
However, in these early stages of the sport the rules
were never clear. In fact, one of the first tournaments
had no weight divisions and all the competitors fought
until there was only one competitor left. Many questions
were raised about the high risk of injury in this new
full contact sport. The development of specialized
protective equipment helped speed up the evolution of
Kickboxing and safety rules were also improved.
 As the sport
evolved, Americans sent teams of Kickboxers to Japan
under the banner of the World Kickboxing Association
(WKA). From this point Kickboxing developed into a true
international sport. Some of the other organizations
that were created to promote Kickboxing include the
United States Kickboxing Association (USKBA), the
International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) and the World
Sport Kickboxing Federeation (WSKF).
The sport
has undergone changes and has been refined over the last
two decades. As this is a fairly new sport, there are of
course no long-term traditions for Kickboxing. However,
it has gained recognition as a highly effective martial
art for both ring fighting and for holistic fitness.
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