Kickboxing History

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Kickboxing
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.