Akshay Kumar in Kick-Boxing

KICKBOXING

Kickboxing refers to the sport of combining the grace and style of both boxing with kicking. Kickboxing is not inherently a martial art, although a great majority of kickboxers originate from a martial arts background. It is a standing sport and does not allow continuation of the fight once a combatant has reached the ground.

There are many arts labeled kickboxing including Japanese kickboxing, American kickboxing, Indian boxing, Burmese boxing, as well as French boxing. However, the term has become more commonly associated with the Japanese and American variants. Furthermore, unlike Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing, kickboxing does not allow kicks below the belt and also does not allow strikes with knees and elbows.

The term kickboxing was created by a Japanese boxing promoter who created a promotion for the sport as a variant of Muay Thai and Karate that he created in the 1950s. The term was later used by the American variant. When used by the practitioners of those two styles, it usually has referred to those styles specifically.

Kickboxing is often practiced for self-defense, physical fitness, and/or as a full-contact sport. In the full-contact sport the male boxers are bare-chested wearing boxing gloves, shorts, and protective gear. Female boxers typically wear a tank top and chest protection in addition to other protective gear.

Rules vary but generally points are scored by kicking certain parts of the body. A certain number of kicks must be thrown per round or the fighter will have points deducted.

Over the sporting years, many boxers have made the transition to kickboxing by training in the martial arts and learning how to kick.

The sport has grown with popular stars including Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Chuck Norris, and Joe Lewis. It has also remained extremely popular and has grown extensively in Europe, especially in Holland.