Kickboxing競技・連盟管理

Kickboxing is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or for competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.

Although since the dawn of humanity people have faced each other in hand-to-hand combat, the first documentation on the use of kicking and punching in sports combat is from ancient Greece and ancient India. But nevertheless, the term kickboxing originated in Japan, in the 1960s, and developed in the late 1950s from karate mixed with boxing, having some influence, with competitions held since then. American kickboxing originated in the 1970s and was brought to prominence in September 1974, when the Professional Karate Association (PKA) held the first World Championships. Historically, kickboxing can be considered a hybrid martial art formed from the combination of elements of various traditional styles. This approach became increasingly popular since the 1970s, and since the 1990s, kickboxing has contributed to the emergence of mixed martial arts via further hybridization with ground fighting techniques from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and folk wrestling.

Although, there are many governing bodies such as the World Kickboxing Association, the Professional Kickboxing Association (PKA), International Sport Karate Association, International Kickboxing Federation, and WKN - World Kickboxing Network, among others, the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (also known as WAKO) is the recognized as the official kickboxing world governing body by the IOC.

At professional level, there is no single kickboxing world championship, and champion titles are issued by individual promotions, such as Glory, K-1 and ONE Championship among others. Bouts organized under different governing bodies apply different rules, such as allowing the use of knees or clinching etc.

The term "kickboxing" (キックボクシング, kikkubokushingu) can be used in a narrow and in a broad sense.

The narrow use is restricted to the styles that self-identify as kickboxing, i.e., Japanese kickboxing (with its spin-off styles or rules such as shootboxing and K-1), Dutch kickboxing, and American kickboxing.

In the wider sense, it includes all modern stand-up combat sports that allow both punching and kicking, including those mentioned above, Sanda, Muay Thai, Lethwei, Savate, Adithada, Musti-yuddha, and certain styles of karate (especially full contact karate).

The term itself was introduced in the 1960s as a Japanese anglicism by Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi for a hybrid martial art combining Muay Thai and karate which he had introduced in 1958. The term was later also adopted by the American variant. Since there has been a lot of cross-fertilization between these styles, with many practitioners training or competing under the rules of more than one style, the history of the individual styles cannot be seen in isolation from one another.

The French term Boxe pieds-poings (literally "feet-fists-boxing") is also used in the sense of "kickboxing" in the general meaning, including French boxing (Savate) as well as American, Dutch and Japanese kickboxing, and Burmese and Thai boxing, any style of full contact karate, etc.

Arts labelled as kickboxing in the general sense include:

Japanese Kickboxing — combat style created in Japan, and origin of the term "kickboxing".

Any style of Full contact karate

Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) — The applicable component of wushu/kung fu of which takedowns and throws are legal in competition as well as all other sorts of striking (use of arms and legs).

Shootboxing — A Japanese form of kickboxing, founded in 1985, which allows throwing and submission while standing, similar to Sanda.

American Kickboxing — a style originating in the United States, created in 1970s.

Dutch Kickboxing — incorporate from four combat arts — Japanese Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Boxing, and Kyokushin style of Karate.

French Savate — a historical sport which developed in the 19th century. It is mostly known for its foot-kicking techniques.

Ukrainian Combat Hopak is mostly built around punching and kicking techniques.

Indian Musti yuddha (also known as Muki boxing) and Adithada, a form of kickboxing that uses knee, elbow and forehead strikes in Southern kalaripayattu.

Kunguk-Do — a Korean kickboxing style created in 1969 by Jung Do Mo, drawing influences from Traditional Karate, Muay Thai, American Kickboxing, Oriental Rules Kickboxing, and Kyeok Too Ki

Kyeok Too Ki (also referred to as KTK, Kyuk Too Ki, or Gyeok Tu Gi) — a Korean form of kickboxing created by Kim Gwi Jin in 1964 with rules originally allowing not only strikes but also throws and submission holds from standing while banning ground fighting techniques. Over the time, rules changed to only allow strikes, more similar to K1 rules, most likely due to public criticism in Korea.

The Southeast Asian family of kickboxing sports (also known as the ethnic neutral term of "muay" at the Southeast Asian Games) including:

Thai Muay Boran (Ancient boxing) — Predecessor of Muay Thai, allows the use of headbutts.

Thai kickboxing or Muay Thai — a modern Thai martial art that allows punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes.

Burmese Lethwei — a traditional Burmese martial art of which has now grown into a popular kickboxing event that allows headbutts, knees and elbow strikes. It bears resemblance to neighboring Muay Thai, but Lethwei uses more punches and less kicks. Head butt, choking and throwing techniques are also used. The fighting intensity and momentum is also considered faster. No boxing gloves are used. There is also no scoring system and knockout is the only way to win a match.

Laotian Muay Lao — Lao