Kickboxing — Techniques and Rules
Kickboxing is a popular combat sport incorporating kicks and punches. It may also involve knee strikes, elbow strikes, headbutts, and grappling. An umbrella term covering a variety of combat and martial art techniques, kickboxing is a stand-up fighting style, meaning there is no ground fighting. Sanda, Dutch-style, Muay Thai, and Kun Khmer are popular kickboxing styles.
This sport derives its name from western boxing and dates back to the 12th century when southeastern Asians practiced Muay Thai for unarmed battleground combat. Competitive kickboxing, relying heavily on Muay Thai, dates back to the 16th century. Still, it wasn’t until the 1920s and 1950s that the sport evolved into the Japanese, American, and Dutch identities popularly known today. During the 1990s and 2000s, K-1, a Japanese kickboxing organization, became the dominant governing body.
People of all genders, ages, and nationalities engage in the sport for competitive and recreational purposes. Renowned actor Jean Claude Van Damme starred in the kickboxing-themed movies Kickboxer and Bloodsport, perhaps the most famous film titles featuring the sport.
Notably, kickboxing differs from classic boxing in several ways. First, one can use both hands and feet in kickboxing, which is not the case for boxing. Second, while boxing involves punches and blocks, kickboxing uses punches and kicks.
Additionally, boxing moves, including ducking and moving one’s feet to evade punches, may lead to kicking someone on the face if done in kickboxing. Besides, a kickboxer may hit anywhere, while a boxer is only allowed to strike above the belt.
As defined by K-1, there are three basic kickboxing techniques. Like Western boxing, punching techniques include the straight or cross, jab, uppercut, and hook. Other advanced punching methods are the superman punch and the spinning back fist. A kickboxer can direct a punch to the face, jaw, chin, temple, and abdomen, but not to the throat or back of the head.
Kicking is the other common technique serving as a long-range weapon. The most common kicking methods are the high kick, leg or low kick, and roundhouse body kick. Experienced kickboxers may also use the axe kick, flying kick, spinning back kick, and cartwheel kick.
While most kicks serve as offensive techniques, the push kick or teep targets the face, abdomen, and solar plexus, thus disrupting an opponent’s rhythm. The rules only allow a kickboxer to throw kicks at the legs, back, ribcage, arms, and head. Groin kicks are prohibited though they accidentally happen in competitions.
The fundamental rules and regulations governing kickboxing place competitors in different categories based on a person’s weight. As such, a kickboxer can only take on another in the same weight category. Such categorization is vital since weight is considered an advantage in combat.
There are also specific attires for both genders. Men should only wear shorts and no tops, while women must wear shorts and sports bras. Shoes are not allowed, and mouth guards and groin protectors must be worn for safety. Also, in an amateur match, competitors should wear headguards.
There are usually three, three-minute rounds in common kickboxing bouts. However, championship matches may go up to five rounds. Nonetheless, a winner is announced immediately if there is a knockout.
Additionally, a kickboxer commits a foul if they throw a punch or kick to the prohibited areas, including the groin and back of the head. Clinching more than five seconds is also considered a foul.
There is also one referee inside the ring and three others outside who score fights. If there is no knockout, the main referee reads the other referees’ scorecards to determine the winner.