Kickboxing

Subject classification: this is a sports resource .

Kickboxing is a descriptive term for martial arts that, while similar to boxing, use the feet just like the hands to hit. Kickboxing can be practiced for general health, or as the fight sport. The word "kickboxing" represents a set of disciplines or sports of combat that use the feet and the fists. Especially, kickboxing is one of the disciplines of Boxe pieds-poings which was developed at first by the Japaneses and afterwards by the North Americans. There are different kinds of kick boxing, most popular form is one where kicks are allowed towards head & torso only.

Combat of kickboxing, OKINAWA, Japan.

In the middle of the years 1960, the Japanese Kurosaki, who traveled to Thailand and discovered Thai boxing. At his return to Japan he decided to combine techniques of karate with those of Thai boxing, removing elbow strikes (the Americans also removed knee strikes), so a new sport called "kickboxing" was born.

In 1973 Urquidez and Howard Hanson created the W.K.A. (World Karate Association), changing years after the "K" for that of Kickboxing.

Rules

The punches and kicks are permitted for above the waist, the sweepings and the low kicks (kicks to the thigh]) also are permitted.

The "amateur" combats take place in three rounds, and the professional ones last five rounds; while championships of Europe have 10 and championships of the world have 12 rounds with a one-minute breaks between rounds.

Equipment

Pants (long or short), boxing gloves and protectors for the teeth and for the genitals; in the female combats, women should also wear protector of chest and boots (not required in the professional combats).

Other websites

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