Kickboxing
WHAT IS KICKBOXING ?
KICKBOXING is a term of Western origin. It is based upon earlier systems of Sparring. It is usually thought to have the punches of Western Boxing combined with the kicks of Eastern Martial Arts.
A Brief History of Kickboxing
Kickboxing was developed in the 1970's, when many of the different Karate styles wanted one united way of competing full contact in order to show which style was the ultimate.
'Sports Karate'
Sports Karate was first introduced in America and was fought on mats. However, there was a demand to take it even further: When fighting on a mat, the opponent always had the chance of stepping off the mat. Therefore, the competitions were moved into a boxing ring, where there was 'no escape'. Also, the fighters soon took on an orthodox boxing stance and guard in order to maximise the power in their punches.
The first kickboxing fights were organised by W.K.A (World Kickboxing Association). One of W.K.A's aims was to make sure that the sport did not become another 'all American sport' like Baseball and American Football. Therefore, they arranged championships in Japan and Thailand. One way of promoting these fights was to include Antonio Inoki, one of Japan's greatest wrestlers, mainly known for his mixed rule fight against Muhammed Ali. The main problem for W.K.A was that the different countries' fighting styles were so different. The Thai fighters used their knees and elbows when they clinched, which was very unpopular among the American fighters. However, W.K.A's most famous Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez, who also was a Judo black belt used to throw his Japanese and Thai opponents when they tried to clinch. Therefore, a compromise was sought and rules were rewritten: No elbow or knee strikes would be permitted, nor throwing. However, the leg kicks were still kept. Also, the fighters had to use at least 8 kicks per round.
Since 1970, many famous kickboxers have been produced, such as Don Wilson, Billy 'Superfoot' Wallece, Ferdinand Mack, Dev Barrot, Kash 'the Flash' Gill and many, many more.
The Benefits of Kickboxing.
Kickboxing will give you both a full-body cardiovascular workout and The confidence of a martial art.
It combines kicks, punches, flexibility, cardiovascular activity, and strength training to offer the practitioner a total body workout that will burn from 800 to 1200 calories an hour.
Unlike many other sports, kickboxing combines both aerobic and anaerobic workouts. And therefore is one of the best ways to keep fit.
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