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74-547: K-1 World Grand Prix , also known as the K-1 WORLD GP , is an elimination kickboxing tournament that was originally held annually from 1993 by the K-1 organization, under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG). Each year, K-1 would hold various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style qualifying tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in

148-431: A knockout as winning criterion. Full contact karate competition comes in several different formats developed for the art of karate at different times in different places. Some developed independently, others developed out of other full contact rule systems or from light contact rule systems. There are no major unifying organizations in any of the different formats, and the rule details may change drastically between

222-401: A drawn bracket (from A to H) on the poster, which represents the fighter's corner-color and the line-number of the match. The next fighter does the same, but is able to choose between challenging the one on the stage or an "empty" section. This procedure goes on until one fighter remains who has no choice but to fill one slot left next to the one lone fighter. Kickboxing Although since

296-541: A global scale to sanction fights, create ranking systems, and institute a development programme. The International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) and the International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) have been the only organizations to have thrived in the modern era. The International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) was founded in 1992 by Steve Fossum and Dan Stell. Stell eventually stepped down to go back to fighting while Fossum continued with

370-547: 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

444-458: A multitude of lesser known minor rule systems. Another hybrid karate style is Seireikai Karate, founded by a Kyokushin and Oyama Karate practitioner. The style is primarily Kyokushin and Oyama Karate striking techniques, combined with the throws and grappling of Judo. The characteristics of this modified kyokushin fighting style relies on punch counters, multi-range kicking, throws and take-downs, and joint locks. Another hybrid Full Contact Karate form

518-681: A single small style organization or even individual sport event promotions. Examples of minor full contact rules system are the Irikumi Go as used by some Gōjū-ryū organizations (most notably the International Okinawan Gōjū-ryū Karate-dō Federation and the Jundokan Goju-Ryu organization), and the rules of Mumonkai Karate. Kyokushinkan shinken shobu uses a variation of knockdown karate using thin gloves, and allows headpunches, clinching and throws. Irikumi Go

592-477: A sport that included kicking and boxing techniques. In 1743, modern boxing gloves were invented by Englishman Jack Broughton . Frenchman Charles Lecour added English boxing gloves to la boxe française . Charles Lecour was a pioneer of modern savate or la boxe française. He created a form where both kicking and punching was used. Lecour was the first to view savate as a sport and self-defense system. The French colonists introduced European boxing gloves into

666-474: A sports bra and chest protection in addition to the male clothing/protective gear. Notable fighters under semi-contact rules include Raymond Daniels , Michael Page , Stephen Thompson and Gregorio Di Leo . Rules: Dutch rules (sometimes referred to as Dutch Kickboxing ) came about when Japanese kickboxing and Muay Thai were first introduced in Holland in the 1970s. European rules began to be developed by

740-625: A technique, it will not score unless it visibly affects the opponent. In the same manner, if a technique does show a visible effect, it does not matter if it is executed in a manner regarded as inferior. Common, minor variations to the basic-knockdown rules include Ashihara Karate and Enshin Karate knockdown rules that allow one-handed grabbing in order to execute throws to score points. Many other variations exist, some so extensive that they can no longer be classified as knockdown rules, and several other branches of full-contact karate (typically included in

814-458: A traditional Shorin Ryu black belt, was disappointed with scoring in point karate and wanted to prove martial artists could fight to a knockout. For his role in promoting and organizing the first full contact bout, Joe Lewis is considered the father of American full contact karate and full contact kickboxing, both important predecessor to modern-day mixed martial arts fighting. American full contact karate

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888-584: Is American full contact karate which was developed in the US by the Professional Karate Association during early 70s by borrowing rules, settings and gloves from western boxing , and adapting it. It is continuous fighting, where the bout is not broken for scoring, but point scores are summed up at the end of the bout. Protective equipment used is boxing gloves and often foot-pads, shin pads, and amateur boxing helmets. It had its origin when Joe Lewis ,

962-491: Is Ashigaru-Ryu founded by Sensei Bob Peppels in the Netherlands. Another type of Karate Hybrid fighting style is karate Zendokai. This type of karate is based on striking and grappling techniques. Other sport rules, including versions allowing full contact bare knuckle strikes to the unprotected head, exists, but tend to be small and obscure compared to the above listed major formats. These rules tend to be restricted to

1036-525: Is Bogu kumite , which is most often associated with a few traditional Okinawan styles of karate like Chito-ryu , Isshin-ryu , Shorinji-ryu and Nippon Kempo . This format of continuous competition uses heavy protective padding to avoid injuries. In the beginning, this protective padding was based on the helmet and armor of Japanese kendo with gloves to protect the knuckles from the helmet's steel bars, although in modern days more specific padding has been developed. While allowing knockout as winning criterion,

1110-401: Is a knockdown or sweep, the bout is continuous, with stoppages only to break up locked clinches or if the fighters leave the fight area. Unlike American full-contact karate, or point karate, clean hits are not counted in and by themselves, as the scoring depends entirely on the effect of the hits, not on the formal or stylistic appearance of the techniques. No matter the perfection in execution of

1184-408: Is a style of Kickboxing from Korea which was founded by Jung Mo-Do. It is a hybrid style which is composed by Taekwondo, Western Boxing and Muay Thai rules and techniques. Korean Kickboxing uses the basic kicking style of Taekwondo, but also adds typical Muay Thai techniques, as well as footwork and dodging tactics of Western Boxing. Rules: Full Contact (also referred to as American Kickboxing )

1258-498: Is a traditional continuous fighting using full contact, gloves and face-punches, used in Gojuryu karate. Mumonkai use rules similar to knockdown karate, but modified to allow head-punches with protective headgear and thin gloves. In France, a full contact karate promotion called pro fight karate, has been formed for professional karate with MMA style gloves, clinching and limited grappling. An example of full contact karate rules unique to

1332-460: Is bare knuckle fighting. Grabbing and holding the opponent, including clinching, is not allowed under the basic- knockdown karate rules as used in Kyokushin, but are occasionally allowed in some variations used in other styles. Points are scored by knocking the opponent out, down to the floor, by sweep and controlled follow up for half a point, or by otherwise visibly incapacitating them. Unless there

1406-446: Is closely related to American kickboxing , and it is often difficult to separate the two sports. As a guideline, both do not allow kicks below the waistline, or the use of knees or elbows. One more recent system of full contact karate that has gained in popularity is Gloved karate or Glove karate . Sometimes called Shin-karate / Shinkarate (or "new" karate, in a partial translation) depending on sport organization and promoter -with

1480-456: Is common all over the world. Despite the lack of a unifying sport organization to hold unifying championships (and the friction between the different styles and organizations), there is a long tradition in most knockdown karate organizations to hold special open-tournament knockdown karate events, where fighters from any knockdown karate (or any other) style and organization are welcome to participate. A second full contact karate competition format

1554-702: Is drastically decreased. These changes were aimed at reducing injuries and making bouts more accessible to TV viewers. Oriental rules bouts were traditionally fought over 5, 3-minute rounds but 3 round bouts have since become popular. The male kickboxers are bare-chested wearing shorts (although trousers and karate gis have been worn) and protective gear including: mouth-guard, hand-wraps, shin-wraps, 10 oz (280 g) gloves. Notable fighters under K-1 rules include Semmy Schilt , Badr Hari , Ernesto Hoost , Albert Kraus , Masato , Peter Aerts , Remy Bonjasky , Giorgio Petrosyan , Buakaw and Andy Souwer . Rules: Gwon Gyokdo, also known as Kun Gek Do and Kyuk Too Ki

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1628-402: Is essentially a mixture of Western boxing and traditional karate. The male kickboxers are bare-chested wearing kickboxing trousers and protective gear including: mouth-guard, hand-wraps, 10 oz (280 g) boxing gloves, groin-guard, shin-pads, and kick-boots and protective helmet (for amateurs and those under 16). Female kickboxers will wear a sports bra and chest protection in addition to

1702-660: Is mainly found in North America, where it originated, although it has a minor following in Europe. It is also similar to the competition format used in full contact Shotokan , Taekwondo , and the sport karate competitions using this format often blur the line between these two related arts. In 2018, a new professional league was launched with a new full contact rule set, called Karate Combat. The rules were developed by Hungarian karateka Adam Kovacs and allow full contact, with gloves, knockouts, and no grappling. Fighters who have joined

1776-785: Is no single international governing body, although some international governing bodies include the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (also known as WAKO), World Kickboxing Association , the Professional Kickboxing Association (PKA), International Sport Karate Association , International Kickboxing Federation , and World Kickboxing Network, among others. Consequently, 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

1850-513: The Ramayana and Rig Veda , compiled in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. The Mahabharata describes two combatants boxing with clenched fists and fighting with kicks, finger strikes, knee strikes and headbutts. Mushti Yuddha has travelled along the Indosphere and has been a preceder and a strong influence in many famous martial arts of Southeast Asia such as Muay Thai and Muay Laos . In

1924-523: The COVID-19 pandemic. Hybrid fighting karate is a form of full contact karate allows the use of both striking (Karate) and grappling ( Judo / Jujutsu ) techniques, both standing and on the ground. In 1981, Grandmaster Takashi Azuma created " Karatedo Daido Juku " in Sendai city, Miyagi prefecture. Daido Juku introduced "Kakuto Karate (Combat Karate)" a safe, practical and popular form of tournament karate using

1998-421: The K-1 ), as well as styles that originated independently from Kyokushin such as Ryukyukan from Okinawa and Muso-Kai karate. (Muso-Kai started with Shorin Ryu, Knockdown styles were a huge influence later) Though severely divided by rivaling styles and organizations (several of which use their own minor variations of the basic rules), and lacking a unifying sport organization, the sport of knockdown karate today

2072-451: The Pankration , a mixed martial art from ancient Greece , a form of kickboxing was used in its Anō Pankration modality, being able to use any extremity to hit. In addition, it is debated whether kicks were allowed in ancient Greek boxing , and while there is some evidence of kicks, this is the subject of debate among scholars. The French were the first to include boxing gloves into

2146-508: The United States ' earliest cross-style full-contact style martial arts tournaments as early as 1962. Between 1970 and 1973 a handful of kickboxing promotions were staged across the US. The first recognized bout of this kind occurred on January 17, 1970, and came about when Joe Lewis, a Shorin Ryu stylist who had also studied Jeet Kune Do with the legendary Bruce Lee , and noted champion in the Karate tournament circuit, grew disillusioned with

2220-520: The k1/oriental rule set, which allows knee strikes, kicking and punching. Oriental rules (also known as K-1 rules or unified rules , and sometimes referred to as Japanese kickboxing ) was the first combat sport that adopted the name of "kickboxing" in 1966, later termed "Japanese kickboxing" as a retronym . Since the 1990s, many of the largest kickboxing promotions such as K-1 , ONE Championship , Glory and Bellator Kickboxing adopted this ruleset. Oriental rules began to be developed by

2294-589: The "gloved", "MMA inspired" and "others" groups) originate as such a variation of the Knockdown karate rules. Although this sport format originated with the Kyokushin karate organization, it has spread until now and it's used by many karate styles and organizations. Karate styles embracing these rules are often called knockdown karate styles, and these include both organizations that originated from Kyokushin, such as Shidōkan Karate , Ashihara Karate , Enshin Karate , Shindenkai and Seidokaikan (the style that originated

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2368-672: 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 . There

2442-604: The 1970s by Georg F. Bruckner , who in 1976 was the co-founder of the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations . The term "kickboxing" as used in German-speaking Europe is therefore mostly synonymous with American kickboxing. The low-kick and knee techniques allowed in Japanese kickboxing, by contrast, were associated with Muay Thai, and Japanese kickboxing went mostly unnoticed in German-speaking Europe before

2516-468: The Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi and Karate practitioner Tatsuo Yamada , and it was initially intended as a mix of Karate and Muay Thai, but it was later affected also by the Dutch rules , which were first formalised in the Netherlands in the 1970s. The primary difference between Muay Thai and Oriental Kickboxing was the prohibition of elbow strikes and throws. In addition, the amount of clinch fighting

2590-532: The Middleweight division. Edler defended the All Japan title several times and abandoned it. Other popular champions were Toshio Fujiwara and Mitsuo Shima . Most notably, Fujiwara was the first non-Thai to win an official Thai boxing title, when he defeated his Thai opponent in 1978 at Rajadamnern Stadium winning the lightweight championship bout. By 1980, due to poor ratings and then infrequent television coverage,

2664-505: The Netherland Kick Boxing Bond in the 1970s when the late Jan Plas brought the sport from Japan to his native country. The primary difference between Dutch rules and full Muay Thai rules was the prohibition of elbow strikes and the limited knees strikes (only to the body). However, elbows were allowed when both parties agree to it. These changes were aimed at reducing injuries and making bouts more accessible to TV viewers. Like

2738-680: The Netherlands, Mejiro Gym , Chakuriki Gym and Golden Glory , were all derived from or were significantly influenced by Japanese kickboxing and kyokushin karate. Dutch athletes have been very successful in the K-1 competitions. Out of the 19 K-1 World Grand Prix championship titles issued from 1993 to 2012, 15 went to Dutch participants ( Peter Aerts , Ernesto Hoost , Remy Bonjasky , Semmy Schilt and Alistair Overeem ). The remaining four titles were won by Branko Cikatić of Croatia in 1993, Andy Hug of Switzerland in 1996, Mark Hunt of New Zealand in 2001 and Mirko Filipović of Croatia in 2012. Some of

2812-553: The San Jose Sharks. Norris passed the WCL to his son-in-law Damien Diciolli in 2007, and it has since become inactive. Strikeforce MMA was sold to UFC in 2011. The ISKA expanded into sport (tournament) martial arts about 15 years ago, and is a co-operator along with WAKO and Global Marketing Ventures (GMV) in the global Open World Tour (OWT) the first worldwide pro circuit of sport karate professional competitors. It sanctions and assists in

2886-590: The Thai counterpart, the fights are accompanied with the traditional Thai music during a battle. The Dutch kickboxing rules were instrumental to the development of the K-1 rules. Notable fighters under Dutch rules include Alistair Overeem , Bas Rutten , Melvin Manhoef , Gegard Mousasi , Remy Bonjasky and Peter Aerts . Rules: Full contact karate Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors spar (also called Kumite ) full-contact and allow

2960-947: The Thai fighter was taken by Osamu Noguchi who was a promoter of boxing and was also interested in Muay Thai. The Thai fighter's photo was on the magazine "The Primer of Nihon Kempo Karate-do, the first number" which was published by Yamada. There were "Karate vs. Muay Thai fights" on February 12, 1963. The three karate fighters from Oyama dojo ( kyokushin later) went to the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand and fought against three Muay Thai fighters. The three kyokushin karate fighters' names are Tadashi Nakamura, Kenji Kurosaki and Akio Fujihira (also known as Noboru Osawa). The Muay Thai team were composed of only one Thai-born fighter. Japan won by 2–1: Tadashi Nakamura and Akio Fujihira both KOed opponents by punch while Kenji Kurosaki, who fought

3034-449: The Thai, was KOed by elbow. The only Japanese loser Kenji Kurosaki was then a kyokushin instructor rather than a contender and temporarily designated as a substitute for the absent chosen fighter. On June of the same year, karateka and future kickboxer Tadashi Sawamura faced against top Thai fighter Samarn Sor Adisorn, in which Sawamura was knocked down 16 times and defeated. Sawamura would use what he learned in that fight to incorporate in

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3108-547: The annual US Open & ISKA World Championships that anchors the OWT and the North American-based NASKA Tour. The US Open & ISKA World Championships is broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN3 each year. Other kickboxing sanctioning bodies include World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (primarily amateurs) and KICK International. In West Germany , American-styled kickboxing was promulgated from its inception in

3182-482: The competitors fought off until one was left. During this early time, kickboxing and full contact karate are essentially the same sport. The institutional separation of American full-contact karate from kickboxing occurred with the formation of the Professional Karate Association (PKA) in 1974 and of the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) in 1976. They were the first organised body of martial arts on

3256-488: 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

3330-452: The evolving kickboxing tournaments. Noguchi studied Muay Thai and developed a combined martial art which Noguchi named kick boxing , which absorbed and adopted more rules than techniques from Muay Thai. The main techniques of kickboxing are still derived from a form of Japanese full contact karate where kicks to the legs are allowed, kyokushin . In early competitions, throwing and butting were allowed to distinguish it from Muay Thai. This

3404-613: The face protector and allowing attacks to the head level attack, throws and grabs. Since then joint locks and chokes were included. Ever since, Daido Juku became a leading organization in the mixed martial arts boom in Japan. Daido Juku competition format, Kudo , allows any strike (including headbutts and groin kicks), throws and limited time grappling on the ground. Other groups combining traditional karate striking with grappling are Nihon zendokai with their "Vale Tudo Karate" and Kyokushin Budokai with their "allround fighting" rules, as well as

3478-587: The face, although it may be argued that it is unclear where this karate competition format ends and kickboxing begins. This is especially true since many gloved karate fighters seamlessly go on from their amateur gloved karate career to professional kickboxing careers. Many Japanese gloved karate fighters have in recent years become well known as pro-kickboxers, and many of the most successful Japanese kickboxers in K-1 , such as Kozo Takeda , Yoshihiro Sato , Yasuhiro Kido , Hinata , Yuya Yamamoto , originated in gloved karate. Still another form of full contact karate

3552-415: The fight by knockout in the second round. The event was advertised as "Full contact" but the announcers referred to it as Kickboxing, and rules included knees, elbows and sweeps. Lewis would defend his U.S. Heavyweight champion title 10 times, remaining undefeated until he came back from his retirement. In the early days, the rules were never clear; one of the first tournaments had no weight divisions, and all

3626-459: The first sporting event ever held there. UFC star Chuck Liddell has acted as an ambassador for the league. The rules of this contest is punches, kicks to the calf (not thigh) and to the head and body, as well as knee strikes. If a fighter gets knocked down the opponent can punch them on the ground for 5 seconds before the referee stops the fight or stand them back up. In December 2019, the league announced an extended schedule of fight events for

3700-446: The formation of glove karate as an amateur sport in Japan. Glove karate is based on knockdown karate rules, but wearing boxing gloves and allowing punches to the head. In effect, it is oriental rules kickboxing with scoring based on knockdowns and aggression rather than the number of hits. As K-1 grew in popularity, Glove karate for a while became the fastest-growing amateur sport in Japan. Count Dante , Ray Scarica and Maung Gyi held

3774-586: The general sense include: Since kickboxing is a broad term, understanding the history can be somewhat difficult, since combat is an inherent part of being human. Kicking and punching as an act of human aggression have probably existed throughout the world since prehistory. The earliest known depiction of any type of boxing comes from a Sumerian relief in Iraq from the 3rd millennium BC. Forms of kickboxing existed in ancient India . The earliest references to musti-yuddha come from classical Vedic epics such as

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3848-400: The golden-age of kickboxing in Japan was suddenly finished. Kickboxing had not been seen on TV until K-1 was founded in 1993. In 1993, as Kazuyoshi Ishii (founder of Seidokaikan karate) produced K-1 under special kickboxing rules (no elbow and neck wrestling ) in 1993, kickboxing became famous again. In the mid-1980s to early 1990s, before the first k-1, Kazuyoshi Ishii also partook in

3922-586: The growing popularity in competition, there has been an increased amount of participation and exposure in the mass media , fitness , and self-defense . On December 20, 1959, a Muay Thai match among Thai fighters was held at Asakusa town hall in Tokyo . Tatsuo Yamada , who established " Nihon Kempo Karate-do ", was interested in Muay Thai because he wanted to perform karate matches with full-contact rules since practitioners are not allowed to hit each other directly in karate matches. He had already announced his plan which

3996-477: The largest sport organizations being Shinkaratedo renmei and All Japan Glove Karate Federation This system originates in Japan where it has become a popular amateur sport for karate fighters wishing to enter professional kickboxing. Outside Japan it has gained some momentum in Europe, but is still very small compared to other forms of karate. The rules are based on the knockdown karate rules explained above, but modified to use boxing gloves and allow punches to

4070-603: The launch of K-1 in 1993. By contrast, in the Netherlands kickboxing was introduced in its Japanese form, by Jan Plas and Thom Harinck who founded NKBB (The Dutch Kickboxing Association) in 1976. Harinck also founded the MTBN (Dutch Muay Thai Association) in 1983, and the WMTA (World Muay Thai Association) and the EMTA (European Muay Thai Association) in 1984. The most prominent kickboxing gyms in

4144-561: The league include Rafael Aghayev of Azerbaijan, Davy Dona of France, Josh Quayhagen of Lake Charles, LA, and Achraf Ouchen of Morocco. Bas Rutten , the UFC Hall of Famer and actor on CBS's Kevin Can Wait , is part of the organization and has served as commentator for events in Budapest, Miami, Athens, Hollywood and New York City. The New York City event was held at the top of One World Trade,

4218-611: The longtime Governor of Tokyo. Champions were in each weight division from fly to middle. Longtime Kyokushin practitioner Noboru Osawa won the AJKA bantamweight title, which he held for years. Raymond Edler, an American university student studying at Sophia University in Tokyo, took up kickboxing and won the AJKC middleweight title in 1972; he was the first non-Thai to be officially ranked in the sport of Thai boxing, when in 1972 Rajadamnern ranked him no. 3 in

4292-516: The main World GP. Combatants of the quarter-finals of a 16-man 8-match tournament are paired by drawing, with the exception of the final in the Tokyo Dome . A lottery draw would take place in the beginning, with fighters pulling a ball from a glass bowl. The balls represent numbers 1 to 8, which determine the fighters' order in choosing a position from a giant tournament tree figure by standing in front

4366-436: The male clothing/protective gear. Notable fighters under full contact rules include, Dennis Alexio , Joe Lewis , Rick Roufus , Jean-Yves Thériault , Benny Urquidez , Bill Wallace , Demetrius Havanas , Billy Jackson, Akseli Saurama, Pete Cunningham , and Don "The Dragon" Wilson Rules: Semi Contact or Points Fighting , is the variant of American kickboxing most similar to karate, since it consists in fighting for

4440-408: The many rival sport/style organizations and different promoters. Some organizations stick rigidly to one set of rules. Other use several rule formats harmoniously side by side. Some even have tournaments that switch rule formats between rounds of the same bout. Sometimes the differences between the different rules are large, and sometimes the only significant differences between different sport rules are

4514-572: The middle of the decade, the first events with the term kickboxing were held in Osaka . By the 1970s and 1980s, kickboxing expanded beyond Japan and had reached North America and Europe. It was during this time that many of the most prominent governing bodies were formed. Since the 1990s kickboxing has been mostly dominated by the Japanese K-1 promotion, with some competition coming from other promotions and mostly pre-existing governing bodies. Along with

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4588-492: The native Asian martial arts in French Indochina . The use of European boxing gloves spread to neighboring Siam . It was during the 1950s that a Japanese karateka named Tatsuo Yamada first established an outline of a new sport that combined karate and Muay Thai . This was further explored during the early 1960s, when competitions between karate and Muay Thai began, which allowed for rule modifications to take place. In

4662-522: The only difference from light contact and semi contact karate bouts is that if the opponent is knocked out, it is a win instead of a disqualification for excessive contact. Points are scored for clean hits to the specified target zones, and unless there is an evident knockout or knockdown, the referee breaks the bout after each exchange to score the hits. The blows are delivered with full contact , although gloves, foot-pads, and in some cases body padding, are worn. This form of full contact karate competition

4736-521: The organization. In 1999 Fossum and Joe Taylor of Ringside Products created the first amateur open North American tournament for Kickboxing and Muay Thai, now the IKF World Classic. After ending its venture with K-1 in 2006, ISKA co-operated the World Combat League with Chuck Norris , and Strikeforce MMA in partnership with Silicon Valley Entertainment (SVE), an investor group who also own

4810-619: The organizational structures that use them. One major format of full-contact sport karate is known as knockdown karate or sometimes Japanese full contact karate . This style of sport fighting was developed and pioneered in the late 1960s by the Kyokushin karate organization in Japan, founded by Korean-Japanese Masutatsu Oyama ( 大山倍達 , Ōyama Masutatsu ) . In fighting the competitors traditionally wear no gloves, padding or body protection other than groin guards (although local regulations sometimes enforce exceptions to this tradition), but it

4884-490: The point-sparring format and sought to create an event that would allow martial artists to fight to the knock out. Enlisting the help of promoter Lee Faulkner, training in boxing and combining the techniques of boxing and Karate for the first time in America, Lewis arranged the bout to be held at the 1st Pro Team Karate Championships. Lewis faced Kenpo stylist Greg "Om" Baines, who had defeated two opponents in years pasts. Lewis won

4958-430: The protective equipment reduces the chances for it, and points are usually scored for clean techniques and techniques knocking the opponent off his feet. Nippon Kempo also allows grappling. Nevertheless, compared to most other major full contact karate sports, Bogu Kumite is still very small. One format of full contact karate competition is full contact point karate. It is similar to non full contact competition karate;

5032-455: The purpose of scoring points with an emphasis on delivery, speed, and technique. Under such rules, fights are held on the tatami , presenting the belts to classify the fighters in order of experience and ability. The male kickboxers wear shirts and kickboxing trousers as well as protective gear including: mouth-guard, hand-wraps, 10 oz (280 g). boxing gloves, groin-guard, shin-pads, kick-boots, and headgear. The female kickboxers will wear

5106-507: The top kickboxing promotions in the world are: Some of the notable kickboxing promoters in the world are: Kickboxing has a number of different rulesets. For example, Oriental/K-1 rules allow punches, high and low kicks and even knee strikes , while American kickboxing is limited to punches and kicks only above the belt (high kicks). In the first two decades of the 21st century, several larger kickboxing promotions such as Glory , One Championship and Bellator Kickboxing have adopted

5180-480: 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 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

5254-621: The year around the world with an event in Kyoto, Japan, planned for the Spring. The Kyoto fight was cancelled and the promotion held two events that year, one in Orlando, Florida and one in Hollywood with guest announcer Danny Trejo . In April 2020, the league announced a new plan that would hold all of a season's fights in one location and use CGI to add the exotic atmosphere; the plan was partially in response to

5328-499: Was later repealed. The Kickboxing Association , the first kickboxing sanctioning body, was founded by Osamu Noguchi in 1966 soon after that. Then the first kickboxing event was held in Osaka on April 11, 1966. Tatsu Yamada died in 1967, but his dojo changed its name to Suginami Gym , and kept sending kickboxers off to support kickboxing. Kickboxing boomed and became popular in Japan as it began to be broadcast on TV . By 1970, kickboxing

5402-538: Was named "The draft principles of project of establishment of a new martial art and its industrialization" in November 1959, and he proposed the tentative name of "karate-boxing" for this new art. It is still unknown whether Nak Muay was invited by Yamada, but it is clear that Yamada was the only karateka who was really interested in Muay Thai. Yamada invited a champion Nak Muay (and formerly his son Kan Yamada's sparring partner), and started studying Muay Thai. At this time,

5476-475: Was telecast in Japan on three different channels three times weekly. The fight cards regularly included bouts between Japanese (kickboxers) and Thai (Muay Thai) boxers. Tadashi Sawamura was an especially popular early kickboxer. In 1971 the All Japan Kickboxing Association (AJKA) was established and it registered approximately 700 kickboxers. The first AJKA Commissioner was Shintaro Ishihara,

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