Although kickboxing dates back about 2,000 years, current kickboxing styles have only been around for about 40 or 50 years, according to the Nemours Foundation. Kickboxing can be competitive or practiced for self-defense or fitness training. The different kinds of kickboxing all share some similarities, but the amount of contact and type of technique varies.
American
American kickboxing has rules very similar to English boxing, and the combat sport allows for full-fist strikes and kicks. This kind of kickboxing originated in 1970 by combining boxing and karate.
Lethwei
Lethwei is a kind of Burmese kickboxing that places emphasis on elbow and knee strikes and headbutts, although the entire body can be used to strike. Lethwei, which comes from Myanmar, is sometimes called Bando kickboxing. Lethwei competitors do not wear padding, even though the sport is full contact.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is the modern form of Thai kickboxing, and it places emphasis on elbow and knee strikes while using stand-up striking. Unlike its predecessor, Thai Muay Boran, Muay Thai does not allow headbutts. Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand.
Filipino
Filipino kickboxing is commonly referred to as Yaw-Yan, or Dance of Death. It was developed by Napoleon Fernandez and is similar to Muay Thai. Yaw-Yan is characterized by its downward-cutting kicks, smooth motions and hip-torquing moves.
Sanda
Sanda, or Sanshou, was created by the Chinese military to combine methods of various traditional martial arts. Sanda is now practiced as a contact sport and does not allow elbow or knee strikes.
Cardio Kickboxing
Cardio kickboxing combines aerobic exercise with martial arts and boxing to provide an intense, fast-paced cardiovascular workout to improve health and fitness and promote weight loss. Many cardio kickboxing classes also offer strength training, and some teach very basic self-defense tactics. This type of modern kickboxing is becoming increasingly popular and is taught at many gyms across the United States. Cardio kickboxing does not allow for contact between participants.
Posted in: Kickboxing