Terminology
The term "kickboxing" can be used in a narrow and in a wide sense.
- The narrow use is restricted to the styles that self-identify as kickboxing, i.e. Japanese kickboxing (with its spin-off styles or rules such as Shoot boxing and K-1), and American kickboxing.
- In the wider sense, it includes all stand-up combat sports that allow both punching and kicking, including Savate, Muay Thai, Indian boxing, Burmese boxing, Sanda, styles of Karate, etc.
The term kickboxing (キックボクシング) 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 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 and Japanese kickboxing, Burmese and Thai boxing, any style of full contact karate, etc.
Arts labelled as kickboxing in the wider sense include:
- The Indochinese family of kickboxing sports (also known generically as muay) including:
- Khmer Pradal Serey – similar to Muay Thai with an emphasis on elbow techniques(Ring-wise).
- Thai Muay Boran (Ancient boxing) – Predecessor of Muay Thai, allows the use of headbutts.
- Thai boxing or Muay Thai – the modern Thai martial art with strong emphasis on knee and elbow strikes.
- Burmese Lethwei, a traditional Burmese martial art of which has now grown into a popular kickboxing event with strong emphasis on knee, elbow strikes and headbutt. Any part of the body may be used to strike and be struck. It is also known as Bando kickboxing.
- Laotian Muay Lao – Laotian boxing which is similar to Muay Thai
- Filipino Yaw-Yan – Sayaw ng Kamatayan (Dance of Death) is the proper name for Yaw-Yan, a Filipino martial art developed by Napoleon Fernandez. The art resembles Muay Thai in a sense, but differs in the hip torquing motion as well as downward-cutting of its kicks.
- Indian Musti yuddha (also known as Muki boxing) and Adithada, a form of kickboxing that uses knee, elbow and forehead strikes in Southern kalaripayattu.
- French Savate, a historical sport which developed in the 19th century.
- modern competition-oriented hybrid martial arts that developed in parallel with Japanese and American kickboxing:
- Any style of Full contact Karate
- Sanda (Sanshou) (Chinese Boxing ) – The applicable component of wushu/kung fu of which takedowns and throws are legal in competition as well as all other sorts of striking (use of arms and legs).
- Shoot boxing – A Japanese form of kickboxing which allows throwing and submission while standing, similar to Sanda.
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