Tatsuo Yamada
A Japanese karate teacher
He had the idea of a karate contest fought to a finish, and looked to Muay Thai to build it.
- He announced his karate boxing plan in November 1959 and studied Muay Thai.
Kickboxing
Punches and kicks, from a Tokyo promoter's new word to a Berlin founding, Wembley and the ring and the mat near you: one name for several sports, told by the people who built them.
Kickboxing is a stand up fighting sport of punches and kicks. The name covers several related sports and class types rather than one fixed martial art: in its narrow sense the Japanese, American and Dutch styles that call themselves kickboxing, and in its wide sense any sport that allows both fists and feet. 1 The word itself was introduced in Japan in the 1960s by the boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi, for a mix of and . 1,9
In the UK most competition follows the world body , through and , and runs from light contact on a mat for children to full contact in the ring for adults. Other bodies run their own events, and most UK clubs belong to no body at all. 40,41,54,58,60,89,141
A class is usually a warm up, footwork, punches and kicks in the air and on pads, and fitness work, with no sparring on the first day. Some clubs train for competition and later spar in full protective kit; others are fitness classes with no contact at all. 47,82,87,92 Kickboxing has no single belt system: WAKO's scheme is optional, Kickboxing GB publishes no syllabus, and many clubs grade their own way or not at all. 47,80
So the first questions for any club are: which body, which format, and is there contact? 41,80
The story of kickboxing
The same true story, told two ways. Pick the one for you.
For younger readers
Ages 8 to 11, read aloud if you like. 7 short chapters, each with a Listen button.
Through the years
Drag along the line, or tap a dot, to meet the people of each time.
19592025
1959
A karate teacher plans karate boxing
Tokyo, Japan
In November 1959 a karate teacher announced a plan for a full contact "karate-boxing", a karate that would hit rather than stop short. In December Thai fighters came to Tokyo for a Muay Thai event, the Thai sport of fists, elbows, knees and feet.
Learn about kickboxing
Belts and gradesKickboxing has no single belt system. WAKO's scheme is optional, Kickboxing GB publishes no syllabus, other bodies run their own, and many clubs have no grades at all.TechniquesA guard, footwork, a handful of punches and kicks, and the defences against them. What changes from format to format is where you may hit, how hard, and whether knees and leg kicks are allowed.FormatsKickboxing has no kata. In their place are seven WAKO formats, four on the mat and three in the ring, and the other bodies' versions of them: the place to start before a first competition.Your first classLoose clothes and a big bottle of water, a warm up, footwork, punches and kicks on pads, and no sparring on day one. The questions to ask before you join, and the kit you will hear about.CompetitionWAKO's age groups, rounds, scoring, medical rules and 2026 changes; Kickboxing GB's circuit and its stricter rule on age; ISKA, WKA and WKUWORLD side by side; and where kickboxing stands with the Olympics. Dated, because rules change.Governing bodiesOne recognised chain, WAKO to Kickboxing GB and Kickboxing Ireland, several independent world bodies that sanction events in the UK, and most clubs belonging to none of them. Recognised always says by whom.Grading theoryWhy many kickboxing clubs hold no grading at all, what WAKO's optional black belt asks for, and a practice set of 15 example questions.The words you hear in class110 terms, each with a Hear it button.
Find a kickboxing club near you
Or browse every kickboxing club by town.
Every page can be read aloud by your device. Tap Listen at the bottom of a chapter.
Written from checked sources, listed on the sources page. Pictures are drawn, with computer help, under our direction; none shows a real child. Recorded chapters are read by a computer voice; Hear it on a word uses your device's own voice.