The words you hear in kickboxing class

kickboxing

A stand up fighting sport with punches and kicks. In its narrow sense the styles that call themselves kickboxing; in its wide sense any sport that allows both punches and kicks. The word was introduced in Japan in the 1960s.

Muay Thai

Thailand's national fighting sport, the art of eight limbs: fists, elbows, knees and feet, with a clinch. Kickboxing borrowed from it; kickboxing never allows elbows.

karate空手

The Japanese and Okinawan striking art. Japanese kickboxing grew from karate teachers meeting Muay Thai; American kickboxing grew from full contact karate.

savate

French boxing, a kicking and punching sport fought in shoes. Counted as kickboxing in the word's wide sense; no club in the UK directory uses the name.

WAKO

The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations, the world body for amateur kickboxing in seven formats, recognised by the International Olympic Committee since 2021.

WAKO PRO

WAKO's professional arm, established in 1991.

Kickboxing GB

The body recognised by the UK sports councils for kickboxing in England, Scotland and Wales, affiliated to WAKO; it emerged from WAKO GB in August 2023. Sometimes shortened to KBGB.

Kickboxing Ireland

The body recognised for kickboxing in Northern Ireland, governing the whole island of Ireland under WAKO and the Irish Martial Arts Commission. Also written KBI.

ISKA

The International Sport Kickboxing Association, originally the International Sport Karate Association, founded in the United States in 1986 after the PKA declined. It sanctions its own events in the UK and is not recognised by the UK sports councils for kickboxing.

WKA

Founded in October 1976 as the World Karate Association, later the World Kickboxing Association, today WKA International. Run from the UK from 1994 and from New Zealand since December 2018. Not recognised by the UK sports councils for kickboxing.

WKUWORLD

The World Karate and Kickboxing Union, a company in Karlsruhe, Germany, with its own belt programme and events in the UK. Not the Western Karate Union, which also uses WKU.

PKA

The Professional Karate Association, founded in 1974, the most successful professional kickboxing body of the 1970s in the United States, the UK and much of Europe.

BCKA

The British Chinese Kickboxing Association, Team BCKA, founded in 1996 and based in Corby. Not the British Combat Karate Association, which shares the initials.

Sportdata

The online system WAKO and Kickboxing GB use for event entries and results.

RSportZ

WAKO's membership platform, where Kickboxing GB clubs register.

UKAD

UK Anti-Doping. Kickboxing GB adopted its rules for all licensed members in December 2023.

IOC

The International Olympic Committee, which recognised WAKO provisionally on 30 November 2018 and fully in July 2021. Recognition of a federation is not the same as a place in the Olympic Games.

tatami畳

The mat area, 7 m by 7 m in WAKO rules with a 1 m safety border, 10 m by 10 m for forms; also the name for the group of mat formats fought with light, controlled contact.

ring

A roped boxing ring, 5.2 m to 6.1 m inside four ropes in WAKO rules; also the name for the group of full power formats fought in it.

point fighting

The tatami format that stops after every score: light, controlled contact, a referee and two judges, open hand gloves. Also called semi contact, points or point sparring. Children's first format, from the year they turn 7.

light contact

The tatami format that keeps going: light, controlled and continuous, with three judges counting clean hits and 10 oz gloves. ISKA calls it light continuous. From 13 in WAKO.

kick light

Light contact plus controlled kicks to the thigh, fought in shorts. From 13 in WAKO.

musical and creative forms

A solo routine against imaginary opponents, to music, with or without a weapon, scored by judges from 7.0 to 10.0. Kickboxing's forms event; there are no set kata.

full contact

The ring format of American kickboxing: full power, punches and kicks above the waist only, at least six kicks a round in WAKO rules. From 15.

low kick

As a format: full contact plus kicks to the thigh. ISKA calls it freestyle. As a technique: a roundhouse kick to the thigh.

K1 Style

WAKO's ring format with kicks to any part of the leg, knees and the spinning backfist, no elbows. Named after K-1 rules, also called oriental rules; the format of most professional kickboxing.

K-1 rules

The rules of the Japanese promotion K-1, founded in 1993: punches, kicks including low kicks, knees, no elbows and little clinching. Also called oriental rules.

K1 Light

ISKA's light contact version of K-1 rules, at about a fifth of full power, with a body guard for juniors.

unified rules

An ISKA amateur and professional rule set, shared with a boxing commission body in the United States.

kick count

The minimum number of kicks a fighter must throw in WAKO full contact, six a round and 18 a bout, checked by kick counters.

Grand Champ

An open weight point fighting event at cups and opens.

team event

Point fighting with teams of three, one two minute round each, open weight.

beginner

In WAKO rules a competitor with under a year of training and at most five cups or opens, who has never fought in regular categories. Beginner events run at cups and opens, never at championships.

P, win on points

A bout won on the judges' scores rather than by a stoppage.

KD, knockdown

Any part of the body other than the feet touches the floor after a strike, or the fighter is dazed; the referee counts to at least eight.

KO, knockout

The fighter cannot carry on after a count of 10. Every knockout brings a minimum ban that covers training as well as competition.

TKO

A technical knockout: in WAKO ring formats three knockdowns in one fight, two for younger juniors, end it.

RSC

Referee stops the contest; RSC-H when it is stopped after blows to the head.

AB, abandonment

A fighter retires, or does not come out for the next round.

DISQ, disqualification

Removed from the bout, for example after a fourth official warning, a third knockdown caused by uncontrolled strikes, or a fourth exit from the tatami.

WO, walk over

The opponent does not appear.

maximum score

A lead that ends the bout early: 10 points in point fighting, 15 on two judges' cards in light contact and kick light.

sudden death

In point fighting, after a drawn extra minute, the next score wins.

caution

A first word from the referee without stopping the fight, given once a bout.

verbal warning

The fight, not the clock, is stopped to explain a foul, once a bout.

official warning

Fight and clock stopped for a foul; the second and third bring a minus point, the fourth disqualification.

minus point

A point taken off; in light contact and kick light it takes three points off each judge's total.

exit

Stepping fully out of the tatami with even one foot. In point fighting each exit is a minus point and the fourth disqualifies.

children

WAKO's youngest group, 7, 8 and 9 in the year of the event: point fighting and forms only, with a face mask.

cadets

WAKO's younger cadets, 10 to 12, may enter point fighting and forms; older cadets, 13 to 15, add light contact and kick light.

juniors

On the tatami, 16 to 18. In the ring, younger juniors are 15 and 16 and older juniors 17 and 18, the first ages allowed in the full power formats.

seniors

WAKO's adult group, 19 to 40, open to every format. Kickboxing GB lets a junior into a senior division only if 18 on the day.

masters

WAKO's group for 41 to 55, also called veterans: point fighting, light contact and kick light.

N, C, B and A class

ISKA Europe's fighter classes by number of wins: novice under 3, C over 3, B over 6, A over 12.

amateur

Kickboxing with head guards and short rounds: every WAKO championship, Kickboxing GB's amateur competitions and the World and European Games.

professional

Kickboxing fought for promotions or bodies' professional arms, with no single world championship. In England and Wales a public show that mixes boxing with martial arts needs a local licence.

aerokickboxing

A choreographed fitness routine, offered by WAKO's grading programme as an alternative to competition for students who do not compete.

fitness kickboxing

Punching and kicking pads, bags or the air as exercise, usually with no partner contact, no sparring and no grades. Also called kickfit or cardio kickboxing.

head guard

A padded helmet covering the forehead, top, sides and back of the head, the face open. Compulsory in every WAKO fighting format for every amateur age group.

face mask

A clear guard fixed to the head guard, compulsory in WAKO point fighting for children and younger cadets.

gum shield

A soft mouth guard over the upper teeth, or both rows for a fighter with braces on the lower teeth. Compulsory in every WAKO fighting format.

point fighting gloves

8 oz gloves with an open palm, the fingers and thumb covered at the front. Also called semi contact or open hand gloves.

kickboxing gloves

10 oz closed gloves with the thumb fixed, like boxing gloves, for light contact and every ring format.

hand wraps

Cotton strips 2.5 m to 5 m long wound round the hands under the gloves; compulsory with kickboxing gloves.

shin guards

Foam pads over the shin; shin and instep together for low kick and K1 Style.

foot protection

Padded boots covering the instep, sides and heel, open under the sole, also called kick boots or safety kicks; for the tatami formats and full contact.

groin guard

A hard cup, compulsory for male and female fighters in WAKO.

breast protector

A hard plastic chest guard worn under the top, compulsory for female older cadets, juniors and seniors in WAKO.

elbow pads

Soft pads over the elbows, compulsory in WAKO point fighting.

Sport Pass

A WAKO fighter's record book, where knockouts and stoppages are written.

shake hands

The referee's call at the start of a bout: the fighters touch gloves as a sign of respect.

fight

The referee's command to start, or to carry on.

break

The referee's command to separate from a body to body position; each fighter steps back once before carrying on.

stop

The referee's command to stop fighting at once.

stop time

The referee's call for the timekeeper to stop the clock, shown with the hands making a T.

time

The referee's call to restart the clock after a time stop, followed by fight.

out

Said at the end of a count of 10, or at once after a heavy knockdown: the fight is over.

no score

Crossed arms at waist level: a referee or judge did not see a legal technique land, in point fighting.

guard

Hands up to protect the face, elbows close to the body. WAKO's first grade teaches a front guard and a side guard, each on the left and the right.

footwork

Stepping forward with the front foot and back with the rear foot without dropping the guard; later side steps, angled steps and dragging the rear foot up behind the front.

distance

Short range for hooks and uppercuts, medium for straight punches and knees, long for kicks and long punches.

jab

A quick straight punch with the lead hand.

cross

A straight punch with the rear hand, turning the hips. WAKO rules call the straight punches direct punches.

hook

A curved punch to the side of the head or body.

uppercut

A rising punch, often to the chin.

backfist

A strike with the back of the knuckles from a bent arm. Allowed in WAKO point fighting, not spinning.

spinning backfist

A backfist thrown while turning a full circle. In WAKO only K1 Style allows it.

ridge hand

A strike with the thumb side edge of the open hand, allowed in point fighting.

knee strike

The knee driven up or round into the body, legs or head. In WAKO allowed only in K1 Style.

elbow strike

A strike with the point of the elbow. Not allowed in any WAKO format; it belongs to Muay Thai.

clinch

Close range holding. Banned in every WAKO format but K1 Style, where the 2022 rules allowed five seconds and one knee; from 1 January 2027 K1 Style bans clinching, holding and grabbing too.

combination

Techniques thrown in a set order, for example jab, cross and hook, or jab, cross and a lead leg body kick.

front kick

The knee lifted straight forward and the foot driven out, usually with the ball or sole of the foot; also called a push kick.

roundhouse kick

The leg swings round to strike with the instep or shin; also called a round or turning kick.

side kick

Driven out sideways with the edge or heel of the foot.

hook kick

The leg extends past the target and hooks back. WAKO tatami rules insist on the sole of the foot, because the back of the heel is dangerous.

crescent kick

A sweeping kick in an arc, inside to outside or outside to inside.

axe kick

The leg raised high and brought down; WAKO tatami rules again insist on the sole.

back kick

Turning away and driving the heel back into the target.

jumping and spinning kicks

Any kick thrown while turning or in the air. In point fighting a jumping kick to the head scores three, but only if the kicker is still in the air when it lands.

foot sweep

Sweeping the opponent's foot, boot to boot at ankle level, to unbalance them. The only technique to the legs allowed in point fighting, light contact and full contact.

block

Stopping a strike with the forearm or glove; WAKO's first grade lists high, middle and low blocks.

parry

Deflecting a punch sideways with the glove.

slip

Turning the head and shoulders so a punch passes by.

bob and weave

Bending the knees to duck under a punch and rising on the other side.

cover up

Gloves and forearms held tight to the head and body as a last resort.

check

Lifting the shin to block a leg kick. In WAKO kick light a deliberately checked thigh kick scores no point.

dan段

A black belt grade, borrowed from Japanese. WAKO's optional scheme runs from 1st to 10th Dan; WKA's from 1st to 9th. Each body sets its own standard.

WAKO belt scheme

White, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and black, with at least six months between colour grades and a year from brown to black; approved by WAKO in November 2024 and optional for its national members.

black belt

In WAKO's scheme the first black belt needs a candidate at least 16 in the year of grading and a short written paper on kickboxing history. Kickboxing GB publishes no syllabus of its own.