What is kickboxing like in Britain today?

In August 2023 WAKO's British member changed its name and its shape. Kickboxing GB emerged from WAKO GB as a not for profit body with a volunteer board, four year terms, half the board elected every two years, in line with Sport England's Code for Sports Governance, as its own news tells it. ^80,81 The board grew from six places to 12; 11 were filled in September 2026, with a director for Scotland and one for Wales. ^80,81

A circuit

Its national circuit is the GB Grand Slam, which began in 2018. By September 2024 it had run 14 events with 11,621 entries from 530 clubs. ⁸¹ Above it sit the British Championships, in Sheffield on 27 and 28 February 2027, and the National Open, in Warwick on 24 and 25 April 2027. ⁸⁰ Medallists at the Nationals are invited to national squad training, the first step towards Team GB. ^80,81 In September 2026 Great Britain topped the medal table at the WAKO Youth World Championships in Jesolo, with 102 medals. ⁸¹

A rule about age

Under WAKO's rules a competitor's age is counted by year of birth, and juniors of 16 to 18 may enter senior tatami categories. ⁴¹ Kickboxing GB has gone further. Since 3 August 2025, at every event it sanctions and for its members competing abroad, a junior may enter a senior division only if 18 on the day of the event. ^81,82 The change followed a parliamentary debate on children's safety in combat sports, and Kickboxing GB says it is asking WAKO to adopt the same rule. ⁸¹

Its Safe Practise Policy, spelled that way by the body, asks clubs to split training by WAKO age groups, to spar across ages or sexes only in touch contact learning drills, and to keep head contact in training light at all times and to a minimum, even where a competition format allows it. ⁸² On concussion it follows the UK grassroots guidance: if in doubt, sit them out, nobody back within 24 hours, no competition for at least 21 days. ^80,81,131

Northern Ireland

Kickboxing Ireland governs kickboxing across the whole island under WAKO and the Irish Martial Arts Commission. It reports 3,500 members and 150 trained coaches, and says it has members in their seventies. ⁸⁷ Its answer to what a beginner needs is loose fitting clothes and "a big bottle of water". ⁸⁷

A first class

A first class is usually a warm up, footwork, punches and kicks in the air and on pads, and some fitness work, with no sparring on day one. ^47,82 WAKO's grading programme starts with a front guard and a side guard, stepping without dropping the hands, then the jab, cross, hook and uppercut and the front and roundhouse kicks, first in the air and then on pads. ⁴⁷

Sparring, when it comes, uses controlled contact and full WAKO kit, with a head guard in every fighting format. ^41,82 Many members of Kickboxing Ireland never take part in combat at all. ⁸⁷

Two kinds of kickboxing class

Many adults first meet kickboxing on a gym timetable. fitness kickboxing means punching and kicking pads, bags or the air as exercise, usually with no partner contact, no sparring and no grades; WAKO itself says the sport can be practised recreationally for health, strength and endurance. ^40,47 Branded classes such as BODYCOMBAT are described by their owner as no contact. ⁹²

Who runs the clubs

EveryDojo's directory lists over 400 kickboxing clubs, and most belong to no body at all. ^141,142 Kickboxing has no single belt system either: WAKO's scheme is optional, Kickboxing GB publishes no syllabus, and other bodies and clubs grade their own way or not at all. ^47,80

So the questions for any club are the ones this story has been circling since Osaka: which body, which format, and is there contact? ^41,80