Kickboxing

Kickboxing is a form of full - contact fighting, created by the Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi in the 1960s. The first to show interest in Muay Thai was Tatsuo Yamada - a Japanese karateka. He invited a Thai fighter to train with. After some years of studying Muay Thai, Noguchi, who was also interested in Muay Thai, pronounced his new martial art - kickboxing. Kickboxing was essentially a combination of karate and Muay Thai, designed so that matches could be held in full contact. The first kickboxing event was held in Osaka on April 11 1966. During the same year the Kickboxing Association was created. The rules of kickboxing in Japan are almost the same as Muay Thai, with the difference being the removal of the pre-match dance, the music and scoring.

During the 1970s a number of kickboxing events were held throughout the USA. Back then there was no set of rules to define the matches. After many attempts to create a single organization to govern these events, the World Kickboxing Association was formed. The rules of kickboxing in America and Australia differ from Japanese rules in the exclusion of elbow and knee hits and hits below the hip.