Kickboxing is a martial art which was made for beating
Muay Thai by Japanese boxing promotor
Osamu Noguchi in 1950. Opponents are allowed to hit each other with fists and feet, hitting above the hip. Using elbows or knees is forbidden and the use of
the shins is seldom allowed (except in Thai boxing, where the knee is also allowed).
Forms of
kickboxing include:
-
Pradal Serey (Khmer kickboxing) = A predecessor of Muay Thai
- Muay Thai (Thai boxing/kickboxing) = Strong emphasis on knee and elbow strikes
-
Savate (French kickboxing) = Allows the use of shoes
- San Shou/
Sanda (Chinese
Kickboxing) = Takedowns and throws are legal
- Lethwei (Burmese Kickboxing) = Any part of the body may be used to strike and be struck
- Japanese kickboxing = Similar to Muay Thai, but different point system is taken
- Full Contact Karate (American Kickboxing) = Most of the time padding and in some cases body armour is used
- Shoot boxing = A Japanese form of kickboxing which allows throwing and submission while standing similar to San Shou