International Kickboxing Day is celebrated on November 30th. It commemorates when the provisional International Olympic Committee recognized the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO). Today, the kickboxing community aims to promote the values of the combat sport that combines kicking and punching! Each fight occurs in a boxing ring, and fighters typically wear gloves, mouthguards, and shorts. The term kickboxing originated in Japan in the 1960s. It developed by combining various traditional styles, including karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Savate.
THE HISTORY OF KICKBOXING
Kickboxing is a Japanese hybrid martial art basically comprising elements of punching and kicking. It was developed by adapting fighting techniques from Karate, Western boxing, and Muay Thai. It originated in the 1960s in Japan and gained practitioners in America during the next ten years. By 1974, its popularity in the United States was symbolized by the first World Championship being held by Professional Karate Association. By the 1990s, the addition of more ground fighting techniques adapted from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, contributed to the development of Mixed Martial Arts.
BIRTH AND EVOLUTION
Kickboxing is said to be an evolved version of Thailand’s martial art form Muay Thai. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Siamese soldiers of Thailand practiced a kind of boxing known as Muay Boran. The martial art continued to develop as a combat system until the 19th century when it was popularized as a form of recreation, self-defense, and physical fitness. It also evolved into a kind of sports event with rules and the use of safety accessories including gloves. By the 1920s, the style was prominently known as Muay Thai.
Some years later, a Japanese boxing expert Osamu Noguchi came across the art of Muay Thai. He always wanted to develop a kind of fighting technique that had the soul of Karate but allowed full striking. After studying Muay Thai, he merged it with full contact techniques of Karate and boxing, which eventually became what we know today as Kickboxing. A few years later, the first kickboxing organization, called Kickboxing Association, was formed in Japan.
Today kickboxing is being practiced with a number of unique movements all over the globe. World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) as the IF is the IOC-recognized world governing body. It has 147 member countries from five continents, focusing on good governance, transparency, and accountability.
