The term Kickboxing  was introduced in 1960s by Japanese Boxing promoter

Osamu Noguchi as a hybrid martial art combining Muay Thai and Karate which he

introduced in 1958 with competitions held since the 1960s. American kickboxing 

originates in the 1970s. Japanese Kickboxing developed into K-1 in 1993.

The French term Boxe pieds-poings (literally "feet-fists-boxing") is also used in the

sense of "Kickboxing" including French boxing (Savate) as well as

American Full Contact Karate and Burmese Thai boxing, etc. 

This approach became increasingly popular since the 1970s, and since the 1990s,

Kickboxing has contributed to the emergence of Mixed Martial Arts- MMA  

via further hybridization with ground fighting techniques from jujutsu and 

wrestling. Kickboxing helps enhance strength, stamina, coordination, flexibility and

helps in  lowering anger, stress and frustration.

 

Martial Arts labeled as Kickboxing in the wider sense include:

• Khmer Pradal Serey – similar to Muay Thai with an emphasis on elbow techniques from Cambodia.

• Thai Muay Boran (Ancient boxing) – Predecessor of Muay Thai, allows the use of head butts of Thailand.

• Thai boxing or Muay Thai – the modern Thai martial art with strong emphasis on knee and elbow strikes of Thailand.

• Burmese Lethwei, a traditional Burmese martial art of which has now grown into a popular kickboxing event with strong emphasis on knee, elbow strikes and headbutt. Any part of the body may be used to strike and be struck. It is also known as Bando kickboxing.

• Laotian Muay Lao – Laotian boxing which is similar to Muay Thai

• Filipino Yaw-Yan(Dance of Death), founded by Napoleon Fernande,  differs from Muay Thai in the hip torque motion as well as downward-cutting of kicks.

• Indian Musti yuddha (as Muki boxing) and Adithada, a form of kickboxing that  uses knee, elbow and forehead strikes in Southern Kalaripayattu.

• French Savate, a historical sport which developed in the 19th century.

• Any style of Full Contact Karate

• Sanda (Sanshou) (Chinese Boxing ) – The applicable component of Wushu / Kung Fu of which takedowns and throws are legal in competition as well as all other sorts of striking (use of arms and legs).

• Shoot boxing – A Japanese form of Kickboxing which allows throwing and submission while standing, similar to Sanda.

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Apart Kickboxing is also essentially a term that is used to describe a number of sports such as Bokatur from Combodia, Yaw Yan from Phillipines , Indian Mushti Yudha.

The institutional separation of American full contact karate occurs with the formation of the Professional Karate Association (PKA) in 1974 and of the World Kickboxing & Karate Association (WKA) in 1976. The impact of the WKA on world martial arts as a whole was revolutionary. WKA is  the pioneer  and most organised International Federation of Kickboxing and other Martial Arts on a global scale to sanction fights, create ranking systems, and institute a development programme.

But it was not until 1974 that the first official “World Championship in Full Contact” took place in Los Angeles. Joe Lewis and Mike Anderson were the main organizers at that time.American Kickboxing was promulgated in Germany from its inception in the 1970s by Georg F. Bruckner and Mike Anderson who had the vision and the initiative to create a new “World All-Style Karate Organization” which later changed to “ World Association of Kickboxing Organisations” in short “WAKO” started its activity in Europe in 1976 and was founded in Berlin, Germany on February 26th, 1977. Mr. Georg Bruckner promoted the first ever World Championships in Semi and Full Contact Karate (as initially the discipline was called in those days) back in 1978 with 110 competitors representing 18 countries. WAKO immediately created the rules and regulations for the new fighting sports including punches (hand techniques) and kicks (leg techniques) for amateur fights with maximum use of safety equipment. WAKO legends Bill Wallace, Jeff Smith and Joe Lewis were the first Full Contact World Champions.The new term KICKBOXING was officially adopted to define the sport and WAKO started to act as the authentic Kickboxing Federation in the world. From 1984 till 2013, WAKO was leaded by Mr. Ennio Falsoni (Italy) a former European Karate Champion, who organized and consolidated WAKO as respectable International Sports Organization and now decorating as its is Honorary President. Because of his vision and hard work today WAKO is recognised by International Olympic Committee-IOC.

Other than WKA & WAKO there are some other organizations are promoting Kickboxing such as ISKA, IKF, WKF, WKC, WTKA, WKO, IKC, etc. in their own way.

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In 2017 Grandmaster Harichandan formed International Kickboxing Confederation - IKC as its President and Mr. Alan Foster  as Chairman in a vision to promote the new generation combat sports-Kickboxing worldwide independently. IKC is secured legally with the Trade Mark Registration in India.

The IKC ASIA is functioning from IRAN headed by its President Kancho Akbar Rouhparvar.
 

Kickboxing is a modern martial art that combines the powerful kicks of Karate ,Taekwondo and Muay Thai with the basic techniques and hand movements of Boxing. It is a rigorous, total body workout comprised of controlled kicking, punching and jabbing movements carried out to the accompaniment of lively music in some of its events.

 

Also Kickboxing is essentially a term that is used to describe a number of sports that include a mix of kicking and punching such as Bokatur from Combodia, Lethwei from Burma, Yaw Yan from Phillipines, Loatian Muay Lao, Indian Mushti Yudha, French Savate, Full Contact Karate from USA and the immensely influenced by Muay Thai from Thailand.

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