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Kickboxing
full-contact combat sport in which the gloved competitors may punch and kick with bare feet / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kickboxing is a descriptive term for martial arts that, while similar to boxing, use the feet just like the hands to hit. Kickboxing can be practiced for general health, or as the fight sport. The word kickboxing represents a set of disciplines or sports of combat that use the feet and the fists. Especially, kickboxing is one of the disciplines of Boxe pieds-poings which was developed at first by the Japaneses and afterwards by the North Americans. There are different kinds of kick boxing, most popular form is one where kicks are allowed towards head & torso only.
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In the middle of the years 1960, the Japanese Kurosaki, who trained in Kyokushinkai Karate, travelled to Thailand discovering Thai boxing. In his returning to the Japan decided to combine his techniques of karate with that of Thai boxing, removing elbow strikes (the Americans also removed knee strikes), so a new sport called "kickboxing" was born.
Among the non-Japaneses that gained more successes, a special consideration should be given to Frenchman Christian Guillaume who in 1969 gained four victories and two draws; and American Benny "The Jet" Urquidez who in 1977 defeated Tatsuyuki Suzuki in four rounds. Andrew Tate is also well known for Kickboxing in the I.S.K.A
In 1973 Urquidez and Howard Hanson created the W.K.A. (World Karate Association), changing years after the "K" de karate for that of Kick-Boxing.
The more known champions are Badr Hari, Jamal Ben Saddik, Rob Kaman, Benny Urquidez, Dennis Alexio, Ernesto Hoost, and Marek Piotrowski.