American kickboxing

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These are rules used in American and Australian Full Contact Karate.

  • Opponents are allowed to hit each other with fists and feet, striking above the hip
  • Using elbows or knees is forbidden and the use of the shins is seldom allowed.
  • Bouts are usually 3 to 12 rounds (lasting 2 - 3 minutes each) for amateur and professional contests with a 1-minute rest in between rounds.
A counter-attack with a front kick (push kick)
A counter-attack with a front kick (push kick)

This is in contrast to Muay Thai where the use of elbows and knees are allowed; in fact some Muay Thai practitioners consider kickboxing a "watered down" version of Muay Thai. Fighters and promoters can agree to various rules including kicks only above the waist, kicks anywhere, no knee strikes, knees only to the body, and so on. American Kickboxing is essentially much a mixture of Western Boxing and Karate.
The round durations and the number of rounds can vary depending on the stipulations agreed to before hand by each fighter or manager. A winner is declared during the bout if there is a submission (fighter quits or fighter's corner throws in the towel), knockout (KO), or referee stoppage (Technical Knock Out, or TKO). If all of the rounds expire with no knockout then the fight is scored by a team of 3 judges. The judges determine a winner based on their scoring of each round. A split decision indicates a disagreement between the judges, while a unanimous decision indicates that all judges saw the fight the same way and all have declared the same winner.


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Professional kickboxing organizations
Governing bodies:
IKAS • IKBC • IKF • ISKA • USKBA • WAKO • WBC Muay Thai • WFK • WIKBA • WKA • WKBA • WKF • WKN • WKU • WMC •
American promotions:
Shooto Brasil • Strikeforce • WCL •
Asian promotions:
A1 World Combat Cup • All Japan Kickboxing • I-1 • J-Network • K-1 • KOMA • Lumpinee Stadium • MARS • NJKF • Rajadamnern Stadium • R.I.S.E. • S-Cup • S1 World Championship •
European promotions:
Heaven or Hell • It's Showtime • KlasH • Kombat League • Power of Scotland • Rings Holland • Slamm • Too Hot Too Handle •
Oceanian promotions:
Evolution • Knees of Fury • KO World Series • Ring Wars • X-plosion •
Defunct promotions:
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Martial arts by focus
Martial arts are listed by area of primary focus; please note that they may include training in the other areas.
Striking
Grappling
Weaponry
Mixed, hybrid,
and multi-discipline