Kickboxing rules

[Romano338]

Hi!

Since a few weeks, we have more and more kickboxing on the french TV sport channel!

So I'm still trying to figure out how everything works, which seems not all easy.

So abbout the rules, I'm discovering that they are different types of rules:

- Muay Thai: pretty much everything, elbows, knees, clinch, allowed to throw your opponent, to catch the kicks, high/middle/low kicks,...
- K1: no elbows, only 1 knee, short clinch, no throw, can't catch the leg
- Full-contact: like K1, but nothing below the belt (except a small destabilization on the ankle)

Or there any other specific rules in MT/K1/FC types?
Or there any other type of rules?

On an other type of topic, for example in the last event I saw, the French ruce Codron won the european belt to a Danish in 64.9kgs (not sure) in K1 rules.
So does that means he is the "European K1 champion in his division" or is it more complicated than that (different organizations, rules,...)?

Last question (for now ); at the beginning 'when I started whatching UFC), I thought K1 was just an organization which was doing a tournament, "the K1".
And it seems like it is a japanese organization.
So now we're talking about K1 rules, is that just because these rules were specific to this organization, and nowsome other organization uses this rules?

Thank you!

 

[Viva Italia]

Muay Thai rules are pretty standard but kickboxing rules are a mess because any promoter/sanctioning body/organization has or can have their own, different rules. Regarding Codron, yeah it's definitely more complicated than that. There are like 74577578548 belts/sanctioning bodies with "champions" so there isn't really a universal champion.

 

[shinkyoku]

There are a lot of different kickboxing rule systems.
Some use the name kickboxing, other (like muay thai) tries to profile itself as unique due to its history. But really, its all just window-dressing.

You have Savate (french kickboxing -using shoes and no knees or elbows), shootboxing (japanese kickboxing -similar to muaythai but allowing standing submissions), glove karate (knockdown karate with gloves and headpunches), sanshou/sanda (chinese kickboxing -similar to muay thai but allowing a lot more throws but usually no elbows). Muay thai is very limited in its throwing. You are not allowed to do what is often described as "judo" throws or "karate" sweeps".
This is just to mention a few of the ones that tries not to be, or to be more than, "kickboxing".

Basically every kickboxing organization (and there are a lot of different kickboxing organizations) create their own rule system.

"Full contact" kickboxing is sometimes called full contact karate. Originating in the US by mixing point karate and boxing, it allows no lowkicks (or elbows or knees). However when it spread to europe low kicks was added, and now you have 2 types of full contact. With and without lowkicks (kickboxing without lowkick is becoming more and more rare, though).
sometimes organizations use several rules side by side.

K-1 stared out as a japanese organization with its own rules (still is), but it became extremely popular and everyone wanted to fight that way. The established kickboxing organizations adapted, and added "k-1 rules" even when they had no connection to the k-1 organization. After all, early k-1 didnt have a feeder system, but instead drafted champions from other organizations. The promising fighters from the different organizations wanted to prepare themselves in case they got a break and was invited.

Nowdays The old k-1 is basically split between k-1 and the rival "Glory world series".

 

[Romano338]

Ok so as I thought, it's very complex!
The sport I'm the more used too is soccer, and it's way easier. I think it's maybe better also, because more understandable and "legitimate".
In soccer, you only have one big organization "FIFA". If you are World Champion of the FIFA, you are THE world champion.

So I guess the best way to learn is too watch as more as I can!

Thank you for your answers!

 

[Dubbios]

You mean futbol.

 

[theranch]

Worth mentioning as well that Muay Thai is scored differently to K1 despite looking the same but with Elbows and Clinch it's a very different pace and style because some techniques are scored better than others. A punch to the head that doesn't clearly hurt or wobble your opponent doesn't really score but an unblocked kick to the body would score very well (showing balance skill etc.) leads to a more kicking and knee heavy style whereas "K-1" or "Dutch" style scores every technique even and favours punch combinations into low kicks. Also Kicks to the arms score in Muay Thai but not in Kickboxing which has lead to a lot of arguments about decisions E.G. Sittichai Vs Van Roosmalen.

 

[spacetime]

There are a lot of different kickboxing rule systems.
Some use the name kickboxing, other (like muay thai) tries to profile itself as unique due to its history. But really, its all just window-dressing.

You have Savate (french kickboxing -using shoes and no knees or elbows), shootboxing (japanese kickboxing -similar to muaythai but allowing standing submissions), glove karate (knockdown karate with gloves and headpunches), sanshou/sanda (chinese kickboxing -similar to muay thai but allowing a lot more throws but usually no elbows). Muay thai is very limited in its throwing. You are not allowed to do what is often described as "judo" throws or "karate" sweeps".
This is just to mention a few of the ones that tries not to be, or to be more than, "kickboxing".

Basically every kickboxing organization (and there are a lot of different kickboxing organizations) create their own rule system.

"Full contact" kickboxing is sometimes called full contact karate. Originating in the US by mixing point karate and boxing, it allows no lowkicks (or elbows or knees). However when it spread to europe low kicks was added, and now you have 2 types of full contact. With and without lowkicks (kickboxing without lowkick is becoming more and more rare, though).
sometimes organizations use several rules side by side.

K-1 stared out as a japanese organization with its own rules (still is), but it became extremely popular and everyone wanted to fight that way. The established kickboxing organizations adapted, and added "k-1 rules" even when they had no connection to the k-1 organization. After all, early k-1 didnt have a feeder system, but instead drafted champions from other organizations. The promising fighters from the different organizations wanted to prepare themselves in case they got a break and was invited.

Nowdays The old k-1 is basically split between k-1 and the rival "Glory world series".

Full Contact Kickboxing was not mixing point Karate with boxing. Any trace of Karate punching was quickly erased du to the boxing gloves worn. It's more like half-assed boxing mixed in with instep Karate kicks. Later Muay Thai kicks were added.