Punching and kicking are the main combat moves in kickboxing. The fighting occurs in a boxing ring, usually with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to encourage the usage of kicks. Self-defense, general fitness, and competitive kickboxing are all reasons to practice the sport. Among the several kickboxing disciplines are karate, muay thai, Japanese kickboxing, sanda, and savate. Even though people have engaged in hand-to-hand combat since the dawn of time, the first records of the usage of kicking and punching in sports conflict come from ancient Greece and ancient India. However, the name kickboxing was first used in Japan in the 1960s and evolved from karate and boxing in the late 1950s. Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Savate also had some effect, and since then, competitions have been organized

When the Professional Karate Association (PKA) conducted the first World Championships in September 1974, American kickboxing, which had its beginnings in the 1970s, gained popularity. From a historical perspective, kickboxing may be viewed as a hybrid martial art created by fusing aspects of numerous traditional styles. Since the 1970s, this strategy has grown in popularity, and since the 1990s, kickboxing has helped to shape the development of mixed martial arts by further fusing with folk wrestling and ground fighting maneuvers from Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (commonly known as WAKO), the World Kickboxing Association, the International Sport Karate Association, the International Kickboxing Federation, and the World Kickboxing Network are just a few of the international regulatory bodies. There isn’t a single kickboxing world championship, so many promotions, including Glory, K-1, and ONE Championship, among others, award champion titles. The laws that apply to fights staged by various regulatory bodies vary, for example, as to whether knees or clinching are permitted.

International rules, or freestyle kickboxing, which is often referred to as “low kick” in the US, differ from full-contact regulations in that low kicks are permitted. The male kickboxers are bare-chested and outfitted with 10-ounce (280 g) boxing gloves, mouth guards, hand wraps, shin wraps, and groin guards, as well as kickboxing shorts or trousers. The male attire and safety gear will be worn by the female kickboxers in addition to a sports bra and chest protection.