By Alex Papadopoulos

 Kick boxing is a combat sport that combines boxing and kicking. It is based on the boxing of Thailand and it is widespread throughout the world because of its practicality. It comes from Japan and North America, and combines the techniques of boxing with the kicks of karate and tae kwon do.

In 1970, the first games of kickboxing began to be conducted, and in 1977 the World Federation of the sport was founded, the World Kickboxing Association (WKA).

 Combat kickboxing is divided in amateur kickboxing (in which the athletes wear protective equipment) and in professional (in which they are not allowed to use protective equipment).

 The biggest event of world kick boxing is K -1. Iron Mike is the one who represents Greece in the professional kickboxing world championship, who won the Japanese championship and the Australian K -1, and has been included among the top kick-boxers in the world.

 There are lots of combat styles and gradations in kickboxing: the full contact, semi contact, light or medium contact, body contact and low kicks. There are also many sports related to kickboxing and vary depending on the country of origin. The most famous of them is the Muai Thai, or Thai Boxing, which is the national sport of Thailand and is created by the traditional Muai Thai, Mui Boran, and the combat kickboxing. The techniques of the boxing of Thailand are identical to those of kickboxing with the difference that in Muai Thai the use of elbows and knees is permitted. Another well-known style of kickboxing is Savate, which comes from France and its techniques are almost identical to those of the American kickboxing.