The History of Kickboxing
Muay Thai Boxing is a hard martial art that originated in Thailand. There is evidence that it can be traced back to a form of ancient boxing used by Siamese soldiers called Muay Boran. During the Sukothai era (1238 – 1377), Muay Boran began the transition to a means of personal advancement for nobility as well as a style for warriors to practice, and its evolution continued when King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) ascended to Thailand’s throne in 1868. Under Chulalongkorn’s peaceful leadership, the art transitioned to a means of physical exercise, self-defense, and recreation. Further, it began to be practiced at events like a sport, and rules were adopted which included the use of gloves and other protective gear.
In 1920, the term Muay Thai began to be used, separating itself from the older art of Muay Boran.
Many years later, a Japanese boxing promoter by the name of Osamu Noguchi came to know the martial arts form of Muay Thai. Along with this, he wanted to foster a style of martial art that held true to karate in some ways but allowed full striking, as the karate tournaments at the time did not. Along with this, in 1966 he pitted three karate fighters against three Muay Thai practitioners in a full contact style competition. The Japanese won this competition 2-1. Noguchi and Kenji Kurosaki, one of the fighters that took on the Muay Thai opposition back in 1966, then studied Muay Thai and blended it with full contact karate and boxing to form a martial art style that would eventually come to be known as kickboxing.
