Discipline hub
Punches, kicks and knees, no elbows: the fast, combination-heavy ring sport built from karate, Muay Thai and boxing.
Kickboxing is a family of ring sports that allow punches and kicks – and in most modern rule sets knees – but no elbows and only a brief clinch. The name was coined in Japan in the 1960s for a sport that mixed karate with Muay Thai and boxing; in the 1970s Dutch gyms built their own version from Kyokushin karate, Muay Thai and Western boxing, and that Dutch style became the template for K-1 in the 1990s and for most kickboxing gyms in Europe and North America today. American full-contact kickboxing, with kicks only above the waist, is a separate branch that has largely faded.
Anyone who wants to learn to punch and kick in combination with boxing-style movement, and anyone looking for the most accessible striking class in town. Kickboxing is taught in specialist gyms, martial-arts schools and fitness chains alike. Boxers and karateka pick it up quickly; people who later want elbows and the clinch move on to Muay Thai, which shares most of the technique. Gloves, hand wraps, shin guards and a mouthguard are the usual kit.
Further reading: Kickboxing on Wikipedia
Kickboxing
Training
Kicking with the foot, no pivot, no hip, a chambered knee, a dropped hand: six mistakes that turn the hardest strike in stand-up into a slap, and the fix.
8 min read · 20 Sept 2026
Training
A boxing stance in a kicking sport, no check, a lazy teep, hands down in the clinch: seven mistakes Thai trainers correct in every beginner, each with a drill.
8 min read · 20 Sept 2026
Training
Pushing the bag, standing still, no defence, no breathing, rounds with no job: six heavy bag mistakes that turn training into noise, and the fix for each.
6 min read · 20 Sept 2026
Training
Going too hard, trying to win, holding your breath, closing your eyes, always retreating: seven sparring mistakes that stop beginners learning, and their fixes.
7 min read · 20 Sept 2026
Training
Dropped hands, crossed feet, held breath, loaded punches: the seven mistakes every coach sees in every beginner, why your body insists on them, and the fix.
9 min read · 20 Sept 2026
Kickboxing
Gear
Nine wraps ranked from 90,000 buyer reviews: the cloth wrap that survives the wash, the $9 one everybody owns, the only quick wrap that fits, and two to avoid.
10 min read · 21 Sept 2026
Gear
Eight gloves ranked from 80,000 buyer reviews: the one to buy once, the safest all-rounder, the best under $50 and the pairs the reviews warn you off.
12 min read · 17 Sept 2026
Kickboxing
Comparison
Hands only or hands and feet? Fitness, weight loss, learning curve, injuries, cost, self-defence and competition compared, and which one suits your goals.
6 min read · 20 Sept 2026
Comparison
Elbows, knees and the clinch versus faster hands and feet: rules, style, fitness, injuries and cost compared, and which one to choose.
7 min read · 20 Sept 2026
Kickboxing
Recommendations from our reviews. Links are affiliate links, clearly labelled.
The glove to buy once: the best wrist support in the category and two to three years of hard use in the reviews.
Pros
Cons
The safest all-rounder: almost no bad reviews, three-year durability reports and the widest colour range – as long as your hands are not large.
Pros
Cons
The wrap to buy once: the best quality ratio of any wrap we looked at, survives the washing machine, and the only best seller with no Velcro-failure pattern.
Pros
Cons
The children's glove with the lowest complaint rate we found: well made, room to grow, padding that lasts.
Pros
Cons
