Kickboxing vs. Krav Maga
Quick answer
Kickboxing and Krav Maga have no common root: kickboxing arose in Japan in the sixties by combining karate and Thai boxing, Krav Maga was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld from boxing and wrestling for the Israeli army. Kickboxing is a sport of punches and kicks under the rules of a discipline (point fighting, light contact, full contact, low kick, K1 style), Krav Maga a self-defence system with elbows, the ground and defence against weapons, without sporting competitions. Kickboxing is not Olympic, WAKO has had full IOC recognition since 2021.
At a glance
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | Israel |
| Origin | c. 1966 | 20th century (present form) |
| Founder | Osamu Noguchi | Imi Lichtenfeld |
| Contact | Semi-contact · Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) | Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) |
| Sparring | Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) | Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) |
| Competition format | Mixed | No competitions |
| Olympic status | Not Olympic | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | No | Yes (belts) |
| Rank recognition | fragmented | fragmented |
| Attire | Protective gear | No specific attire |
| Weapons | No weapons · Weapons optional (depending on style) | Weapons optional |
| Forms | Forms optional | No forms |
| Relative cost | medium | medium |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Kickboxing and Krav Maga have no common root and no documented mutual influence. Kickboxing arose in Japan by combining karate with Thai boxing, Krav Maga was put together by Imi Lichtenfeld from European boxing and wrestling for the Israeli army.
- 1929: Lichtenfeld wins the national boxing championship.
- 1948: Lichtenfeld becomes chief instructor of Krav Maga in the IDF.
- 1966: Osamu Noguchi founds an association and gives kickboxing its name, the first event in Osaka.
- 1970: Joe Lewis wins the first recognised bout of American full contact.
- 1998: after Lichtenfeld’s death Krav Maga splits among several organisations.
Technique
- Punches and kicks, in K1 style and K-1 also knees.
- Full contact: kicks only to the trunk and head, low kick adds kicks to the thigh.
- WAKO prohibits elbows, throws, strikes to the back, to a downed opponent and groin strikes.
- Clinch: in WAKO K1 style prohibited, in K-1 rules at most 5 seconds.
- Punches, hammer strike, elbows, knees and kicks.
- Targets: eyes, throat, groin, knee.
- Escapes from holds, joint locks, throws and the ground.
- Defence against a knife, a stick and a firearm.
Both have punches and kicks. Krav Maga adds elbows, targets prohibited in sport, the ground and weapons. Krav Maga Worldwide states that kickboxing is also practised in its fight courses.
Training
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | technique of punches and kicks, rounds, sparring | stress drills, scenarios, defences against weapons |
| Sparring | WAKO grading: controlled from the green belt, full contact at 2nd dan | in some organisations slow and light up to grade G2 |
| Rhythm | WAKO ring 3 rounds of 2 minutes | Krav Maga Alliance: rounds of 2 minutes on pads |
Kickboxing trains for a bout in a single discipline, Krav Maga for scenarios outside the rules. We have not been able to confirm the structure of a lesson or the training frequency of kickboxing. IKMF Netherlands counts on 9–18 months of training twice a week for the first exam.
Progression and ranks
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | WAKO: belts white to brown, then dan grades, the programme is optional | IKMF patches P, G, E, elsewhere coloured belts after judo |
| Minimum times | 6 months between kyu grades, 12 months to 1st dan | IKMF Netherlands: at least 45 lessons before P1 |
| Competition and grade | WAKO requires competitions from the orange belt | competition is not a condition |
In kickboxing level is also shown by competition results. In Krav Maga only the exam at the organisation the club belongs to decides.
Physical load and risks
- Nevada, 15 years (Lystad 2015): 390.1 injuries per 1,000 exposures, 57.8% to the head, professionals 2.5 times more often than amateurs.
- Professionals in Victoria 1985–2001 (BJSM): 109.7 injuries per 1,000 participations.
- We have not been able to confirm a study of tatami disciplines.
- 946 injuries of IDF soldiers from training (2014): mostly mild, most often hands and wrists (31%), head and neck insignificant.
- 109 civilian trainees (Cureus 2024): most often lower limbs, the data partly contradict each other.
Who it suits
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | WAKO: seniors 19–40 | IKMF Netherlands: from age 16, elsewhere from 18 |
| Veterans | WAKO: masters 41–55 on tatami | we have not been able to confirm a programme for seniors |
| Women | all WAKO categories, own weight classes | women’s course Stay Away (IKMF Netherlands) |
| Other groups | WAKO amateurs, K-1, Glory, ONE professionals | civilians, police and army |
Children
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | WAKO: children 7–9, cadets 10–15 | IKMF Netherlands: Kiddies 5–7, Kids 8–11, juniors 12–15 |
| Competition | only tatami disciplines, ring from age 15–16 | has no competition |
| Mandatory protectors | helmet, mouthguard, groin guard, in point fighting a face mask for children | at IKMF exams a mouthguard and shin guards |
| Children’s training | we have not been able to confirm it | games without exams, for Kids a partial exam every 2 months |
| Studies of children | France 2016–2018: 1,340 emergency visits of 10 to 18-year-olds from combat sports incl. kickboxing, not broken down by sport | we have not been able to confirm it |
| Statements by physicians | AAP and CPS (2011) speak about boxing, they do not mention kickboxing | we have not been able to confirm it |
Self-defence
- Sparring against a partner’s resistance at the distance of punches and kicks.
- The clinch, throws, the ground and weapons are not covered by WAKO rules.
- Tatami with controlled force, ring with full force.
- Priority goes to avoiding violence and de-escalation.
- Escapes from holds, the ground, weapons and multiple attackers.
- A partner’s resistance is limited in some organisations up to grade G2.
Kickboxing tests punches and kicks against resistance, but only standing. Krav Maga covers the clinch, the ground and weapons, the degree of resistance depends on the organisation. We have not been able to confirm a study of the transfer of training to real self-defence for either.
Practical use
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Fitness load | cardio kickboxing, 15 women (ACE): 75–85% of maximum heart rate, 350–450 kcal per hour | DVD lesson, 16 people (ACE): 78% of maximum heart rate, 616 kcal |
| Fitness variant | cardio kickboxing, a fitness class without competition | Krav Maga Worldwide: Fitness programme with Krav Maga basics and kickboxing |
| Study of women | we have not been able to confirm it | 16 female university students (PeerJ 2020): 15 minutes of instruction improved both punch and kick |
| Health programmes | Parkinson’s disease (Radboudumc 2023): 10 weeks of boxing with kicks, balance improved as with boxing without kicks | we have not been able to confirm it |
| Professional use | we have not been able to confirm it | Israeli army and police |
The studies concern small groups and short programmes and cardio kickboxing is not competitive kickboxing. No general conclusion about suitability can be drawn from them.
Competition
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | not in the programme, WAKO has had full IOC recognition since 2021 | not a competitive sport |
| Amateur competitions | WAKO: tatami (point fighting, light contact, kick light, forms) and ring (full contact, low kick, K1 style) | none, since 2013 the IDF has held a competition with unconfirmed rules |
| Bout length | WAKO ring 3 × 2 minutes, K-1 3 × 3 minutes | no competition format exists |
| Professional scene | K-1, Glory, ONE Championship | the IDF soldier Moti Horenstein lost at UFC 10 and UFC 14 |
Gear and costs
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | depends on the discipline: long trousers or shorts | IKMF for exams a grey T-shirt and black trousers |
| Equipment | gloves 8–10 oz, helmet, mouthguard, groin guard, shin guards | gloves, mouthguard, shin guards, a protective suit for training assaults |
| Relative costs | medium | medium |
Availability and organisations
| Kickboxing | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Organisations | amateur WAKO, also ISKA, WKA, WKN, IKF | IKMF, KMG, Krav Maga Worldwide, IKMA |
| Recognition of grades when moving | WAKO grading is optional, we have not been able to confirm recognition between organisations | we have not been able to confirm mutual recognition |
In both, what matters is the organisation the club belongs to. In kickboxing the rules of the disciplines differ, in Krav Maga the syllabi of organisations founded after 1998.
Switching and combining
- Punches, kicks and fitness from rounds.
- Habit of contact in sparring.
- Learning elbows, escapes from holds, the ground and defence against weapons.
- Punches, kicks and work on pads.
- Learning to fight in rounds under the rules of a discipline.
- Unlearning elbows, throws and strikes to the eyes, throat and groin.
On the left the move from kickboxing to Krav Maga, on the right the opposite direction. Krav Maga Worldwide includes kickboxing in its fight courses, we have not been able to confirm an influence in the opposite direction.
Philosophy
- A modern Western sport without a philosophical framework of its own.
- The goal is set by the discipline: points on tatami, KO or points in the ring.
- Motto according to IKMF: So that one may walk in peace.
- Priority goes to avoiding violence, attack only as a last resort.
Forms and terminology
Kickboxing has forms as a WAKO tatami discipline without fighting: combinations of punches and kicks against an imaginary opponent, with or without music, with or without a weapon. Krav Maga has no forms, IKMF Netherlands examines techniques and scenarios according to grade.
Training culture
- A full-force ring and tatami with controlled force.
- The Japanese television boom around Tadashi Sawamura after 1966.
- Jean-Claude Van Damme: PKA title 1980 and the film Kickboxer (1989).
- Origin in the military training of the Haganah and the IDF.
- At IKMF a grade patch on the trousers instead of a belt.
- Children at IKMF Netherlands have entries in a passport with stamps.
We have not been able to confirm the greeting or the form of address for the trainer in either.
Common misconceptions
- Kickboxing does not have a single set of rules. Point fighting, light contact, low kick, K1 style and American full contact differ in techniques and in force.
- Kickboxing is not Olympic, since 2021 WAKO has had only full IOC recognition.
- Cardio kickboxing is a fitness class, not competitive kickboxing.
- Krav Maga does not have a single organisation, IKMF, KMG, Krav Maga Worldwide and IKMA have their own grades.
- The Krav Maga Worldwide claim of the number one system is advertising, not the result of a study.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Does Krav Maga derive from kickboxing?
No. Lichtenfeld developed it from the forties from boxing, wrestling and street fighting, kickboxing got its name only in 1966 in Japan. Krav Maga Worldwide today includes kickboxing in its fight courses.
Does Krav Maga have competitions like kickboxing?
Not sporting ones. Since 2013 the IDF has held an annual competition with unconfirmed rules. Kickboxing has WAKO amateur competitions and the professional K-1, Glory and ONE Championship.
Is kickboxing Olympic?
No. Since 20 July 2021 WAKO has had full IOC recognition and kickboxing is at the World Games, but it is not in the programme of the Olympic Games.
Is sparring full force in both?
In kickboxing it depends on the discipline: tatami with controlled force, ring with full force. In Krav Maga it depends on the organisation, in some sparring is slow and light up to grade G2.