Taekwondo vs. Kickboxing
Quick answer
Taekwondo and kickboxing both emerged from the world of karate, taekwondo in Korea after 1945, kickboxing in Japan in the sixties by combining karate with Thai boxing. WT kyorugi scores mainly kicks and permits the fist to the trunk only, kickboxing is divided into point fighting and light contact on tatami and ring disciplines with full-force strikes to the head. Taekwondo has been Olympic since 2000, WAKO has had full IOC recognition since 2021, but kickboxing is not in the Olympic programme.
At a glance
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | South Korea | Japan |
| Origin | 1955 | c. 1966 |
| Founder | Choi Hong-hi | Osamu Noguchi |
| Contact | Full contact · Light contact (depending on style) | Semi-contact · Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) |
| Sparring | Full contact · Light contact (depending on style) | Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) |
| Competition format | Point fighting | Mixed |
| Olympic status | Current Olympic sport | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | No |
| Rank recognition | by federation | fragmented |
| Attire | Gi required | Protective gear |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons · Weapons optional (depending on style) |
| Forms | Forms at the core | Forms optional |
| Relative cost | medium | medium |
| Katas and forms in the encyclopedia | 41 | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 84 | – |
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
Taekwondo and kickboxing both emerged from the world of karate. Taekwondo arose in Korea after 1945, kickboxing in Japan in the sixties by combining karate with Thai boxing. In American full contact the paths met: its pioneers included students of Korean taekwondo masters.
- 1955: Choi Hong Hi introduced the name taekwondo, and in 1966 he founded the ITF.
- 1962: Jhoon Rhee, the father of American taekwondo, opened a studio in Washington.
- 1966: the first event under the name kickboxing, in Osaka.
- 1973: Kukkiwon and the WTF, and in the USA Jhoon Rhee’s Safe-T protective gear for controlled-contact sparring.
- 1974: Mike Anderson, who began in taekwondo, organised the first full contact world championship, and in 1977 he co-founded WAKO.
Technique
- Kyorugi WT: fist to the trunk only, the head is hit only by kicks.
- WT points: fist 1, kick to the trunk 2, to the head 3, turning kick 4 or 6.
- WT penalises grabbing, holding, pushing and kicks to the legs.
- ITF: light contact, a hand strike to the head is permitted.
- Point fighting: stopped after every hit, strike 1 point, kick to the head 2, jumping kick 3.
- Light contact: no stoppages, controlled force.
- Full contact without leg kicks, low kick with kicks to the thigh, K1 style with knees.
- WAKO prohibits elbows, throws and strikes to a downed opponent.
ITF and WAKO point fighting score similarly: light contact, a strike to the head 1 point, a kick to the head 2, a jumping kick 3. WT does not recognise a fist strike to the head and scores turning kicks highest.
Training
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | forms (poomsae, tul), kicks, step sparring | the sources do not state the structure of a lesson, strikes and kicks in rounds |
| Free fighting | kyorugi in protective gear (WT), light contact (ITF) | controlled sparring from the green belt (WAKO) |
| Other parts | breaking (gyeokpa), hosinsul, breathing and meditation | forms as an optional discipline |
A taekwondo practitioner divides time between forms, grading tests and fighting, a kickboxer between tatami and ring according to the discipline. We have not been able to confirm the ratio of forms, sparring and conditioning or the number of sessions per week.
Progression and ranks
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | gup with coloured belts, dan usually up to the 9th | WAKO: white to brown belt, 1st to 7th dan |
| Waiting periods | Kukkiwon: 1 year between the 1st and 2nd dan, 2 years between the 2nd and 3rd | 6 months between kyu, 12 months to the 1st dan, then 2 and 3 years |
| First dan | from age 16, up to age 15 the poom grade | in the year the candidate turns 16 |
| Who awards | Kukkiwon (WT), ITF organisations independently | 1st to 3rd dan the national federation, from the 4th dan WAKO |
In taekwondo, the belt test is the usual path of a student. The WAKO grading programme is optional and from the orange belt requires participation in competitions.
Physical load and risks
- WT junior world championships (889 athletes): 38.55 injuries per 1,000 starts.
- Australian amateurs: 59.93 per 1,000 starts.
- In training 7.0 injuries per 1,000 hours.
- Most often the knee (21.3%), instep and foot (17.0%).
- Nevada, 481 fighters: 390.1 injuries per 1,000 exposures, head 57.8% (Lystad, 2015).
- Professionals in Victoria: 109.7 per 1,000 participations (Br J Sports Med).
- We do not have a study of point fighting and light contact.
Who it suits
| Taekwondo (WT) | Kickboxing (WAKO Europe) | |
|---|---|---|
| Youth | cadets 12–14, juniors 15–17 years | tatami from age 7, ring from age 15 |
| Seniors | from age 17 | 19–40 years |
| Older age | poomsae over 65 years | masters 41–55 years, tatami only |
| Women | at the Olympics since 2000 | all categories, chest protector from older female cadets |
Children
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition from | WT cadets from age 12 | WAKO Europe from age 7, tatami only |
| Prohibited for children | WT names no special ban on techniques, a kick to the head scores | ring disciplines under age 15 |
| Protective gear | helmet with face shield, trunk, groin, forearms, shins, mouthguard | helmet, mouthguard, groin guard, shins, a mask in point fighting up to age 12 |
| Round length | 3 × 2 minutes, may be shortened to 1 to 1.5 minutes | for children we have not been able to confirm it |
| Children’s grades | poom grades up to age 15 | black belt at the earliest in the year of turning 16 |
| Studies and position statements | a review of 8 studies (402 children): improvement in strength, balance and cognition, we have not found a position statement from physicians | we do not have a study, the AAP and CPS statement (2011) concerns boxing |
Self-defence
- Kyorugi against resistance, without fist strikes to the head and kicks to the legs (WT).
- Hosinsul, and in the Kukkiwon textbook also falls, joint locks and takedowns.
- WT penalises grabbing and holding.
- Ring against full resistance with fists and kicks, tatami with control.
- WAKO K1 style and full contact both prohibit the clinch.
- Throws, the ground and weapons are not trained.
Both arts train standing, at kicking distance. Neither covers the ground or weapons in sparring.
Practical use
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-defence | 30 sedentary women: improvement in a self-defence test after 6 weeks | we have not been able to confirm a transfer study |
| Fitness class | we do not have a measurement of lesson load | cardio kickboxing: 15 women, 75–85% of max. heart rate, 350–450 kcal per hour (Kravitz, ACE) |
| Older age | postmenopausal women (16) and around age 63 (25): agility, flexibility, stability | we do not have a study of seniors |
| Competition in older age | poomsae over 65 years | masters 41–55 years on tatami |
Cardio kickboxing is a fitness class without an opponent and shares only techniques with competitive kickboxing. The studies concern small groups and short programmes, and no general conclusion about suitability can be drawn from them.
Competition
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic status | Olympic since 2000, Paralympic since Tokyo 2020 | full IOC recognition 2021, not in the Olympic programme, European Games 2023 yes |
| Amateur bout | WT 3 rounds of 2 minutes, then a golden point | WAKO ring 3 rounds of 2 minutes |
| Scoring | electronic trunk protectors and helmets | judges, point fighting with a stoppage after a hit |
| Forms as competition | poomsae including freestyle with music | WAKO forms with or without music |
| Professional scene | none | K-1, Glory, ONE Championship |
Gear and costs
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | dobok | long trousers or shorts depending on the discipline |
| Protective gear | WT: trunk, head, groin, forearms, shins, removable socks, ITF usually only hands and feet | helmet, mouthguard, groin guard, shins, gloves of 8 or 10 ounces |
| Relative costs | medium | medium |
Availability and organisations
| Taekwondo | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| World federation | WT, alongside it three ITF organisations | WAKO, alongside it ISKA, WKA, WKN, IKF |
| Grades when moving | valid within the Kukkiwon system, we have not confirmed recognition between WT and ITF | we have not been able to confirm recognition between organisations |
When moving, what matters in taekwondo is whether the club belongs under WT or ITF, in kickboxing the organisation and the discipline.
Switching and combining
- Kicks to the trunk and head and work at distance carry over.
- ITF sparring is close to point fighting.
- Learning to cover the head against punches.
- In low kick and K1 style, expecting kicks to the thigh and knees.
- Fist strikes, gloves and rounds are already familiar.
- Learning turning kicks.
- In WT, unlearning the fist to the head and kicks to the legs.
- Adding forms for grading tests.
On the left, the move from taekwondo to kickboxing, on the right the reverse. Jeff Smith, a student of Jhoon Rhee in taekwondo, was a seven-time PKA world champion in full contact.
Philosophy
- Five principles according to Choi Hong Hi: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit.
- A reference to the five commandments of the hwarang.
- Theory of power: speed takes precedence over mass.
- Meditation, breath control and etiquette as part of training.
- We have not found a philosophy of kickboxing of its own, the sources describe it as a modern Western sport.
- Rules and disciplines are set by organisations, not by a school or a master.
Forms and terminology
- Forms are the basis of grading tests: Kukkiwon eight Taegeuk forms and nine for dan, ITF 24 Chang Hon forms.
- Poomsae competition including freestyle with music.
- Forms are an optional WAKO tatami discipline without a fight.
- Technique and combinations of strikes and kicks are judged, with music and with a weapon.
Training culture
- Dojang, dobok with a belt, Korean terminology.
- Kukkiwon titles: kyosa-nim (1st to 3rd dan), sabum-nim (4th to 6th dan).
- Ring with full force and tatami with control, clothing according to the discipline.
- The Japanese boom of the sixties with Tadashi Sawamura and television.
Common misconceptions
- A hand strike to the head is not prohibited in every taekwondo: WT does, ITF scores it.
- Kickboxing does not have one set of rules: full contact prohibits leg kicks, low kick permits them.
- Kickboxing is not only the ring: WAKO has tatami disciplines and forms without a fight.
- Only taekwondo is Olympic, kickboxing has had only full IOC recognition since 2021.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is kickboxing taekwondo with strikes to the head?
No. Kickboxing arose in Japan from a combination of karate and Thai boxing. A fist strike to the head is permitted by ITF taekwondo too, WT prohibits it.
Which of them is Olympic?
Taekwondo, since 2000. WAKO has had full IOC recognition since 2021, but kickboxing is not in the Olympic programme.
Do both arts have belts?
Yes. The dan grades of WT taekwondo are registered by Kukkiwon, the WAKO grading programme is optional and the 1st to 3rd dan is awarded by the national federation.
From what age can a child compete?
In WAKO Europe kickboxing from age 7, on tatami only, in the ring from age 15. WT cadets start at age 12.