K-1 Kickboxing
A Japanese kickboxing format from 1993 in which representatives of different striking styles met under shared rules. It was not an art but a competition brand.
Quick Facts
JapanCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for K-1 Kickboxing
About K-1 Kickboxing
K-1 was not a martial art but a competition format and a promotional brand. It began in Japan in 1993 on the initiative of Kazuyoshi Ishii, a Seidokaikan karateka who wanted to build a tournament where representatives of different striking styles would meet under shared rules. The letter K refers to karate, kickboxing, kung fu and other K-disciplines. The rules were designed to keep the fight moving. Punches, kicks and knees are allowed; **elbows are forbidden and the clinch is limited** — the referee breaks it after a short moment unless immediate action comes out of it. That is precisely what separates K-1 from muay thai, from which it otherwise takes most of its technique. Bouts are three rounds of three minutes with the possibility of an extension. The format found an enormous audience. One-night Grand Prix tournaments, an international field and names like Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aerts, Semmy Schilt and Remy Bonjasky made K-1 the most watched striking sport in the world at the turn of the millennium. The original organisation ran into financial trouble in 2012 and the brand has since passed through several owners. What remained are the rules: "K-1 rules" are now the standard under which kickboxing is fought worldwide, and many European federations use them regardless of who owns the name.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.