KICKBOXING AND MUAY THAI

Kickboxing originates from Japan and the United States, where it gained popularity in 1970. Kickboxing combined the base of traditional Boxing with the kicks of Kyokushinkai Karate and it has also had a lot of influence from the harder Muay Thai. Muay Thai or Thaiboxing is an old martial art which is mostly practiced in Thailand, where it is still immensely popular. Indirectly, Muay Thai originates from the armed martial art Krabi Krabong. When a fighter lost their weapons, they still had eight limbs they could use as weapons; this style is called Muay Boran. From this traditional Muay Boran came the current competition Thaiboxing.

In the Netherlands both Kickboxing and Muay Thai have been intermingled, but the main difference between Thaiboxing and Kickboxing is found in the competition rules. For example, use of elbows is allowed in Thaiboxing but not with Kickboxing.

Kickboxing has been introduced in the Netherlands by Jan Plas (Mejiro Gym, Amsterdam) and Tom Harinck (Chakuriki, Amsterdam). Both trainers have produced several big names within the sport as coach and made the sport popular to the public.

During a competition fighters are required to wear a pair of contest gloves (usually supplied by the organization), a Thaishort or a fightshort, a groin guard and a mouth guard. Ankleguards and handwraps are allowed, but not mandatory. At training, people add shin protection and a shirt.

Advise for gloves

At Aiki-Budo Sport we make the distinction between the “sparring gloves" and the “bag gloves”. A sparring glove is easily recognizable with the thumb protection, while the bag gloves will be smaller and have an open thumb.

If your training includes sparring with other people we will always recommend the sparring gloves. These are made with a lightweight and airy padding (sometimes in multiple layers of different densities), which will protect your sparring partner from the impact of your punches. These gloves do not have a “hand size” but instead are measured according to your weight. A heavier person will most likely be able to hit harder and thus need more padding.

When you are doing bag trainings only, we would typically recommend a bag glove, which features the open thumb. Because there is no ‘opponent’ except for the stationary punching bag, there is no need to protect the thumb. Be mindful to always place your thumb over your fingers to keep your fist closed, this way your thumb cannot be injured. The padding of the bag gloves is also a lot more compact to protect your hand from the impact of the punching bag. And these gloves do have a recognizable hand size.

Sparring with a bag glove is absolutely not allowed. Because the padding is a lot more dense it will actually harm your sparring partner more and the open thumb is a huge risk for all involved parties.

Nowadays because the trainings are usually a combination of both, a lot of people will use a sparring glove on the punching bag, but keep in mind that the gloves are not made for that kind of intensity and you will most likely notice the wear and tear a little sooner.  

In our experience having both sets of gloves for both types of training are best!