Kickboxing is administered by:

- in France:

French Federation of Kickboxing
and associated disciplines,
63, rue d'Aillon
77310 Orgenoy
Web : www.fkb-da.com
Tel. 01 60 66 00 46
Fax: 01 60 66 06 51

- in Monaco:

Monegasque Kick-Boxing Federation
7, rue Suffren Reymond
MC 98000 Monaco
Principality of Monaco
Tel. / Fax. +377 93 30 20 50
Tel. +377 (0)6 07 93 31 36
Web : www.monaco-arts-martiaux.com

The Monaco Self-Defence Academy provide kickboxing lessons ("go").

Kickboxing, the sport of the 1990s

Many people believe that kickboxing originates from Thailand, Japan or somewhere else in East Asia. In fact, the origins of the sport can be detected through its original name, Full Contact Karate.

In the 1970s, numerous karate practitioners felt frustrated due to the rules set up during tournaments. They therefore sought a system whereby they could use punching and kicking as per a real fight and launching attacks to their full power, rather than holding back before hitting the opponent and letting the referee judge where they would be efficient or not. Full contact karate was born!

At the outset, fights took place on tatamis, like for karate, then in standard-size rings. The first full contact federation was the Professional Karate Association with fighters such as Joe LEWIS, Bill WALLACE, Benny URQUIDEZ and Jeff SMITH. The PKA was the pioneer of a system of rules in which kicks and punches above the belt and to the head were accounted for in the same way as in a boxing match. Kicks below the belt were discarded. The fighters had to execute a minimum number of kicks in each round, otherwise facing a penalty point…

Kickboxing

The requirement for global confrontations in foot-fist sports introduced, as used in muay thai (from Thailand), the use of the kick to the legs. As it had become a legal technique, the naming of this discipline became kickboxing.

The second American Federation of Kickboxing, the WKA set up this system and became the most prestigious organisation in the world.

Kickboxing is now a comprehensive combination of punching techniques (English boxing) and kicking (karate, tae kwon do and muay thai). It is a perfect alliance of physical and mental ability. Kickboxing requires agility, great self-control, intelligence, courage and a perfect physical condition. This sport allows good sporting expression, whilst protecting its practitioners. Concentration, power and speed enable to reach physical harmony and a vital balance.

This possibility for physical expression in kickboxing attracts a great deal of interest, notably from young people with an increasing number of women and children. This contact sport can be practiced from 8 years onwards. These punching and kicking techniques are executed according to strict rules guaranteeing maximum safety for the participants. Protection is compulsory at training and no violence is tolerated.

(excerpts from the “introduction” on the official site of the French Federation of Kickboxing and associated disciplines: www.fkb-da.com)