As a martial art, kickboxing in various forms, has been around for thousands of years. But Kickboxing as we know it today was formed as a separate sport in the 1960s as more and more martial artists became increasingly frustrated with the strict rules and guidelines placed on martial arts performances and tournaments.
The sport began to grow as more and more martial arts movies hit the screens. Early movies such as Fists of Fury and Enter the Dragon started a trend that has grown bigger than anyone could have imagined at the time. These cult movies were followed by more general type movies that included martial arts in the fight scenes. Then kickboxing started showing up on TV as televised tournaments and TV series starring martial artists such as Chuck Norris and David Caradine captured the viewer interest and as public interest grew, so to did the reasons for people wanting to get involved and many more martial arts schools began to spring up. Many people are interested in kickboxing for self-defense. Others because of the fitness levels one can attain, some people learn kickboxing not only for the physical benefits but also for the spiritual discipline necessary for...