Full-contact and Thai boxing (or Thai boxing) are kickboxing sport modalities. This story began in the 1970s, when karate, tae kwon do and kung fu fighters, dissatisfied with the limitations of their sports, created a new fighting style. Initially baptized as full-contact karate, the new invention was a type of karate that allowed punches in the face and kicks in the legs – which until today is forbidden among karatekas. Over time, fighters began to use boxing techniques to power up their punches, and the sport became more and more like Muay Thai, an ancestor of Thai boxing. The number of practitioners grew and six modalities of the sport were created, which then came to be called kickboxing: semi contact, light contact, full-contact, low kick, thai boxing and musical forms. The first five are fighting forms and musical forms are a type of dance. In the chart below, we show the five fights, with the rules of the World Kickboxing Association (Wako).
In the modalities disputed in tatami, the one who scores more wins
SEMI CONTACT
With each blow that “enters” the combat is interrupted and the points are recorded. A hit can give from 1 to 3 points, according to the table on the side
Cannot – Blows below the waistline, on the neck and back; tripping above the ankle; weird techniques*
LIGHT CONTACT
Scoring is identical to that of semi contact, but there is a fundamental difference: the fight does not stop with every valid hit. The fight is only interrupted when the fighters leave the mat or at the end of the rounds, which, like in the semi, have two minutes.
Cannot – Identical to semi
In the three ring modalities there are fewer restrictions and the objective is the knockout
FULL CONTACT
Here, only blows above the waist are valid. Scoring is just like boxing: fighters receive 8 to 10 points per round, but knockout is the main objective. Anyone who takes less than six kicks per round loses points.
Cannot – Blows below the waistline, on the neck and back; flat above the ankle; elbow and knee
LOW KICK
At first glance, it is identical to full-contact. But the low kick is also worth hitting the opponent’s thigh. The score is equal to that of full, as well as the minimum number of kicks per round (six).
Cannot – Strikes below the knees, to the neck and back; tripping above the ankle; elbow and knee
THAI BOXING
The first difference is the uniform: in Thai, shorts are used and there is no protection for the feet. But the main distinction is that, as in muay thai, strikes can be applied to any part of the body and there is no minimum limit for kicks.
Cannot – Elbow; hold the opponent for more than five seconds