A philosophical analysis: Boxing vs Kickboxing

[Freestyler777]

I just want people's opinions on boxing and kickboxing. I wanted to know which sport has more talent depth. I'm not saying one is better than the other. Just want to know what you think about their relative merits.

My opinion is, boxers have more athleticism, but kickboxing has more realistic techniques, since more striking weapons are allowed. Boxing has two, kickboxing has four, Muay Thai has eight. But I feel that western boxing is so popular throughout America and the rest of the world that there are really great athletes in that sport.

Vitaly Klitschko started as a kickboxer, and Mike Bernardo was both a kickboxing and boxing champ. So was James Warring. I'm sure there are other examples. So the lines are blurred.

Perhaps I answered my own question.... There really isn't that much difference between the sports. I just want to stimulate conversation.

 

[jarrod]

i really depends on the fighters, but another factor is the money & prestige attached to boxing which kickboxing doesn't have. bigger paydays+cheaper training=more athletes.

as far as techniques, it depends on what you're considering realistic. american rules kickboxing (above the waist) is certainly useful, but in a self-defense situation, you want to kick above the waist sparingly. not 10x per round minimum like in full contact rules.

others may disagree with me on this, but i think that boxing is an important element in any kickboxing style as well. i'm a medicore boxer at best, but that much boxing knowledge has saved my butt numerous times against better kickers or otherwise better stand-up martial artists. conversely, if im working takedowns i usually have more trouble taking someone down who has good hands than someone with good kicks. of course having both is ideal.

jf

 

[Freestyler777]

i agree with you that the hands are generally more important than the feet. and I agree about your reasoning that the better athletes go into boxing because there is more money there.

but I think both boxers and full-contact kickboxers have good punching skill, and both would act very similarly in a SD situation.

btw, nice to hear from you again, jarrod

 

[jarrod]

oh i'm sure they would too. you hear people bicker back & forth all the time: this arts better for SD, no this one is. honestly just do what you like the most, that way you'll train more.

most FC kickboxers i know are at least heavy punchers even if their boxing isn't scientific. sometimes they can get away with that because their kicks maintain the range & tempo rather than their punching. really though, if you can fight with your hands up & your eyes on your opponent you'll have a tremendous advantage over the majority of untrained people.

jf

 

[TheArtofDave]

I think it depends where you place the emphasis. Everybody has their strengths, and weaknesses.

But if you place sole emphasis on punching, as opposed to kicking nobody will see the fluidness of the sport. Or how effective it can be.

It becomes one sided. Much like the debate on anything regarding which is better.

I think the emphasis is boxing is the foundation to the other sport. When you break each apart with the conditioning, then you start to find out that kick boxing may have the same techinque and conditioning as boxing. The only difference is you're adding the use of kicks instead of focusing mainly on speed, endurance, and power.

I believe kickboxing doesn't get as much into the mainstream as boxing because it gets grouped into the which is better debate. Which we should be concerned on the sport flourishing more, so people can see the foundation which leads to combinations of punches, and kicks.

 

[jarrod]

I believe kickboxing doesn't get as much into the mainstream as boxing because it gets grouped into the which is better debate.

that, & the shiney pants. if kickboxing lost the shiney pants & the footpads i really think it would be a little more popular.

jf

 

[punisher73]

I think it depends on economic factors as to which has the "deeper pool". Go to Thailand and ALOT of young kids train in Muay Thai gyms because it is affordable to them and they see it as a way to 'get out' of their situation. Come to the US and most inner cities have boxing gyms that kids can train at.

In the US 'kickboxing' gyms aren't the norm and you have to pay more for them so you aren't going to get as many kids interested in the sport. So your talent pool is going to be lesser than something widespread and affordable for everyone (basketball, football, etc.)

 

[jarrod]

absolutely true: costs more to train & pays less to fight.

jf

 

[Jarrod G.]

I have always said that it would be interesting to see a champion boxer fight a champion kickboxer. I think that the big difference between boxing and kickboxing is technique. Boxing training focuses much more on physical training ie. speed/power/stamina whereas kickboxing training is much more technical with less emphasis on power. This is mainly because with power comes bulky muscles which make you alot less dexterous and thus a less effective kickboxer. You may have noticed that the best boxers the world has ever seen all have a very unique technique which sets them apart. In boxing, this can't be taught, but in kickboxing unexpected technique is a must for any pro.

in short i see it like this, the main 3 focus points of each are...

Boxing = speed/power/stamina

kickboxing = speed/stamina/technique

Now, I'm not saying that boxers have no technique, or Kickboxers have no power, but the importance of each is different in their training and fighting styles.

 

[jarrod]

i think the idea that muscles make you inflexible is largely wrong. it's true if you neglect flexibility while bulking up, but if you train properly you shouldn't lose any dexterity or flexibility. but i think you're right that boxers pay a lot more attention to their physical condition on the whole. i think it might stem back to the paychecks; at the higher levels, boxers can afford a nutritionist, strength coach, conditioning coach, etc. i've known very well ranked kickboxers (even a couple champs) who still had to work full-time jobs.

jf

 

[Akira]

I realise Muay Thai is different to Kickboxing, but I got some excellent footage today of a boxing sparring match between a boxer vs a muay thai fighter. As soon as youtube stops being gay I'll upload it and you can see the difference in fighting style and movement.