There are many styles in kickboxing and you will find and will be surprised to know that the styles range from traditional to the modern techniques.
Muay Boran: It is understood that the Buddhist monks were familiar and used to teach this form of kickboxing. They used to hold fights during festivals. This form is said to have originated even before Muay Thai came into existence and is also known as "Ancient boxing". The practitioner can make use of hands, legs, knees, elbows and head in this form.
Lerdrit: This form was used by the Thai Royal army. Practitioners make use of finger jabs, palm strikes and extensive use of grappling.
Adithada: This is as well known as "Indian boxing". This form is practiced in some parts of Kerala, Kanyakumari and a few parts of Sri Lanka. It uses the pressure point approach. Practitioners make use of bare hands, feet, knees and forehead as weapons.
Pradal Serey: This form originated in Cambodia and has now gained importance as Cambodia’s national sport. This style is also known as "Khmer Boxing". Practitioners make use of elbow strikes instead of knee strikes here.
Japanese Kickboxing style: Japanese kicboxing was introduced by Osamu Noguchi and Tatsuo Yamada. This is the first style which tapped the name "kickboxing" in the year 1966. It consists of 5 rounds of 3 minutes each. It allows strikes made by elbows and knees. And kicks are allowed on the lower body except the crotch. Neck wrestling is allowed here; however the use of headbutts and throws is barred since the year 1966 to ensure boxers’s safety.
American Kickboxing style: It is a full contact sport, wherein two competitiors of almost same weight fight against each other. The boxers are allowed to strike only the upper body using their fists and legs. There are 3-12 rounds of 2-3 minutes each with a break of 1 minute in between in Amateur as well as Professional fights.
International Kickboxing style: This style can be considered as a blend of Muay Thai and Japanese Kickboxing. So one can make out that International kickboxing rules are similar to those of Japanese kickboxing.
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