I'm just curious...was there a certain style of karate that was put into kickboxing around the early 60's or whenever kickboxing was started, or it it just as long as you trained in karate, you jsut add boxing and use the kicks form that style?? Not sure if i explained that right but if you guys don't get what i mean i'll rephrase it :)

Good question. I'm not sure what arts these folks trained in, but Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis & Benny Urquidez were early champions in the 70's. So, whatever styles they trained in. I'm sure Shotokan & Taekwondo were 2 styles that folks trained in.

I heart here were four major styles that helped "make" Kickboxing. Shotokan, Shorin Ryu, and Tang Soo Do. And the 3 major people were Joe Lewis, Bill Wallace, and Chuck Norris, who when it started, they called it Full Contact Karate.

Joe Lewis, the "founder" of Kickboxing in the USA, was a Shorin Ryu stylist. Bill Wallace was also a Shorin Ryu stylist, while Chuck Norris was a Tang Soo Do/Taekwondo stylist.

I heart here were four major styles that helped "make" Kickboxing. Shotokan, Shorin Ryu, and Tang Soo Do.

There are only 2 important rules in life:

#1 Never tell anyone everything you know

I think the answer is going to depend on who you ask. The ABA can document some of the earliest and most continous recognizable kickboxing type events here in the US -- but I wouldn't be at all surprised if others point to other events as being the "first." After all, I know there were matches in the fifties and earlier between karate fighters and boxers...

As to the styles represented among the early kickboxers -- I think you'll find that many of the Japanese/Okinawan karate styles had some representation, and also several of the Korean styles, as well. I wouldn't be in the least surprised if you could dig up a "kung fu guy" or two, as well. In other words -- I think that early kickboxers probably were representative of the martial arts community at the time.

I think the answer is going to depend on who you ask. The ABA can document some of the earliest and most continous recognizable kickboxing type events here in the US -- but I wouldn't be at all surprised if others point to other events as being the "first." After all, I know there were matches in the fifties and earlier between karate fighters and boxers...

As to the styles represented among the early kickboxers -- I think you'll find that many of the Japanese/Okinawan karate styles had some representation, and also several of the Korean styles, as well. I wouldn't be in the least surprised if you could dig up a "kung fu guy" or two, as well. In other words -- I think that early kickboxers probably were representative of the martial arts community at the time.

Paul Vizzo is certainly one of those that did quite well.

kung fu and taekwondo too?? Cool...i thought Chuck norris was a karate guy....guess not haha

Chuck never kickboxed, just commentated. He is a Korean M.A. stylist. (Tang soo do I believe)

LegLockGuy summed it up pretty well, but you need to look at things a little differently: kickboxing is not a style--it is something you do with a style.

That means that any style (pure or mixed) can go kickbox.
With that in mind, if you ask someone what style they take, and they say "kickboxing," that is like asking someone what NFL team they play on and they reply "football." The answer doesn't quite make sense.

Now, many school teach something they call "kickboxing" but that is a misnomer. Usually they are teaching a mix of styles or just some kicks with some boxing hand moves put together and are peddling it out as a style in itself or a program. If you dig deep enough, you can find out what style they are using or taking away from to get what they are teaching.

AoG

Chuck never kickboxed, just commentated. He is a Korean M.A. stylist. (Tang soo do I believe)

Chuck Norris did "full contact karate" which was renamed "kickboxing" years later.

AoG

No. His full contact Karate was tournament fighting. Which is now point fighting. He kickboxed Bill wallace in a movie. That's about it. He was never a kickboxer. He promoted it and commentated the fights. Never participated in it.

No. His full contact Karate was tournament fighting. Which is now point fighting. He kickboxed Bill wallace in a movie. That's about it. He was never a kickboxer. He promoted it and commentated the fights. Never participated in it.
awww nuts, and here i was beleiving the whole "chuck norris kickboxing world champion!!" hype...sheesh..

I can only remember bits and pieces from back in the day, as I was just a little kid. There was never any one style that was really doing the majority of the kickboxing. There were a couple of guys from here and a few from over there. Here in the KC area it was pretty spread out, but the Bushidokan guys under the guidance of Jim Harrison that were really leading the charge for promoting and doing the majority of the fighting.


BTW-not to start a bickering arguement, but have any of you seen the fights from back when Chuck Norris, Skipper Mullins, Pat Burrelson, Billy Blanks, Steve Anderson, etc. were fighting? They were not even close to what point fighting is today. It was not uncommon for people to get knocked out or to have some damage done to them. Call it what you want, but it was a blood and guts time with some freaky guys.

BTW-not to start a bickering arguement, but have any of you seen the fights from back when Chuck Norris, Skipper Mullins, Pat Burrelson, Billy Blanks, Steve Anderson, etc. were fighting? They were not even close to what point fighting is today. It was not uncommon for people to get knocked out or to have some damage done to them. Call it what you want, but it was a blood and guts time with some freaky guys.

That is what I was getting at. Joe Lewis and Bill Wallace were there to knock you out, not just get points.

AoG