Kickboxing vs Taekwondo
Is there a difference between Taekwondo and Kickboxing? Well, broadly speaking, they both belong to the martial arts discipline, but there are plenty of differences between the two.
Let’s check out these two sparring disciplines Kickboxing versus Taekwondo and their individual merits. What is the difference between Taekwondo and Kickboxing?
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What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is also known as Tae Kwon Do, a martial art that was developed about 2000 years ago in Korea.
- The art was introduced in the US in 1950 and was initially introduced as a training to the American military and has grown in popularity since then.
- The first championship in the sport was held in Korea in 1973 and today there are 120 member countries participating in the WTF or World Taekwondo Federation, making it a martial art that is most practiced in the world.
- The word Tae means foot; Kwon means fist or hand; and Do means way of life.
- It focuses mainly on punching and kicking using the fist and foot.
- It is a combination of different kinds of martial art techniques practiced in Korea and represents a unified or standardized technique of these different disciplines.
What is Kickboxing?
To distinguish between Taekwondo and Kickboxing, Kickboxing is a kind of martial art and a professional sport, rather a kind of blending of boxing and karate.
- Its origin can be traced back to Muay Thai’s Indochinese martial art forms in the 1050s.
- Kickboxing has been practiced from the 19th century, the term being coined by a Japanese promoter. During the 1950s, Tatsuo Yamada, a Japanese Karateka, outlined this new sport combining Karate with Muay.
- It became popular in the US in the 1080s when ESPN matches started in 1979.
- It is a stand-up combat sport, involving a mix of powerful kicks seen in Karate and hand agility from Boxing. It is essentially a mix of kicking and punching.
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Benefits of Taekwondo
Taekwondo offers a lot of benefits for the body and the mind.
- It strengthens your physical and mental powers.
- Promotes discipline and self esteem.
- Teaches you self defense.
- Promotes strong family values like honesty, loyalty and courtesy.
- The physical exercise improves muscle tone and conditions your body, enhancing flexibility and concentration. The discipline of the exercise improves fitness and coordination.
Benefits of Kickboxing
- Kickboxing can be one of the most amazing workouts. It is guaranteed to burn fat as well as calories much faster than normal forms of exercise. It is estimated that kickboxing can burn about 750 calories an hour.
- It engages all the muscle groups of the body and helps in toning of the body and improving your reflexes and flexibility and relieves stress.
- Helps in learning defense moves for self protection.
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Difference Between Taekwondo and Kickboxing
As you see the two disciplines originated in different places and there are also some other factors differentiating Taekwondo from Kickboxing.
- Kickboxing is a sport and a kind of watered-down version of Karate. On the other hand, Taekwondo is a martial art involving grappling and striking. This is the main difference between Taekwondo and Kickboxing.
- When comparing Taekwondo and Kickboxing, Kickboxing is more for entertainment and is taken from the point of view of sports, whereas Taekwondo is aimed at self-protection. Taekwondo is basically a martial art but also a sport activity having rules limiting the basic art. Kickboxing is basically sports activity but you can also use it for self-defense and protection.
- The hands are mainly used for action in Kickboxing, whereas both the hands and feet are used in Taekwondo.
- Hook or loop gloves are used in Kickboxing, with open fingered and close fingered gloves being used in Taekwondo.
- The punches used in Taekwondo are hard and direct, whereas in Kickboxing, there is a continuous kick made on the face of opponents.
Which is Better Kickboxing or Taekwondo?
Amongst Taekwondo and Kickboxing which is healthier? There is no one answer to this question, as it all depends on various factors related to the two, Taekwondo and Kickboxing.
A black belt in Taekwondo could easily defeat a street kickboxer, as the former was created for use in wars. However, a kickboxer could defeat a Taekwondo practitioner, as there are a lot of rules in a ring.
- Kickboxing can put you in better shape as compared to Taekwondo, as you train in both the hands and the feet in the former.
- On the other hand, while considering Taekwondo and Kickboxing, Taekwondo can give you better balance and flexibility.
- As far as strength or speed is concerned, both Taekwondo and Kickboxing are almost equal.
Neither is better, as it all depends on your individual style and how good you are at it.
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Conclusion – Taekwondo and Kickboxing Difference
So now you see the differences between Taekwondo and Kickboxing. But if you ask which one is better, it is like choosing between oranges and apples, as each has its own merits.
It’s a matter of personal preference which art or discipline you would like to practice. Choose the one that suits your purpose, whether you want to learn it for self defense or as a sport.