Whether you want to learn how to fight like a pro, or you want have the strong, sleek body of a fighter, kickboxing and boxing can bring you amazing results. But if you want to know which one is better for YOU overall, we’ll break it down right here.
If you want to build strength, burn calories, and learn how to fight in and out of the ring, kickboxing will dominate over boxing. Here are some of the main reasons kickboxing is superior to boxing in regards to fitness and fighting:
Advantages of Kickboxing Over Boxing
- Kickboxing burns an average of 100 calories more per hour than boxing
- Kickboxing strengthens all muscle groups/boxing primarily strengthens upper body
- Kickboxing teaches both kicking and punching/boxing teaches only punching, therefore kickboxers will have an advantage
- Kickboxing improves balance far more than boxing because of it’s focus on kicks
As you can see kickboxing has a lot of benefits, but boxing has it’s strengths as well. Read on to discover the differences between the two, how each can benefit you, and which is more dangerous.
The Differences Between Kickboxing and Boxing
What is Kickboxing?
Kickboxing is a martial art that is based on a combination of boxing and karate and has been around since the 1970s. There are many different styles of kickboxing (16 to be exact!) with American, Muay Thai, and Cardio kickboxing being the most popular in the US right now. You can read more about the different styles of kickboxing and which one might be best for you in this article I wrote.
All kickboxing styles can include some form of full contact sparing and competition except for cardio kickboxing. In cardio kickboxing the basic moves of American kickboxing are taught, but these moves are usually only executed in the air without a target or on a punching bag. Generally fitness, rather than technique is the ultimate goal in this type of kickboxing.
All styles of kickboxing incorporate the basic punches of boxing with several different types of kicks. Although kickboxing is a sport, it is not an official Olympic sport.
There is no official governing body or universal set of rules in kickboxing, so the regulations to win a match or a title are most often set by the promoter that is running the championship. Kickboxing rounds typically last 3 minutes with amateurs usually going for 3-5 rounds and professionals going for 3-10 rounds.
Because kickboxing includes kicking and punching, the benefits of kickboxing are numerous. Some of these benefits include, increased muscle strength in all major muscle groups, improved flexibility, balance, and coordination, increased cardiovascular health, and combat and defense skills (depending on the type of kickboxing).
What is Boxing?
Some argue that boxing is the world’s oldest sport, originating in the Olympics of ancient Greece in 688 BC. Boxing to this day continues to be an Olympic sport. To win a bout, two opponents punch each other to ultimately knock the other out.
Unlike kickboxing, there is only one type of boxing. Some boxers have different styles but those styles are all included under the one term of “boxing”.
Boxing, like kickboxing, does not have a single governing body that determines the rules and regulations. There are four different governing bodies in boxing that have their own belts and championships. In contrast to kickboxing, all of these boxing associations agree on and use the same basic set of regulations.
Like kickboxing, boxing improves muscle strength and power, cardiovascular health, coordination, and combat and defense skills. The main difference between the two is that kickboxing includes kicks which help with balance, enhance lower body strength and flexibility, and give the fighter an edge over boxers both in the ring and in the streets.
Boxing and Kickboxing Similarities
- Teach defensive and combat skills
- Can compete in both
- Require gloves in sparing and competing
- Can use a punching bag to train
- Can be full contact
- Rounds usually last 3 minutes with 1 minute breaks
- Improve strength, coordination, and cardio fitness
Kickboxing and Boxing Differences
| Kickboxing | Boxing |
|---|---|
| Incorporates kicks, knee, and elbow strikes | Focus on punching |
| Some types allow below the belt strikes | Above the belt only |
| Many different types of kickboxing | Only one type of boxing |
| Not an Olympic sport | Is an Olympic Sport |
Which One is a Better Workout, Kickboxing or Boxing?
Both kickboxing and boxing are great workouts that will burn calories, improve your cardio fitness, and strengthen your muscles. But when it comes to fitness, kickboxing has an upper hand over boxing because of the simple fact that it utilizes both upper and lower body.
In an ACE study in which 15 female kickboxers’ calorie and oxygen consumption was measured, it was concluded that “overall, caloric expenditure ranged from 6.45 calories per minute (with predominately upper-body exercises) to 8.3 calories per minute (with an upper/lower body combination)”.
This upper/lower body combination that is central in kickboxing is what gives it leverage over a boxing session. The difference between 6.45 calories per minute in a boxing workout compared to 8.3 calories per minute in a kickboxing workout can add up to a 100 calorie difference after an hour.
Not only does kickboxing burn more calories than boxing, it also works and strengthens more muscle groups than boxing. Having to balance on one leg and strike a target with the other, engages the muscles of the core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.
Which One Will Help You Win a Street Fight, Kickboxing or Boxing?
As long as your conditioning includes plenty of sparing with an opponent rather than just practicing on a heavy bag, kickboxing will definitely give you an advantage over an adversary that is only trained in boxing. Here’s why:
Although boxing will give you more training in defensive tactics, kickboxing’s training in punches and kicks give you two times the offensive possibilities. And the power in a kick will carry a lot more force than a punch. A foot to the jaw is always going to trump an uppercut to the face.
The main advantage a kickboxer will have in a street fight is the abundance of different strikes they will have at their disposal. Being trained to use their hands, feet, knees, and elbows can greatly improve the chances of getting in some serious blows.
In addition to having more striking opportunities, kickboxers also have an advantage in their spacing. Boxers tend to stay close to their opponent to maximize leverage in their punches. Kickboxers tend to stand further back to land their kicks. This also gives a kickboxer a leg-up because that space prevents a boxer from being able to land a powerful punch.
Which is More Dangerous, Kickboxing or Boxing?
Competing in boxing or kickboxing is dangerous. Period. According to a study in the Journal of Athletic Training, boxing has a 95% concussion rate, the highest rate of any other professional or amateur sport. Yet another study reports that MMA fighters experience far more injuries in the ring than boxers.
Without question, these are not safe sports. But evidence indicates that boxing is more dangerous than kickboxing due to the knock out rate in boxing. A CSM study cites that although MMA fighters were more likely to experience injury, boxers were more prone to a loss of consciousness at a rate of 7.1% during a match, as opposed to MMA fighters’ loss of consciousness rate of 4.2%.
Being “knocked out” is a form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) also known as a concussion. TBIs can lead to post concussion syndrome and permanent brain damage causing brain fog, inability to focus, blurred vision, and anxiety, just to name a few. In brain function studies, boxers tend to be less mentally sharp than MMA fighters.
One of the reasons boxers are more prone to concussions is due to the fact that they are permitted to continue fighting after being knocked out if they regain consciousness within 8 counts. In contrast, in most kickboxing matches a fighter that loses consciousness is not allowed to continue, even if he or she recovers quickly. This rule makes it less likely for a kickboxer to sustain multiple or more severe head injuries.
Another reason kickboxers experience less head trauma is that they are more capable of winning their matches without always knocking out their opponent. MMA/kickboxing fighters have several different moves they can utilize to take down the opposition. Boxers get hit in the head more often than kickboxers because the goal in boxing is to ultimately knock their opponent out with a heavy blow to the head.
So although kickboxing and boxing can both cause many serious injuries, boxing wins as the more dangerous of the two. The higher loss of consciousness rate deems boxing more dangerous for long term health.