Women's kickboxing

Women's kickboxing
FocusStriking
HardnessFull-contact
Famous practitionerssee list of female kickboxers
ParenthoodKarate, Muay Thai, Boxing
Descendant artsShoot boxing

Women have participated in kickboxing since the 1960s in Thailand.[1] But there has been a superstition and prejudice women have often being prevented from participating in the major tournaments in Thailand.[2][3][4][5]

The World’s Muay Thai Angels is one of the first organisations to be a place for women to participate in and the first tournament was won by Chommanee Sor Taehiran.[6][7]

Women's kickboxing in Australia has a small but devoted following. In the 1970s women in the United States took up kickboxing as they were prevented from taking part in women's boxing.[8] In the UK kickboxing has a growing following according to the WMC.[9]

In May 2016 the kickboxing organisation Glory announced the creation of a women's division built around Tiffany van Soest.[10]

In 2021 the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium finally allowed women to compete in Muay Thai.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ "Jennifer Gampell". Gampell.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  2. ^ Fuller, Thomas (2007-09-16). "Sugar and Spice and a Vicious Right: Thai Boxing Discovers Its Feminine Side". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  3. ^ Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R. (11 June 2010). Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. Abc-Clio. p. 322. ISBN 9781598842449. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  4. ^ Gampell, Jennifer (July 14–16, 2000). "Weekend Journal: Thailand's Boxing Babes- Women Make Their Way Back into the Ring". The Asian Wall Street Journal.
  5. ^ "100 Women: The Muay Thai fighters excluded from the ring for being female". October 25, 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ Newhall, Lindsey (2015-02-13). "The World Muay Thai Angels: Marketing the Women Fighters of Thailand | FIGHTLAND". Fightland.vice.com. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  7. ^ "Chommanee wins World Muaythai Angels". Muaythaitv.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  8. ^ Smith, Malissa (2014). A History of Women's Boxing. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 124. ISBN 9781442229952. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  9. ^ Matthews, Christopher R.; Channon, Alex (29 April 2016). Global Perspectives on Women in Combat Sports. Springer. ISBN 9781137439369. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  10. ^ "Glory announces Grand Prix tournament to launch new women's division". bloodyelbow.com.
  11. ^ "Meet the Women Fighters Making History in Male-Dominated Muay Thai". www.vice.com. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  12. ^ "Women Fight at Legendary Muay Thai Stadium for First Time (Maybe)". Black Belt Magazine. 2021-09-21. Archived from the original on 2022-02-20. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  13. ^ "Saenajan Wins First Ever Female Muay Thai Fight At Lumpinee Stadium". Fight Record. 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2022-02-26.