Ishii meeting with fans in July 2009

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There has been some rumblings of late of people who want to know more about K-1's history and style; how it differs from regular kickboxing as well as some of the roots. Unlike promotions like UFC, where fans have been following it closely for years and have seen its history online, in books, on TV, etc., K-1 remains a mystery to a lot of fans. I am in the camp of K-1 being the premier kickboxing league in the world today, while some kickboxing purists will beg to differ due to rule disputes and the mission statement, so if I intertwine kickboxing and K-1 understand where it is coming from.

Unlike many of the other of the collected art forms in Mixed Martial Arts, kickboxing and Muay Thai remain somewhat of a mystery. Fans are adept enough to know that most of the stand-up fighting they see in MMA or learn in a MMA gym is more of a baseline when it comes to kickboxing than it is a definitive knowledge of the techniques and history. Since K-1 is the premier league for kickboxing, it would be a good idea to explain what and why K-1 exists.

Seidokaikan's Formation
Kazuyoshi Ishii is a Seidokan Karate master who was best known for his success as a bareknuckle "knockdown" or Kyokushin karate career. Japan has always taken its martial arts seriously, as reflected in a culture where Sumo Wrestling still exists as a viable sport and Karate tournaments are still taken very seriously, even with K-1 and MMA's existence. At the time there was no K-1 or MMA, so karate tournaments were what fans were attracted to in its stead. In 1979 Ishii distanced himself from Kyokushin tournaments and followed Hideyuki Ashihara who was looking to found his own style of karate. This did not last long, as Ishii saw more of a future for himself being in control of his own destiny and making himself a name. In 1980 Ishii established his own Seidokan Karate schools, forming along with the Seido Kaikan (Seidokan governing body) a tournament system to establish the greatest fighters. Masaaki Satake was the first breakout star made by these tournaments. 

Rise of Kickboxing and K-1's Formation
By the early 90's professional wrestling started getting more "real" with the help of self-proclaimed shooters like Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada and the need for karate tournaments was less and less, with a fascination of more "realistic" professional wrestling, which was full of big characters and hard hitting action. Kickboxing was becoming more popular in Japan, with the All Japan Kickboxing Federation being established in 1987 and focusing more on the strict rules of kickboxing than the knockdown karate style Ishii was using. Ishii became fascinated with Akira Maeda, a former New Japan wrestler who worked for his own promotion UWF and later RINGS, one of the first companies to promote MMA fights. Maeda, who is still a big name in the fight game today, was full of personality and was known for making pro wrestling "real" by doing things like getting frustrated with pro wrestling star Riki Choshu during a predetermined bout and kicking him in the face full blast, giving him a concussion. (Continued...)

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