With the next It’s Showtime event just around the corner I wanted to share with you guys some of my frustrations living in Holland and being a huge kickboxing fan. You might think that with the history Holland has in kickboxing, it would be our national sport; but instead it's completely the opposite. In sports, the Netherlands are good in a few things: Skating, Hockey, Swimming and Soccer. Those four sports everybody knows about and get most of the media coverage. Holland does pretty well every time a big tournament comes around when it involves those sports; but we aren’t as dominant in those sports as we are in Kickboxing.

Here’s where my frustration starts to settle in: the media in Holland covers anything when there is a chance a Dutchmen can walk away with a prize. Hours and hours of Darts they broadcast just because a chubby ‘’athlete’’ can throw a arrow with precision and is good in math and has a chance to win a title. At the same time, some of the best fighters in the world, who are Dutch, are competing on a monthly basis and we have to keep track of it on the the internet (preferably www.Headkicklegend.com). At the last Final Eight Grand Prix in K-1, five out of eight participants live and train in Holland and they don’t even show it live. With the rumours of It’s Showtime getting a American TV deal it only makes me more pissed about being a kickboxing fan in Holland. Those are ‘’our champions’’ but we don’t even get to see them live in action. Holland is known around the world for being one if not the best when it comes to kickboxing. Not only has it produced numerous of Champions like Albert Kraus, Andy Souwer, Semmy Schilt, Remy Bonjasky, Peter Aerts, Alistair Overeem and of course Ernesto Hoost. There even was a period of time when Dutch fighters had a monopoly on the prestigious K-1 Title. Wich basically means that you are the best fighter of the world (on your feet). It pains me to see that these guys don’t get the recognizition they deserve from the media in their own country. Don’t get me wrong a lot of people know these guys but it’s not with the help of the media.

more frustrations after the jump

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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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