Fencing vs Kickboxing
Fencing and Kickboxing side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Fencing | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | — | Japan |
| Type | combat sport and Olympic sport | combat sport and boxing |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 108 Olympic events recorded | — |
| Notable practitioners here | 3202 | 408 |
| Top countries of practitioners | France, Italy and United States | Japan, Kingdom of the Netherlands and France |
| Equipment and weapons | foil, épée and saber | fist and foot |
| Energy use (MET) | 6.0 MET (Fencing, general) | 7.3 MET (Kickboxing) |
Fencing
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre (also spelled saber), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one of these disciplines. The modern sport gained prominence near the end of the 19th century, evolving from historical European swordsmanship. The Italian school altered the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refined that system. Scoring points in a fencing competition is done by making contact with the opponent with one's sword.
From the Wikipedia article Fencing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is an umbrella term for different styles of full-contact hybrid boxing type, combat sports, and martial arts based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in various times in history. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, and competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.
From the Wikipedia article Kickboxing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q12100, Q178678. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.