The IKF Wants You!
A Call For "Unity" In The Kickboxing Community
By Johnny Davis IKF Director of Marketing

MONDAY, March 11th, 2002

The International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) is aggressively seeking those interested in joining forces to make the sport of Kickboxing a mainstream attraction. This is our call to the promoters, trainers and organizations to take a serious look at the state of Kickboxing today and where it could be if we work together. Its time to give the fighters their just due. Too many fighters are getting lost in the bowl of alphabet soup, holding the letters of organizations that are not marketing themselves or their champions. When a fighter wins a title but is not recognized for it, it takes the flare out of the winning. The fighter goes back home to a "town of silence" not being recognized for their outstanding achievement. The IKF wants all champions recognized. Therefore, after each fight, no matter where in the world, we post the results on our popular site. We also send out pre and post fight press releases to local media for many of our fights.
Take a look at what you have done for the sport as a "whole" in the past five to ten years. If you only see where you have grown in your own area or region then perhaps you should research how you can become a part of the larger scheme of the Kickboxing community. I know, everybody feels that they have the answers to curing Kickboxing's ills. However, taking the sport of Kickboxing to its deserving magnitude cannot hinge on one or two "good" promoters. It will take hundreds of promoters from around the world working together for a common goal. Working with the IKF would not change much of what you are currently doing. However, your experience could be valuable to us in other areas. Perhaps you know potential big sponsors and or television networks that are ready to support Kickboxing. Furthermore, you may be the bearer of strategies that have worked for you and could be helpful to others.

We invite you to see some of what we have done in the past five years, the numbers are impressive! This should give you an example of how we can further assist you. Today, we sanction fights all around the world and the number of IKF Sanctioned events is growing at a brisk pace! This year alone we anticipate sanctioning over one hundred events worldwide. We have the Largest National Kickboxing Tournament in North America in the IKF Nationals that last year registered 263 fighters from various styles. When this two-day elimination was done, those who walked away as champions, really were! As many of you know, our success on our web site is phenomenal with over one million hits per month now. The IKF keeps an updated and accurate ranking of all fighters listed with the IKF as well as, we make a concerted effort to give just due to the promoters, trainers, fighters, officials, and the sponsors of events. Furthermore, our championship belts are top quality brass and leather and would make anyone proud to wear them!

I'm appalled that for the past twenty years or so, groups are continuing to battle over pennies when there are millions that can be made with proper unity!

So again, I asked each of you for the sake of the sport of Kickboxing and for the prosperity of future generations of fighters, lets come to the table and discuss how we can work together. We will listen to your concerns and issues and will try and negotiate where possible. Finally, many of you come to the table with the words "free sanctioning" at the tips of your tongues because other sanctioning bodies give it for free. We are not "Free" because what we offer has "true" and "honest" value!

Please understand that in order for the IKF to continue to grow, it must receive fees for its work, just as you expect from other professionals hired to do a job. Although we must request fees, this does not mean that the doors are closed for discussion in this area. It does mean that a Barter Deal would have to be of the same value to the IKF. We promise you this, we will work very hard to make sure your events are ran professionally and are successful! We look forward to hearing and working with you!

THE IKF WANTS YOU! IN UNITY, THERE IS STRENGTH!
For more information, contact our office at (916) 663-2467.

Promoters, Fighters, Trainers...Why Should You Be A Part Of The IKF World TEAM? Click HERE!

See the below Excerpts from
Johnny Davis' Autobiographical Kickboxing Training Manual
"The Art of Kickboxing"

The Reconstruction Era of Kickboxing
Ready For The World!

Webster's Dictionary describes construction as "an organized and ordered arrangement of ideas or argument" This meaning alone suggest in order to properly construct something it must be organized and arranged in a matter that causes fluency in the progression of ideas which manifest growth. Its the other side of all of the hard work and dedication I put into my career. This is the part where the disappointment comes to the forefront. My hard work paid off in many ways but the sport wasn't ready to completely take care of all those who were loyal and dedicated to it. Most fighters have the hopes and dreams of not only becoming champion but also being able to make a good living with their sport like other professional athletes. Unfortunately, kickboxing has a little more to do before this glorious day comes. It does prompt the question. Why hasn't the sport reached the magnitude of other contact sports like football and boxing? The mere fact that the sport of kickboxing is one of the most exciting contact sports in worldwide but has still not matured to the level of other major sports is shameful. I believe some of the reasons Kickboxing's growth has been so slow is because of the "crab effect" that continue to dwell in the martial arts. Like the crabs in a bucket, everybody tries to pull down the other each time one attempts to climb out of the bucket.

One organization starts to make the right moves in organizing the sport, promoting and sanctioning more events than ever before and other organizations sit back and speak ill of the one doing the most work. Some leaders of organizations discourage their members from supporting or attending any events held by other organizations. These actions of jealousy and envy are what has kept this great sport of kickboxing shackled to the bottom of the bucket.
Unfortunately, as a result of poor marketing and networking, kickboxing has languished on the outskirts of popularity and failed to attract the mainstream investors to the sport. Lack of participation from major sponsors has certainly slowed the growth of Kickboxing and has hindered the dreams of the kickboxer from truly making a living at the sport he/she adores. There are major players in the beer and sportswear industries that would benefit greatly from a relationship with an organization like The International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) an organization that sanctions fights all over the world. There are tens of thousands of potential customers eager to support these companies simply because they support the sport they love. I'm sure the sportswear and beer companies are waiting to see the sport of Kickboxing pull itself up by its bootstraps and organize, unify and show they are ready to take on the world stage.

In order to increase spectator appeal, kickboxers must look like professionals of their art. This requires taking on the uniqueness of an art that stands on its own merits as a legitimate sport. Although Kickboxing is a combination of boxing and the kicks of karate, it can't look like either to be successful.
Kickboxing must look like "Kickboxing" in the essence of the name. In the kickboxer, we must see the very best in boxing skills and the very best of kicks. But, even more importantly, we must see the art come to life in the combining of both boxing and kicking done to such elegance and effectiveness it fascinates the spectator!

Throughout the years I have seen some very talented fighters, to name a few - Jean Yves Theriault, Benny Urqidez, Maurice Smith, Pete Cunningham, Dennis Alexio, Rick Roufus and Don Wilson. Of course, there are others but these are a few that come to mind and noted for having good boxing and kicking skills. These fighters had such great successes in the ring because early on, they understood the art of kickboxing in that you needed both hand hands feet -boxing and kicking to be successful in the ring. They had a huge fan base because their fights were exciting they gave more credibility to the "true art of Kickboxing". In retrospect, I believe kickboxing's past has been such that it has and will continued to transform into the mega sport of the twenty first century!

I call this period of lacking kickboxing activity, "The Reconstruction Era of Kickboxing". This offered us the lest activity of the sport since it entry into the sports' arena some thirty years ago. The United States of America had to go through a similar reconstruction period shortly after the civil war. It lasted for about twelve years. During this time, we had to rewrite laws and set up a new way of governing the country. This is also the case with the sport if Kickboxing. We must reorganize and set up ranking systems and promote the sport in the best interest of the participants and its fans.

This down time or reconstruction era for kickboxers gave many of them opportunity to define the art resulting in a different breed of fighter. Today, I'm seeing better fighters with excellent kicking and "boxing" techniques as well as more techniques arising from its roots of the Orient. Leg kicks and elbows are becoming more prominent in Kickboxing worldwide. However, I continue to see far too many fighters either doing one or the other (boxing or kicking).

It's a new millennium and time for the great sport of kickboxing to flourish! It is the purpose of why I have written this manual to help energize, motivate, train and encourage the participation of all who love this sport as I do. We are now at the end of the reconstruction era of Kickboxing. Fighters are more efficient and have defined their art and are poised to take on the world. Its time now for all organization to come under one umbrella, organized and ready to take the sport to its deserving magnitude! Furthermore, we now have an organization that has put years of structure into its member base and has built participation to record levels. The International Kickboxing Federation ( IKF) has a host of fans and followers around the world. Kickboxing is ready for the world and soon will make its stunning entrance to the international mainstream of sports!

For more on "The Art of Kickboxing" Training Manual, Click HERE!
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