Body type is an important consideration in kickboxing, one that will affect your competitive career and your strategy in the ring. Although no single body type is necessarily the best suited for kickboxing, certain tactics and moves work better for one type of body than another.
Weight Classes
Because larger fighters are at an advantage in hand-to-hand combat, kickboxing competition is divided into weight classes. This means that any two fighters in the ring will be of approximate weight. Although this is intended to keep competition fair, it means that body type may play a greater role than if opponents were selected at random, or according to height or build.
Ectomorphs
An ectomorph is naturally thin, prone to losing weight easily and facing difficulty gaining weight. In the ring, an ectomorph is often taller and has greater reach than an opponent of similar weight. This means he should focus on a mobile strategy, keeping his opponent at a distance and wearing him down from a safe distance. However, he may need to work harder to maintain muscle power and to condition his thinner bones to withstand the rigors of competition.
Edomorphs
Endomorphic frames tend to be thicker and stockier. Fighting against an opponent of the same weight, the endomorph should expect to be shorter and have a smaller reach. He can fight against those disadvantages by crowding his opponent and focusing on close-quarter tools like hook punches and knee strikes. Strength training can help him capitalize on the advantage of his frame by increasing the power in what is likely to be an already strong body.
Mesomorphs
A mesomorphic body type is average, neither unusually thin and tall nor unusually short and stocky. Mesomorphic kickboxers have the advantage of being able to train for whatever kind of fight they prefer. However, they have the disadvantage of potentially never being quite as good at that game as a fighter whose body type is naturally predisposed to a specific kind of fighting.
References
- Bill Packer; Kickboxing Coach (dec); Bad Company Fight Team; Albuquerque, NM
- Body Building Pro: Body Types
- "The Art of Expressing the Human Body"; Bruce Lee; 1998
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