If you've seen "WAKO Approved" on a piece of Century gear and wondered what it actually means, here's the short version: WAKO is the international governing body for competitive kickboxing, and gear that carries its approval has met the technical standards required for official competition.

Here's where WAKO came from, how the sport is organized today, and which Century gear matches which discipline.

Where Kickboxing Came From

The sport traces back to 1970, when Joe Lewis fought Greg Baines in what's now considered the first official kickboxing match — the first time boxing gloves were used in this kind of bout, and the first time the term "kickboxing" was used to describe it. The sport picked up real momentum in 1974 with the first World Championship in Full Contact, held in Los Angeles and organized by Joe Lewis and Mike Anderson. Bill Wallace, Jeff Smith, and Joe Lewis became the sport's first Full Contact World Champions.

Not long after, George Brueckner and Mike Anderson set out to build a lasting global organization for the sport, founding what eventually became WAKO. Today the organization has grown into a genuinely global governing body, with member federations across every continent.

An Olympic Sport in the Making

WAKO's biggest recent milestone came in stages. The International Olympic Committee granted the sport provisional recognition in November 2018, then upgraded that to full recognition in July 2021. Kickboxing has since been shortlisted for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and appeared in the 2023 European Olympic Games in Krakow. For competitors and coaches, that trajectory matters — training and gear standards set by WAKO carry real weight in a sport actively working toward Olympic status.

The Seven Disciplines

WAKO organizes competitive kickboxing into seven disciplines, split across two settings: three fought in a boxing ring, and four fought on a tatami (mat).

Ring Disciplines — three rounds of two minutes each, with a minute's rest in between:

• Full Contact — the original ring discipline, full power strikes above the waist.
• Low Kick — full contact rules, plus kicks to the thigh.
• K-1 — the most open ruleset of the three, allowing knees and clinch work.

Tatami Disciplines — faster-paced, more technical, judged on scoring rather than knockout power:

• Point Fighting — controlled strikes, points awarded for clean technique.
• Light Contact — continuous fighting at reduced power.
• Kick Light — light contact rules with a heavier kicking emphasis.
• Musical Forms — solo performance routines, with or without weapons, set to music. (Century doesn't currently carry a dedicated collection for this discipline.)

Gear for Every Discipline

Century's full WAKO Approved collection covers all six of the disciplines above with dedicated gear, and offers a few different product lines depending on what level you're training or competing at:

• WAKO Valor — Century's entry point into WAKO-approved gear.
• WAKO Tenacity — a step up in construction and durability.
• WAKO Drive — built for frequent, serious training.

Whether you're coaching a school competing internationally or just want gear that meets the same standard the pros train in, Century's WAKO lineup covers headgear, gloves, shin guards, and boots built to the specifications each discipline requires.