Kickboxing is a global sport and the standard measurement therefore is metric. Metric is simple and intuitive. For temperature 0º and 100º, represent the freezing point and boiling point of water. If 0º and 100º Fahrenheit represent something on this earth, I have yet to hear what they are. The interesting thing about the United States is that they haven’t warmed up to the metric system. As complicated as their own system is, they love it. Where we see a 100m dash in the Olympics, they see the 109 yard 1 foot 1 inch dash. They don’t even like decimals. Fractions are the way to go. Trying to bridge a gap between sports born outside the US and the US fan isn’t as difficult as it may initially seem. With a little exposure, the average US raised fan can easily get a sense for the numbers. They do it all the time. In hockey, is 50 goals in a season good? In basketball, is 50 points in a season good? Fans know the answers to these questions. The same goes for metric measurements. Once the fan associates 200cm with the term “tall” and 130kg with the term “huge”, the learning will be quick. Below is a simple chart to help the average US based fan grasp some of the benchmark heights and weights. International fans reading this should keep in mind that there are NOT 10 inches in a foot and NOT 10 ounces in a pound. Height Centimeters to Feet and Inches Mass (Weight) Kilograms to Pounds and Ounces 175cm = 5’87/8” 180cm = 5’107/8” 185cm = 6’05/6” 190cm = 6’24/5” 195cm = 6’43/4” 200cm = 6’63/4” 205cm = 6’811/16” 210cm = 6’1011/16” 215cm = 7’02/3” 220cm = 7’25/8” 90kg = 198lbs 62/3oz. 95kg = 209lbs 71/16oz. 100kg = 220lbs 77/16oz. 105kg = 231lbs 73/4oz. 110kg = 242lbs 81/8oz. 115kg = 253lbs 81/2oz. 120kg = 264lbs 87/8oz. 130kg = 286lbs 95/8oz. 140kg = 308lbs 103/8oz. 150kg = 330lbs 111/16oz. The next chart has a list of some recognizable names in the game and their heights and weights. If you can look and say “He's tall and lanky.” or “He’s huge.” without thinking in feet, pounds, inches and ounces; you can say you understand metric. Name, Country code Height Weight Akio Mori, JPN 186 102 Peter Aerts, NED 192 107 Sem Schilt, NED 212 126 Francois Botha, RSA 190 116 Remy Bonjaski, NED 193 105 Ray Sefo, NZL 180 105 Ernesto Hoost, NED 189 106 Badr Hari, NED 197 94 Jerome LeBanner, FRA 190 118 Nicholas Pettas, DEN 180 97 Stefan Leko, CRO 188 100 Peter Graham, AUS 193 110 Hong Man Choi, KOR 218 160 Bjorn Bregy, SUI 201 124 Bob Sapp , USA 200 160 Glaube Feitosa, BRA 195 103 Alexei Ignashov, BLR 194 97 Carter Williams, USA 182 113 See you ringside!