HOW TO START KICKBOXING
Exercise is a vital part of staying healthy, and living a happier lifestyle. Most people these days are looking for some form of sporting club, or exercise workout system they can do in their limited amount of time. With the hustle of everyday life, people are busy with work, family, love, and extracurricular activities.Finding a workout plan that people can utilise during their available time, and from home is particularly hard, and is why a lot of people end up lifting weights at the gym. There are other alternatives to racking up the fees at a gym, and people should consider joining a Martial Arts academy. Training in combat sports can be cheaper than traditional workout gyms, and most kickboxing arts can be practised from the confines of their own home.
There are two main ways of starting a combat sport like kick boxing, and the first is to simply find an academy, and walk through the doors. Even though this can be a daunting prospect most Martial Artists are extremely welcoming, and will endeavour to help guide any student that joins the ranks.The second option is to watch instructional videos, and incorporate their training into a kick boxing home workout. Kick boxing involves a series of technical striking exercises that incorporates elements of cardio, strength and conditioning, speed, footwork, striking form, balance, and evasive maneuvers. All students that begin learning this dynamic combat sport will build up a formidable striking style, and a heightened sense of confidence within themselves.
JOINING A KICK BOXING ACADEMY
Walking in off the streets, and joining a Martial Arts academy takes courage, and humility. All students that take the plunge, and dedicate themselves to a Martial Art like kick boxing will soon discover just how many possibilities there are. One of the first aspects that a student will learn is just how welcoming the community of Martial Arts truly is. All academies offer a highly encouraging atmosphere, where all members are treated equally, and given the same amount of opportunities as the next student. The only thing that is asked of a new student is to adhere to the rules, and the ideologies of their academy. These are aspects like being respectful, being kind and courteous to other academy members, leaving any ego at the door before they walk in, and understanding how to be humble. This means to allow an instructor to guide them, and teach them the intricacies involved in all of the kick boxing moves.
It can be extremely daunting walking into an academy, and facing off against other high level strikers. It is a common feeling of walking into the academy, and being sized up by other competitive athletes, which can make the process extremely hard. This should not let someone be discouraged from diving into kick boxing training, as in most cases it is quite the opposite. Most high level athletes are extremely integral, and value helping new students find their way. The biggest mistake a new student can make is by trying to compare themselves to anyone else inside the gym, as there is only one person they should be comparing themselves to, and that is themselves. Like all Martial Arts there is no opponent, in fact there is only one student versus the technique, and this means that no matter how long it takes them to learn, they are simply discovering their own pathway into learning all of the techniques involved at their own pace.
BUILDING A HOME GYM
Some people are extremely busy within their lifestyles, or are just not cut out for training in large groups, or they simply lack the dedication, and the perseverance of attending regular classes. This is why building a home gym can be extremely beneficial to any prospective athlete. The beauty of building a workable space at home means that any athlete can push themselves through kick boxing circuits, where they can comprehensively improve all of their attributes. Training in a safe place, where the athlete can go at their own pace, can be instrumental in building up a clinical structure of Martial Arts. This will also improve their self esteem, and their self confidence levels exponentially. The beauty of kick boxing is that as long as a student has a boxing bag hanging up in their garage, or owns a pair of gloves they can use significant kick boxing drills to master many of the different aspects involved.
WHERE TO START
Knowing how to start kick boxing is one aspect, as students will either decide to join up with an academy on a part time, or a full time basis, or they will decide to train from their home, using the knowledge of researching online. The main problem is, where do they actually start learning the Martial Art in terms of technique. First and foremost, all new beginners to the art must understand why it is imperative to have a good cardio base, and a significant amount of strength and conditioning. Once the athlete begins to build up some of these attributes, they will be able to endure through proper physical training sessions. In terms of skills, athletes will need to start with the basics, which is usually the kick boxing stance. Learning how to stand the right way is the catalyst for using the appropriate weight distribution, which then allows the student to use the right amount of speed, power, and balance, as they throw punches, and kicks.
After understanding how they should be standing, athletes will need to work on their footwork, and their striking technique. These two very different elements will need to be learnt individually, but then at some point brought together symbiotically to create a systematic flow. Learning how to use the right footwork is vital to a new student, and this is because they must build up the right techniques from the beginning, so that good habits will infiltrate their muscle memory. This is the same with striking technique, as students will learn how to throw simple punches like jabs, and crosses, or simple kicks like the teep, or a rear body kick, but will also learn how to use the right amount of weight distribution, balance, speed, and power. All new students to the art must put in significant time into shadow boxing techniques, and this is where the student will dance around their space in a solo drill, practising footwork, using evasion techniques, while they are throwing punches, and kicks. This is a great starting point for any new student to the art of kick boxing, and as long as they are showing dedication, discipline, and perseverance, they will be extremely successful.
HOW TO MAXIMISE THE LEARNING PROCESS
There is a simple philosophy behind maximising any learning process, and that is the kis method. This means to keep it simple, and this translates into staying away from the complicated techniques, and using the simple ones in the beginning. The entire kick boxing process has a lot of moving parts, and trying to utilise all of these aspects at once can be extremely hard, especially for a new student. This is why it is imperative they stick to simple techniques, and learn them individually until they are more experienced in the flow of combat sports. A student that is trying to do too much will commonly over commit, and step right into an opponent's punch, which can be detrimental to their learning process. This is why all students in combat sports utilise shadow boxing, so they have room to fail, and without receiving too much damage like they would in a real life sparring session.
This is why students will utilise footwork drills, where they will practice going in and out of an imaginary opponent's range. This will help them to work on different technical aspects like sliding in, side stepping, changing levels, ducking, and weaving. Throwing punches at the same time may force the student to forget some of the fundamental aspects involved with their footwork. Utilising separate training drills will only enhance their ability at each individual component, and once they have developed these concepts significantly, they can put them together into one systematic flow. This will give a student a greater advantage in learning good habits within their training systems, which will ultimately result in a much smarter, and more dynamic fighter to step inside of the ring.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONDITIONING
Conditioning in combat sports, especially at the professional level is one of the most important aspects of all. Having an outstanding talent for striking, and being able to put them altogether into a systematic flow, is only one part of a much larger puzzle. An athlete needs a considerable amount of strength and conditioning, cardiovascular ability, and resilience within their body. All combat sports, especially kick boxing will use a significant amount of cardiorespiratory endurance, and training to become extremely fit is an important concept. Not only is this imperative for a professional athlete, but just for an ordinary person looking for fun, and fitness, this is the reason why they are training in the first place. Anyone who has engaged in timed rounds striking into a boxing bag will know just how grueling even a two minute round can be, let alone putting in an hour worth of work on a regular basis. Athletes must engage in running, skipping, and high intensity cardio sessions to build up their cardiovascular ability. This is a great way for the athlete to have a fitter, and healthier lifestyle, but also to become more deadly, and a capable fighter inside of the ring.
Building up muscular strength, and muscular endurance are too critical aspects for any combat athlete. Muscular strength will allow an athlete to have enough power within their muscles to initiate any strong type of movements, which will usually include high flying knock outs. Muscular endurance is just as important, and is how an athlete will stay on their feet in the later rounds of a fight. One of the worst nightmares for any professional athlete is to gas out during a fight, as this will only lead to injuries, and dangerous knock outs. All combat athletes must put in intensive work into building up their overall strength, and this can be done through a range of different methods like lifting weights, kettlebell training, resistance band training, isometric weights, and plyometrics.
Another important aspect is conditioning of an athlete's shins, and their other body parts. This comes down to a simple concept called resilience, and this is especially seen in Muay Thai boxers, as they are well known for their highly indestructible body parts. All students that train in kick boxing must condition their shins, and this doesn't mean they have to kick a brick wall, they just have to put significant training into kicking the heavy bag, and the Thai pads. This is a good way to create a hard kick, and if an athlete wants to be successful at the professional level, this is a critical component. Some athletes will go as far as using rolling pins to roll down their shins, and this is to desensitise their shinbone for when they throw heavy kicks at their opponent. Being resilient means to endure through adversity, and this means to be able to sustain a barrage of striking attacks from an opponent. If an athlete can master all of these concepts, then they are well on their way to becoming a highly conditioned athlete for combat sports.
THE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS
Not every student of kick boxing is in it for becoming a world champion, as most will simply want to become fitter and healthier, or just learn how to defend themselves. Some people will suffer from comprehensive mental health issues like depression, anxiety, autism, or different kinds of abuse, and for these people jumping into a combat sport like kick boxing can be just the right medicine. It is a proven fact that exercise releases endorphins in the brain, which contributes to a person's overall sense of happiness, and well being, which is directly related to relieving stress. Any person that is suffering from mental health conditions will benefit greatly from training in combat sports. Kick boxing training is a good distraction from any type of adversity that a person may be suffering, and sometimes a distraction is all someone needs. Not all people's issues can be solved, and commonly they just need someone to support them, or to give them something to focus on, which is what kick boxing can do.
Learning Martial Arts like kick boxing can be extremely challenging to the mind, as well as physically grueling. Sometimes people have built up frustrations that just have no way to release, and this can be an extremely dangerous prospect, as the last thing anyone wants is to blow up at the wrong time. Competing, or training in Martial Arts is a great way to release all of these built up tensions, and they can be released into the boxing bag at full velocity. This means that nobody gets hurt, and the person can release all of their built up frustration. The beauty of combat sports is that when a person releases their tension, they don't even realise that they are exercising at an extremely high level, which is ultimately amazing for their fitness. This is a great way to raise their self esteem, build self confidence, and feel like they are actually achieving something that has substance.
In the modern day self defense is crucial to all people within the community, and this is especially true for all children. There is an epidemic across the world where kids are being bullied, or attacked by other kids, and even adults. This is why learning self defense Martial Arts like kick boxing can be extremely effective, even for a child. Children will learn strategies in how to identify danger, and how to cope with many of the adversities they might face within their life. Quite often a child is low on confidence, and when they are faced with a physical altercation they can often shy away, which will ultimately endanger them. The mental benefits of training in kick boxing for children will give them a formidable confidence, and a reliability within the structures of their self defense movements. This can be the difference in a child standing up for themselves, and ultimately saving their own life, or the life of someone they love.
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