Kickboxing Advice

[The Beaver King]

So I'm going through my annual health and fitness drive and need some advice on kickboxing.

Basically, every year I have a point where I develop this urge to get all healthy. It tends to go quite well, changing my diet, weights 3 times a week, early nights, cardio etc. Sadly, I usually only last a few months before I lose focus and revert back to old habits. Luckily these habits aren't terrible, I still eat fairly healthy, but I cut back on training.

Anyway, this time I want to stick with it. Partly to get into top shape, but also as a proactive means of breaking up my working week.

So, a couple of friends go kickboxing twice a week and have invited me along. I've never done kickboxing before or any other type of martial arty thing. Can anyone give me some general advice on what to expect, whether it's a good form of regular excercise and how people find it?

I know a lot depends on who is teaching it etc, but general advice would be appreciated.

It's on a Monday and Thursday 6-8pm. Usually I do a weights routine Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will this affect my ability to carry this on (i.e. cripple me) or will it compliment my existing exercise.

I'm not a hardcore gym nut, so my routine is fairly casual.

Thanks

[theholygrail]

The Beaver King said:

So I'm going through my annual health and fitness drive and need some advice on kickboxing.

Basically, every year I have a point where I develop this urge to get all healthy. It tends to go quite well, changing my diet, weights 3 times a week, early nights, cardio etc. Sadly, I usually only last a few months before I lose focus and revert back to old habits. Luckily these habits aren't terrible, I still eat fairly healthy, but I cut back on training.

Anyway, this time I want to stick with it. Partly to get into top shape, but also as a proactive means of breaking up my working week.

So, a couple of friends go kickboxing twice a week and have invited me along. I've never done kickboxing before or any other type of martial arty thing. Can anyone give me some general advice on what to expect, whether it's a good form of regular excercise and how people find it?

I know a lot depends on who is teaching it etc, but general advice would be appreciated.

It's on a Monday and Thursday 6-8pm. Usually I do a weights routine Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will this affect my ability to carry this on (i.e. cripple me) or will it compliment my existing exercise.

I'm not a hardcore gym nut, so my routine is fairly casual.

Thanks

Hi,

You sound a lot like me!! I'm 48, slim, healthy, good diet etc, do a couple of good gym sessions with cardio a week plus one possibly two KB classes a week and a decent swim. The KB classes are great. For so many reasons. I've done martial arts on and off all my life but in a fairly non serious way and tried various styles. All good, all have their own benefits. The things I like about KB are that you're well padded up so very unlikely to damage hands, shins, feet etc whereas when I used to do karate I picked up several repeated quite bad thumb injuries for example from trying to block punches with pads that had open thumbs! (clearly thought I was Bruce Lee!) KB is American in origin and as a result much less structured and rigid than say karate in its class format and discipline but the advantage is that if you're there for the fitness you will get a really good workout as it's lots of bag and focus pad work and general circuit type training. It's great fun, gives you confidence and covers stamina, strength, coordination, timing, speed, reflexes and flexibility. I would definitely have a go and see how you like it. Nothing to lose. Most decent clubs will allow "try-outs" or for you just to sit and watch a class. You may well be fitter and younger than me but I would struggle to do both gym and KB on the same day! Especially if the KB class is 2 hours (mine are an hour ish). Classes also tend to be people of all shapes and sizes, fitness levels and both sexes.

Good luck!

[theholygrail]

The Beaver King said:

So I'm going through my annual health and fitness drive and need some advice on kickboxing.

Basically, every year I have a point where I develop this urge to get all healthy. It tends to go quite well, changing my diet, weights 3 times a week, early nights, cardio etc. Sadly, I usually only last a few months before I lose focus and revert back to old habits. Luckily these habits aren't terrible, I still eat fairly healthy, but I cut back on training.

Anyway, this time I want to stick with it. Partly to get into top shape, but also as a proactive means of breaking up my working week.

So, a couple of friends go kickboxing twice a week and have invited me along. I've never done kickboxing before or any other type of martial arty thing. Can anyone give me some general advice on what to expect, whether it's a good form of regular excercise and how people find it?

I know a lot depends on who is teaching it etc, but general advice would be appreciated.

It's on a Monday and Thursday 6-8pm. Usually I do a weights routine Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will this affect my ability to carry this on (i.e. cripple me) or will it compliment my existing exercise.

I'm not a hardcore gym nut, so my routine is fairly casual.

Thanks

Hi,

You sound a lot like me!! I'm 48, slim, healthy, good diet etc, do a couple of good gym sessions with cardio a week plus one possibly two KB classes a week and a decent swim. The KB classes are great. For so many reasons. I've done martial arts on and off all my life but in a fairly non serious way and tried various styles. All good, all have their own benefits. The things I like about KB are that you're well padded up so very unlikely to damage hands, shins, feet etc whereas when I used to do karate I picked up several repeated quite bad thumb injuries for example from trying to block punches with pads that had open thumbs! (clearly thought I was Bruce Lee!) KB is American in origin and as a result much less structured and rigid than say karate in its class format and discipline but the advantage is that if you're there for the fitness you will get a really good workout as it's lots of bag and focus pad work and general circuit type training. It's great fun, gives you confidence and covers stamina, strength, coordination, timing, speed, reflexes and flexibility. I would definitely have a go and see how you like it. Nothing to lose. Most decent clubs will allow "try-outs" or for you just to sit and watch a class. You may well be fitter and younger than me but I would struggle to do both gym and KB on the same day! Especially if the KB class is 2 hours (mine are an hour ish). Classes also tend to be people of all shapes and sizes, fitness levels and both sexes.

Good luck!

[The Beaver King]

theholygrail said:

Hi,

You sound a lot like me!! I'm 48, slim, healthy, good diet etc, do a couple of good gym sessions with cardio a week plus one possibly two KB classes a week and a decent swim. The KB classes are great. For so many reasons. I've done martial arts on and off all my life but in a fairly non serious way and tried various styles. All good, all have their own benefits. The things I like about KB are that you're well padded up so very unlikely to damage hands, shins, feet etc whereas when I used to do karate I picked up several repeated quite bad thumb injuries for example from trying to block punches with pads that had open thumbs! (clearly thought I was Bruce Lee!) KB is American in origin and as a result much less structured and rigid than say karate in its class format and discipline but the advantage is that if you're there for the fitness you will get a really good workout as it's lots of bag and focus pad work and general circuit type training. It's great fun, gives you confidence and covers stamina, strength, coordination, timing, speed, reflexes and flexibility. I would definitely have a go and see how you like it. Nothing to lose. Most decent clubs will allow "try-outs" or for you just to sit and watch a class. You may well be fitter and younger than me but I would struggle to do both gym and KB on the same day! Especially if the KB class is 2 hours (mine are an hour ish). Classes also tend to be people of all shapes and sizes, fitness levels and both sexes.

Good luck!

Hey,

Yeah, it does seem we share a similar approach to fitness etc. Thanks for the advice, I'll certainly be going tonight to see how I get on and hopefully I'll enjoy it enough to stick at it.

I'm only 26, but I get the feeling that 2 hours is quite a long time for high intensity workouts. I get the impression that it is very cardio based though, so I'm hoping I'll still have a little energy left to do some sets when I get home.

My biggest issue is that I am a smoker. I quit once a few years ago when I was running a lot, but sadly fell off the wagon. I'm hoping that throwing myself into a regular cardio routine will help set my mind on quitting smoking again. We'll see I guess...

Thanks again for the advice

[3000GT ANT]

I used to go kick boxing, but there are a few types, i did tae kwon do * probably spelt wrong.
which one are you trying out?

I used to enjoy the combat side of things, where we would do 3 x 3 minute rounds of sparring and as said you are padded up but dont be fooled you can get injured. I had a kick in the nads a few times and one of my mates got his tooth knocked out, but all in all it was good fun. Theres more chance of you sticking at kick boxing as you are part of a class/team unlike the gym where you need to be self motivated.

Have fun!

[The Beaver King]

3000GT ANT said:

I used to go kick boxing, but there are a few types, i did tae kwon do * probably spelt wrong.
which one are you trying out?

I used to enjoy the combat side of things, where we would do 3 x 3 minute rounds of sparring and as said you are padded up but dont be fooled you can get injured. I had a kick in the nads a few times and one of my mates got his tooth knocked out, but all in all it was good fun. Theres more chance of you sticking at kick boxing as you are part of a class/team unlike the gym where you need to be self motivated.

Have fun!

I think it's just straight forward Kickboxing, although I'll find out more tonight.

Yeah, my mate who goes was telling me they do something called conditioning, where they literally just punch you in the stomach for a few minutes while you tense up. Sounds interesting....

[mattikake]

theholygrail said:

The things I like about KB are that you're well padded up so very unlikely to damage hands, shins, feet etc

You're kidding! I can only assume you aren't sparring properly or were you doing KB in playgroup?!

I've done KB, Muay Thai and Mugendo, all made a right mess of my shins, forearms and ribs, fortunately I made sure I was good so not my face though but I've seen plenty of split lips, broken noses, cut eyes. I decided to quit it and try something else because the not being bothered about getting hit mentality got too much in the end. Learning Wing Chun is a real mind job compared to the brutal simplicity of KB, but the difference with Wing Chun is the learning and 'sparring' is all sort of non-contact.

Anyway, pain, it's just a feeble quitters emotion.

KB is a seriously fun sport. Mainly because it's easy and therefore quick to get the hang of and quick to utilise in real life. Fitness-wise 3 x 3 min sparring rounds is the most physically knackering thing I've tried - there's a reason why it's not 4 x 4!

With starting any martial art the main barrier, for me, is starting without a group of beginners as you know you're going to look like a talentless gimp compared to the rest, but sometimes you just have to dive right in with the "feck it" mentality.

[The Beaver King]

mattikake said:

You're kidding! I can only assume you aren't sparring properly or were you doing KB in playgroup?!

I've done KB, Muay Thai and Mugendo, all made a right mess of my shins, forearms and ribs, fortunately I made sure I was good so not my face though but I've seen plenty of split lips, broken noses, cut eyes. I decided to quit it and try something else because the not being bothered about getting hit mentality got too much in the end. Learning Wing Chun is a real mind job compared to the brutal simplicity of KB, but the difference with Wing Chun is the learning and 'sparring' is all sort of non-contact.

Anyway, pain, it's just a feeble quitters emotion.

KB is a seriously fun sport. Mainly because it's easy and therefore quick to get the hang of and quick to utilise in real life. Fitness-wise 3 x 3 min sparring rounds is the most physically knackering thing I've tried - there's a reason why it's not 4 x 4!

With starting any martial art the main barrier, for me, is starting without a group of beginners as you know you're going to look like a talentless gimp compared to the rest, but sometimes you just have to dive right in with the "feck it" mentality.

Thanks for the info.

I don't mind getting stuck into things and I fully expect to get hurt regularly. If, like you, I can avoid having my face messed up, that would be handy. I doubt work would appreciate me attending meetings with black eyes and split lips
I've heard there are quite a few girls that go and are fairly good. I imagine I'm likely to have my ass handed to me by one of these little girlies. Not a good look when you're 6ft 1, 14 stone and quite broad shouldered

[OlberJ]

Started it a couple of months ago. Run off the back of my mate who does Tae Kwon Do and set this up as a "fitness" class.

It was all circuit work, structured sparring and a little technique.

Helluva work out if you pushed yourself or a bit of a walk in the park if you sat back and watched. Definitely felt it gave me a proper workout though and felt it the next day.

Class was cancelled due to low numbers but looking to take it up elsewhere more focussed on the actual kick boxing than the fitness side of it.

Give it a go, you'll not be dissapointed if you're going for the health benefit side of it.

[The Beaver King]

OlberJ said:

Started it a couple of months ago. Run off the back of my mate who does Tae Kwon Do and set this up as a "fitness" class.

It was all circuit work, structured sparring and a little technique.

Helluva work out if you pushed yourself or a bit of a walk in the park if you sat back and watched. Definitely felt it gave me a proper workout though and felt it the next day.

Class was cancelled due to low numbers but looking to take it up elsewhere more focussed on the actual kick boxing than the fitness side of it.

Give it a go, you'll not be dissapointed if you're going for the health benefit side of it.

Thanks.

I'm looking at it from a fitness perspective at the moment. I'm not sure how serious they actually take the contact side of it, but if I do get the bug then there is a proper martial arts gym down the road from me.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I do Karate twice a week (1.5 hours each session) and really enjoy it. The lessons do vary greatly as our class is a real mix and the Sensei likes an informal class which is very different to some of the other Karate classes I've seen. Sometimes they can be a real beasting majoring on fitness and sparring (try sparring for 1.5 hours!), others they can be less fitness but more of a challenge to the grey matter.

[didelydoo]

You'll love it- class may put you in at the deep end or you may get a bit of time to acclimatise. It's great fun but can leave you a bit 'tender' if you do sparring, getting punched in the face can take quite a bit of getting used to, physically demanding stuff too

[The Beaver King]

Well had my first lesson last night and it was brilliant.

I know the instructor personally and he just threw me into it. Picked up quite a lot of stuff fairly quickly and then had 30 minutes sparring at the end which nearly killed me.

Today I am hurting like buggery as it is all done bare foot, which has caused massive blisters. Still, going again Thursday and definitely hoping to make it a regular thing.

Thanks for the advice guys.

[mattikake]

Er, he got you sparring immediately? You're supposed to have insurance before you can can do that, which should take at least a week to come through... unless of course you don't mind paying for dentistry yourself.

[The Beaver King]

mattikake said:

Er, he got you sparring immediately? You're supposed to have insurance before you can can do that, which should take at least a week to come through... unless of course you don't mind paying for dentistry yourself.

I don't think it was proper sparring. One on one, 16 oz gloves, only light hitting between neck and waist. So no real contact, more to focus on movement and blocking.

[dave_s13]

mattikake said:

..With starting any martial art the main barrier, for me, is starting without a group of beginners as you know you're going to look like a talentless gimp compared to the rest, but sometimes you just have to dive right in with the "feck it" mentality.

That's how I started Muay Thai - then ended up being in the UK heavyweight rankings! For a bit anyway.

Not done it for a good few years now, you kinda grow out of it after a while, life gets in the way, I would recommend it to anyone though. I would prefer MT over KB but both are excellent for getting fit. We used to train for 1hr though, that was enough to totally ruin you. When fighting that would be supplemented by a 5 mile run before traning and a bit of a strength/conditioning routine after - it made you physically ill.

2hr sessions sound pretty long TBH, I wonder if that includes all the time spent messing about getting changed and sorting yourself out after etc etc.

[The Beaver King]

dave_s13 said:

2hr sessions sound pretty long TBH, I wonder if that includes all the time spent messing about getting changed and sorting yourself out after etc etc.

It seems to be that the new starters tend to stay for just an hour and the more experienced ones stay for the whole 2 hours.

That time includes 10-15 minutes for warm up, about an hour of basic moves, another 30-45 of more complex stuff and a final 15 minutes or so of sparring.

It's all quite relaxed.

[Haggleburyfinius]

mattikake said:

Er, he got you sparring immediately? You're supposed to have insurance before you can can do that, which should take at least a week to come through... unless of course you don't mind paying for dentistry yourself.

This is a good point and is something that a lot of people don't know about the industry.

I run both a kickboxing association with many 1000 students and my own kickboxing clubs with about 800 members currently. (I have a full time school as well but this thread is about kickboxing only).

An instructor's insurance is only valid with a corresponding member to member licence (this is not the case at full time academies that can buy blanket policies).

Now, because I run the office that processes our licences I am happy to consider them "live" as soon as the paperwork is signed and the fee is paid. A lot of instructors do the most shortsighted and stupid thing: holding onto the forms and money for a period up to a few months to ensure that the student is going to stick it out. If the student doesn't, the instructor can pocket the licence money. They will give some bullst about the licensing body taking ages to send it though etc.

This is insane as most litigious injuries occur when students are beginners; before they have built proper rapport with the instructor, and are therefore more likely to make a fuss or make a claim.

We enrol over a hundred people per month into my directly controlled classes and there are always a handful that have trained elsewhere; very few have ever had a martial arts licence before!!!

Now, most instructor policies allow a new member to be taught for a couple of weeks without the need for a licence. This cover will very very rarely cover sparring.

Incidentally, sparring cover is an additional extra to an instructor's premium and I am convinced that most do not have it due to cost.

In fact, I dread to think about the lack of adequate insurance across the industry. There are only a handful of underwriters out there anyway...one can check the add ons etc at www.martial-arts-insurance.co.uk.


As a professional school owner, I can think of nothing more reckless than a beginner engaging in any form of contact with another student in their first few classes, let alone sparring. In fact, I think it could be seen as negligent should an accident happen. I would be enraged if one of my instructor staff did anything like this!

at enrolment, we pass around a folder with our team of instructors' qualifications (black belt, instructor training programme etc) certificates plus their fire safety, first aid, child protection policy, enhanced CRB plus insurance policy details. I wonder how many students out there have ever actually seen any proof of their instructor's insurance?

Sorry for the long post and OP it wasn't really directed at you; just a rant