Kickboxing is a sport that requires fast hands, fast feet, excellent reactions and an ability to find an opening when delivering a blow to your opponent. A kickboxer can use a heavy bag and a speed bag to work on his punching and kicking accuracy, but when it comes to timing, it helps to have a sparring partner in the ring with you.
Floor-to-Ceiling Bag Drill
This is one of the outstanding tools a kickboxer can use to develop accuracy in his punches and kicks and balance. The floor-to-ceiling bag has a large protruding ball in the middle. It is hung on an elastic band that goes from the floor to the ceiling. After being struck, the floor-to-ceiling bag will rebound in an unpredictable manner. In this drill, you must strike the bag with a left roundhouse kick, a right roundhouse kick, a left jab and a right cross. Follow that pattern while hitting the bag for two minutes to improve your striking ability and balance.
Heavy Bag
The heavy bag is a great tool for kick boxers to use in order to develop greater power. It is not enough to strafe your opponent with a series of punches and kicks. Instead, you have to load up with power when you have the opportunity. When you throw punches, engage your shoulders, chest and core muscles, as well as your hands, wrists and arms. When you kick the bag, engage your glutes, hips and core muscles in addition to your feet and legs. Build endurance by hitting the heavy bag for three minutes at a time, resting for a minute and then going at it for another three-minute round.
Sparring
A four-round sparring session is one of the best ways to get in shape and prepare for a kickboxing match. Your trainer can show you the best way to deliver punches and kicks and when to go on the offensive and when to defend yourself, but training routines and film study will only take a kick boxer so far. Getting in the ring and sparring against a live opponent will help a fighter get better and get his confidence level up. In sparring sessions, you will wear larger gloves than usual, protective pads on your feet and shins and head gear. However, you can still get in effective punches and kicks, and you can still get hit by your opponent. Spar three times per week as you prepare for a fight. However, in the final seven days before your bout, schedule only one sparring session.
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