Kickboxing, a dynamic martial art, combines karate, Thai boxing and traditional boxing. Competitors fight for championships and kickbox in mixed martial arts bouts. Kickboxing provides an intense workout for those looking to improve their cardiovascular conditioning levels. Maintaining an aggressive attitude is vital to success.
Punching and Kicking Drills
Have all students face you in the gym. Have each student throw five straight left jabs in the air. Follow that with five straight right crosses. Then each student will throw five straight left hooks. Finish the drill with five straight right upper cuts. Take a two-minute break and then repeat the sequence. The instructor will make sure that all students throw the punches accurately and correct them immediately when mistakes are made.
Knowing and executing the proper kicks is at least 50 percent of kickboxing. In this drill, have all of your students deliver five consecutive front kicks. Then five straight roundhouse kicks, followed by five side kicks and five crescent kicks. Take a 30-second break and repeat the set.
Shin Conditioning
Building strength and power in your legs is essential in kickboxing, both from an offensive and defensive perspective. Strengthening your shins is essential to giving you the confidence to block shots and deliver them. The best way to do this is to deliver kick after kick on the heavy bag and pads. This will build strength and toughness. Using leather Thai pads are an excellent tool because they are hard and will develop strength and power. The ideas put forth in movies like "Kickboxer" that you can toughen your shins by kicking trees or tapping them with bottles is simply not true and can cause injuries and not prevent them.
Left Jab Routine
Once your students understand how to execute four different punches and four different kicks, it's time for them to put the punches and kicks together in a cardiovascular routine. With the left jab routine, each student will start throwing five left jabs. Then have them throw a right cross, followed by a left jab. Then a left front kick, a left jab, a left hook, a left jab, then a right roundhouse kick, a left jab, a right uppercut, a left jab, a left sidekick, a left jab and close with a right crescent kick. Take a one-minute break and then repeat the drill at least twice.
Sparring
Whether you are a kickboxing competitor or a student in a kickboxing class, you won't know how you truly stand until you spar with an opponent who is of similar size and experience. While fear enters into the equation, both you and your opponent will be padded for the sparring session. You will wear padded gloves, headgear and rib pads. Spar for three two-minute rounds with a one-minute break between each round. Throw all your punches and kicks while sparring. You may feel comfortable with your jab and your roundhouse kick. Don't rely excessively on these and ignore other kicks and punches. Try to throw your punches in combinations and do it with speed and explosiveness. Try a jab followed by a right cross, a jab followed by a right cross and a left hook, a jab, left hook and then a right cross.
Member Comments