Kickboxing is a sport that requires various punching and kicking skills and techniques, and requires much muscular demand, balance, and a strong mindset. Kickboxing workouts can be physically demanding and often consist of a warmup, kicking drills, punching drills, circuit training, sparring and more.
Warmup
Jumping rope and basic calisthenic exercises help warm up the body properly to prepare for the main kickboxing drills. Working on different kicking techniques, as well as punches and shadowboxing, make up the warmup. Once the body is warm, the muscles are primed for stretching. The legs are often focused on in stretching, to achieve optimal range of motion on kicking techniques. Once the body is warmed up and stretched, more intense aspects of the workout can begin.
Kicking Drills
Performing reps of various kicks by striking kicking shields, heavy bags and various other targets often makes up the next phase of a kickboxing workout. Kickboxers usually perform kicks such as front kicks, roundhouse kicks, side kicks, and possibly some spinning kicks at this stage of the workout. Initially, technique is the focus. Gradually ramping up power on strikes is the next option while maintaining good kicking technique.
Punching Drills and Combinations
It is important for kickboxers to also focus on punching techniques and not neglect training the hand skills. Punches are an important component of the sport and should be worked with much volume, as more punches are thrown in kickboxing matches compared to kicks.
Working on punches such as jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts is essential. Practicing variations of these punches to the body is also important.
Learning how to put punches and kicks together into combinations is the next component. The kickboxer should have a good feel of flowing through a variety of different punches and kicks in combinations such as a jab-cross-roundhouse kick combination. Putting those kind of combinations together can seem challenging at first but will feel more comfortable after practicing regularly. These types of drills are often worked on the focus mitts with a coach. The coach calls out certain punches and kicks and the athlete strikes in sequence.
Circuit Training
Circuit training involves moving from one station to the next, performing a certain number of rounds at each station for a specified duration. A round timer is normally utilized and set for two- or three-minute rounds with 30 seconds to 1 minute of rest time. Stations typically include the heavy bag, double-end bag, kicking targets, focus mitts and speed bag. Jumping rope, as well as body weight strength exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups and squats, should be added in regularly.
Training this way makes for a great workout in a short period of time and is optimal to enhance the kickboxer's conditioning and skill.
Sparring
Especially for competitive kickboxers, sparring is a regular component of workouts. This training method involves two kickboxers paired against each other to work on skill, technique and conditioning for a specified duration of rounds. A pace between the two athletes is agreed upon beforehand and is usually no more than 85 percent of actual fight pace. Participants train with an alertness of being in an actual competition and protective gear such as headgear, groin protector and shin/foot guards is worn.
Sparring is normally the most intense portion of the workout, because of dealing with the defensive demands of punches and kicks being thrown back at you by an actual opponent.
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