Sports Parents

Kick boxing is a relatively modern martial arts system, who syllabus derived by combining several fighting techniques from a variety of the more traditional disciplines, including Kung fu, Kyokushinkai Karate, Muay Thai, Kyokky shinkai and Tae kwon do.

History:

Martial arts boomed during the early 1970s and interest was greatly increased by their emphasis on competition fighting. Chinese styles of fighting began to take a more westernised form in the UK, and even more so in the United States, where the first real freestyle systems were beginning to be created. Indeed, many people claim that Kick boxing originated in the US during the 1970s. This, they say, was due to various American Karate practitioners becoming frustrated with the limitations of tournament competitive scoring. While Karate and the other disciplines were viewed as being entrenched with theories and set kata, and were performed in a controlled environment, practitioners wanted to see how effective their moves would be in a more realistic environment. Great emphasis began to be placed on specialised techniques, such as kicks and punches, being delivered with full force. Although full contact Karate was already established, concerns were expressed for the safety of competitors.

Development:

There is a close affinity between Kick boxing and Muay Thai. While it is believed that the Americans had created this concept in their attempt to find a sport that could refine full contact competition, it is believed that the development of Kick boxing was borne out of the World Kick boxing Association finding common ground between Eastern and Western fighting cultures.

It is also believed that Joe Cawley, Don and Judy Quinn, along with Howard Hansen, a Shorin ryn Karate black belt, were the initial promoters of Kick boxing and worked together for improved recognition. Hansen took Kick boxing a stage further by introducing fights in a boxing ring rather than the usual Karate tournament bouts. He became known as a ring matchmaker, staging a variety of successful events with stars such as Bill “Superfoot” Wallis.

New rules evolved and were introduced into Kick boxing, most notably weight divisions – from fly weight to heavy weight – similar to those in traditional boxing. A down side to the discipline in those early days was criticism of a high risk injury. This led to improvement in the safety rules, such as contestants wearing protective clothing to cushion the impacts of the blows.

Kick boxing bag workouts are a great way to grab a full body workout and have been really gaining popularity in the last couple of years.

Even if your only experience with kick boxing is playing video games or watching a Kung fu movie Kick boxing bag workouts are safe for the beginner and have an “Easy Learning Curve” for those just starting out.

As always before starting any new workout regime consult your doctor to make sure you are fit enough o participate.

Before any workout you should take the time to warm up properly. I personally prefer the stationary cycle or jumping rope to get my heart rate up and my body warm and loose, some people suggest stretching before a workout however recent research has proven that its probably best to stretch after you have completed a workout to prevent injuries.

Start slowly, practicing a variety of kicks concentrating on accuracy before power, which can be worked up as your form and technique improve. Practice on both a kickboxing bag and have a friend or training partner use focus mitts. Really try to kick through the kick boxing bag not snapping back with your legs after impact.

Focus on keeping your head up and concentrate on keeping your upper body not too far forward when working kickboxing drills, you want to always keep your body in such a way you can throw kicks after doing a punching combo.

Cross  train to improve your lower body strength and balance which is essential for a great kick boxing bag  workout. Jumping rope, cycling  and jogging really help build up your leg power and improve your footwork which is crucial in kick boxing just as it is in regular boxing.

Expect your self-confidence to soar as you not only get into great shape but  improve your kick and punching skills at the same time.

Avoid over exerting yourself which is easy to do in kick boxing bag workouts, stick to short rounds just as fighters do in professional matches, kick boxing bag workouts are a great cardiovascular workout but its easy to over do it, drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated between drills.

As always with any martial arts training program keep these skills in the dojo or the gym and do not use them out on the street where you could seriously injure someone.

The 5 most common mistakes you can do when starting kick boxing training :

1 ) Not seeking guidance from professionals.

Guidance from professionals is crucial for development of strong basis of your skills.

We all know that without strong basis the building wont hold.

2 ) Rushing trough , not taking time to learn the basics properly. and loosing patience.

Start slow, have patience you cant become bruce lee over night. There is no such thing as the quick fix or the magic pil.

3 ) Not having the required level of discipline.

You must have basic level of discipline if you want to stick trough the first month of the

training. After the first month you develop routine and training becomes automatic.

4 ) Negative thinking.

Without Enthusiasm you wont do anything, this thing is in the basics of everything you do

in your life. If you have negative attitude towards training and you see it as hard and boring

then the is will be hard and boring. Focus on what you get, the fun parts of the training,

the interesting parts of the training.

5 ) Not taking time to relax and burning yourself up.

Take the proper time to relax and relax your body. Have at least one day off in the week.

Now that you have read this you can be certain not to make this mistakes, this means you minimise the chance of failure.

If you want to read more about kickboxing training, eqipment and classes check my kickboxing blog at : http:www.kickboxingequipment.org