Kickboxing is a very popular striking art in the MMA world. It is the art of using your kicks and punches to strike your opponent. This sport helps in improving strength, balance, coordination and flexibility while making you burn a whole ton of calories. Kickboxing classes focus on concepts from cardio conditioning and elements of dance to self defense, martial arts and one on one competition. It strengthen the bones, which helps to avoid problems like osteoporosis in the future. The Basic equipment that is needed to train for kickboxing is a pair of boxing gloves, a punching bag and ankle supports. To spar or train with a partner you need headgear and a mouthpeice to protect the head, face and teeth. It can be quite a challenging experience to start learning how to kickbox. It is better that you perfect the basics right from the get go. Many beginners pick up bad habits which at a later stage are hard to avoid, for example beginners tend to not use their hips to throw their punches and kicks which tends to decrease the power of their strikes. One of the most important things to practice and perfect is your stance. Typically, right handed people should have their left leg facing forward. Your right hand should be more aligned on the side of your face, while your left hand should be a few inches in front of your face, a bit forward. Your elbows are meant to be beside you, but not touching your body. Your elbows are used to block kicks and punches delivered to the side of your body. Your chin should be tucked in towards your chest to avoid being caught with a punch right on the chin. Breathing is very important as holding your breath leads to quicker exhaustion and less power in your shots. Being relaxed allows your movements to go in a flow and increase your power and speed. A great way to understand and practice your most comfortable stance is to shadow box. Shadow boxing is a method to practice a martial art without a sparring partner or a punching bag. You can practice techniques that you have learned in your classes here, and bring several techniques together perfectly. When you learn to shadow box you should first start with the correct stance, your feet shoulder length apart, leading first with your left, and then with your right. There are many online courses from which you can learn how to shadow box and perfect your stance. The Best way to learn kickboxing is by joining a gym or class. Most cardio kickboxing lessons won’t have you make contact with someone or a bag, so you don’t have to think about “sparring” with someone. You’re going to hit the air and be allowed to operate at your own speed. However, you can check for specialized gyms that offer contact drills, all depending on what you are searching for.
