The Art of Kickboxing

In a typical cardio kickboxing workout, you can expect to burn a significant number of calories, increase endurance and reduce stress. This kind of kickboxing won't give you a true appreciation for kickboxing as an art form, though. The martial art of kickboxing will allow you to develop functional speed and power, and it may even teach you to defend yourself in a dangerous situation.

  1. Strikes

    • Kickboxing is a combat sport, first and foremost, which means strikes are the main component of any serious kickboxing style. Kickboxers throw many of the same punches as boxers, including jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts, but kicks often decide the outcome of competitive matches. Kickboxers learn to balance and pivot on one foot as they strike out with the other, attacking vulnerable areas of the body with the instep, shin, heel, ball or blade of the foot.

    Stances

    • Learning how to stand and move in the ring is as important a component of kickboxing as striking. Typically, right-handed kickboxers stand in an orthodox stance with their right foot back, while left-handed kickboxers stand in an opposite southpaw stance. More traditional forms of kickboxing, such as taekwondo and karate, encourage fighters to switch stances in the midst of a match to confuse the opponent.

    Styles

    • Kickboxing is a broad term used to encompass a wide range of combat sports and traditional martial arts. Thai boxers train to throw elbow and knee strikes to compliment their punches and kicks. Taekwondo stylists tend to emphasize kicks with the ball, instep and blade of the foot rather than the shin, and they rarely use their hands in competition. Which style you gravitate toward depends largely on the type of competition you're interested in. Modern mixed martial arts practitioners often blend techniques from various styles together to compliment their games.

    Conditioning

    • Aside from the obvious anaerobic benefits of kickboxing, body conditioning is important if you plan to step into the ring for sparring or full-contact competition. Most of the conditioning found in kickboxing comes as a result of repeated strikes on heavy bags and pads. Impacts to your shins will harden them over time, turning them into more damaging and resistant weapons.