Suggestions for looking for your first kickboxing club

Paul Fitness, Martial Arts

If you need a workout that will tone up your body, teach you new techniques and give you the skills to defend yourself, kickboxing might be the right activity for you.  With kickboxing London you can increase your stamina, flexibility and strength while listening to your favourite music, and get rid of your stress and anxiety at the same time.  If you are looking for a kickboxing club, there are a few things to be aware of, to make sure your new favourite sport gets off to the best possible start.

Kickboxing is a centuries old sport, which was first practised in Asia around 2,000 years ago.  The activity as we know it, though, kicked off in the 1970s, when American karate experts arranged competitions to bring in the full-contact kicks and punches that had been banned from karate.  As one might expect, some health and safety concerns accompanied this change, and so padding, protective clothing and safety rules were introduced into the sport over the years.  This slightly altered, safety-conscious form is the one that is around today.  Still, there are a few different forms, which vary principally according to the amount of physical contact that is allowed between the combatants.

For those who are more interested in the aerobic than the contact element, there is aerobic, or cardiovascular kickboxing, also known as boxercise.  This combines the techniques of boxing and martial arts with the physical characteristics of an aerobics class, so it provides full conditioning and toning as well as teaching new skills.  It involves no physical contact between the kickboxers – rather, it is a cardiovascular workout that is done because of its many benefits to the body.

Kickboxing proper, though, does involve real contact with opponents, and some new starters find it intimidating for this reason.  It is important to appreciate that there is no competition – you can just take it at your own pace, and do not need to face an opponent until you feel it is the right time.  You will increase your feeling of comfort if you warm up your muscles and joints for a good few minutes first. After that, it is usually best to start with upper body moves, learning jabs or punches.  Combining these with kicks can come after a few weeks.

When you first get involved with a kickboxing club, it is sensible to limit your visits to one or two a week, while your body gets used to kickboxing.  There are so many different clubs and people in the kickboxing London scene that there ought to be something that works for everyone.

Please visit http://www.zendokickboxing.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.zendokickboxing.com/

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London kickboxing classes: tips for how to prepare

Paul Health, Martial Arts, Sports

I was keen for my son to take up a physical activity as part of his extra curricular schedule, and I thought a martial art might suit him, as it would be a skill that he could develop which would also help his confidence to grow.  I started looking into London kickboxing classes, and found that there was more to the sport than I realised.  The London kickboxing club that I visited gave me some advice about getting started that I found really useful.  Anybody else looking into kickboxing London would do well to think about the following considerations.

It is vital to know your fitness level.  Kickboxing is a very high-impact form of exercise. If the only time you have raised your heart rate in the last year was by running for a train, then this is probably not the activity for you.  If you are keen to get involved despite low fitness levels, then it would be a good idea to spend at least a few weeks doing some gentle exercise.  This way, when you start at your local London kickboxing club you will not be embarrassing yourself by passing out in a puddle of your own sweat in the first class.

In addition, it is important to gauge the level of the class you are joining before you sign up, or pay for a group of classes.  If the entire class has been attending for a year or so, the instructor may not be too willing to accommodate your beginners’ level.  In a kickboxing lesson your classmates are fairly important; if you are a slim young chap who is paired up with a fifteen stone man with strong kickboxing skills, you are likely to spend more time dealing with his strength than developing your own skills.

Once you arrive at your chosen London kickboxing club, comfort and hydration are key.  It might be worth speaking to your instructor beforehand to check whether you need to bring any particular equipment, such as gloves or shoes with a good grip.  The best way to enjoy London kickboxing classes is to dress in loose fitting, light clothes, drink plenty of water, and start slowly.  When my son was first starting out in kickboxing London I made sure he had worked on his fitness, found the right class and instructor, and bought the right kit.  It certainly paid off – he has kept it up for a year now and is showing no signs of slowing down!

Please visit http://www.karmaa.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.karmaa.co.uk/

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