Kickboxing for Beginners in Goa: Health Benefits, Techniques & More

What Is Kickboxing?

Kickboxing is a striking style, contact sport that is based upon punches, kicks and a combination of both and is an umbrella term for a variety of combat and martial arts styles. Kickboxing is essentially a stand-up fighting style that focuses on striking and doesn’t involve ground-level fighting. Besides the standard punching techniques seen in western boxing, kickboxing typically involves kicks, knee strikes and some styles even include elbow strikes, grappling, and even headbutts.

 

5 Benefits of Kick Boxing for Beginners

If you are just starting out, kickboxing can be highly beneficial for the following reasons: –

1. Improves Overall Fitness:

Kickboxing is a great exercise to get fitter and stronger as it is a full-body workout that is both cardio and strength intensive.

Kickboxing is known to greatly improve your power, fitness and agility and with a consistent training regime, you’ll be fit in no time.

 

2. Weight & Fat Loss:

Kickboxing is highly effective at burning calories. Typically, workouts last 1-2 hours and burn up to 1000 calories per session.

Following a balanced diet, regular kickboxing is highly effective in burning calories and fat loss.

 

3. Great Cardio Benefits

Kickboxing can be a great cardio workout. Kickboxing workouts can be quite intense due to the rapid upper body and lower body movements and this is known to elevate your heart rate which has a positive effect on your cardiovascular health.

 

4. You Learn Self-defence:

Kickboxing is essentially an all-rounded combat sport and this helps you to effectively learn combat skills.

This style of martial arts has both long-range and short-range striking techniques and covers both offensive and defensive movements.

So, when you are in a tight situation or trying to help a person out, these skills will definitely come in handy. (Note: the writer nor Norbert Fitness Studio condone violence of any kind)

 

5. Builds Confidence and Relieves Stress:

When you get more fit, you will naturally look and feel better, and after making improvements your self-confidence also improves.

Your mental and psychological state also benefits from kickboxing. As it involves intense exercises, your body releases endorphins within the brain and nervous system, and this triggers positive feelings after your workout.

This greatly helps in managing stress, gets you relaxed and improves your sleep quality.

 

Essential Techniques for Kickboxing

Some of the basic kickboxing techniques for beginners include standard jabs, cross punches, roundhouse kicks and straight knees.

Note: These techniques are described with the following stance in mind: Left leg forward, Right leg behind.

Punches

Most of the punching techniques in kickboxing are taken directly from classic boxing. These include basic punching techniques like the jab, straight/cross, uppercut, and hook.

The 6 Basic Punches in Boxing

The Jab

The Jab is a straight punch that is directed to your opponent’s nose and is thrown with your left hand. Some helpful tips to keep in mind when practising your jab:

• Keep your chin down
• Keep your right hand up
• Your Jab should go straight out and straight back

 

The Straight Right Hand

Also sometimes called a Cross, the Straight Right Hand is a punch thrown directly at your opponent’s nose. It is more powerful than the Jab since it’s backed up by the rotation force of your hips and shoulders.

Some helpful tips to keep in mind when practising your Straight Right Hand:

• Keep your right elbow in
• Keep your left hand up
• Turn your right foot

 

The Left Hook & Right Hook

The Left hook is a punch that is thrown to the right side of your opponent’s face.

When performing the Left Hook:

• Keep the left elbow up
• Your right hand up
• The right elbow in

Similarly, The Right Hook is a punch that is thrown to the left side of your opponent’s face.

When performing the Right Hook:

• Keep the right elbow up
• Your left hand up
• Turn the right heel

 

The Left Uppercut & Right Uppercut

The Left Uppercut is used to hit the front of your opponent’s face and jaw and is thrown with your left hand that travels up from the ground.

When practising the Left Uppercut, keep these tips in mind:

• The left forearm should be vertical
• Right hand up
• The shoulder should be straight

 

Similar to the Left Uppercut, the Right Uppercut is a more powerful punch due to the rotation of your hips and shoulders and is thrown with your right hand.

When practising the Right Uppercut, keep these details in mind:

• Elbow in front of the belly button
• Left hand up
• Turn your right heel

 

The more advanced punching techniques include spinning back fist and superman punch.

Punches can be thrown directly to the face, temple (the side of the head), chin, jaw, ribcage, liver, and abdomen. Punches to the back of the head or the throat are strictly prohibited.

 

Kicks

Kicks are known as the long-range weapons of kickboxing and have many variations within each style of kickboxing.

The basic kicking techniques include roundhouse body kick, high kick, and leg/low kick.

Some advanced kicking techniques include the spinning back kick, axe kick, jump kick, flying kick and cartwheel kick.

Kicks can be thrown to the torso, head, neck, arms, legs and back. Groin kicks are mostly illegal in fighting sports but they do happen accidentally.

 

What are the 4 basic kicks for kickboxing?

The 4 basic kicks in Kickboxing are the Left Foot Jab, Right Foot Jab, Left Hook Kick and Right Hook Kick.

The Left Foot Jab

The Left Foot Jab is a straight kick that is thrown to the opponent’s chest.

The important thing to note is to lift your left knee up as high as possible as this generates maximum power for your kick.

Strike with the ball of your foot and extend your leg as much as possible. This will help you to be as far away as possible while still striking your target.

 

The Right Foot Jab

The Right Foot Jab is quite similar to the Left Foot Jab expect that it produces more power since the right leg is farther away from the target and there is more distance to produce power.

 

The Left Hook Kick

Also referred to as the Left Roundhouse kick, you can imagine using your left shin like a baseball bat to swing at the right side of your opponent.

With this type of kick, you can strike your opponent in the leg, right side of the rib cage or to the right side of their head.

 

The Right Hook Kick

Also known as the Right Roundhouse Kick, it is a powerful kick that swings at the left side of your opponent’s body.

It is a powerful kick because of the rotational force generated through your hips and you can target you opponent’ leg, torso or head.

 

Knees

Knee strikes are highly effective in short, mid or relatively long-range and are struck with the kneecap or surrounding area.

Some of the basic techniques include straight knees and diagonal knees and these strikes target the sternum, abdomen or ribcage.

An advanced knee striking technique is the flying or jumping knee which targets the head of your opponent for a more brutal effect.

 

What Is Cardio Kickboxing?

Cardio kickboxing is a cardiovascular-focused, non-competitive, noncontact, aerobic fitness exercise that is inspired by kickboxing and incorporates several of its techniques and movements. It involves less impact and no sparring; all punches and kicks are thrown into the air or onto pads, and that makes it a popular fitness exercise that is practised around the world.

A typical kickboxing class can run for 30 minutes to 1 hour. An experienced instructor leads the cardio kickboxing class by demonstrating choreographed movements of punches, kicks, and knee strikes.

Cardio kickboxing includes a combination of punches like:

• Jabs
• Cross Punches
• Hooks
• Uppercuts

Lower body strikes include:

• Knee strikes
• Front kicks
• Roundhouse kicks
• Side kicks
• Back kicks

 

Is Cardio Kickboxing Good for Beginners?

Cardio Kickboxing is good for beginners for the following reasons: –

• You don’t require any martial arts or boxing experience
• Cardio Kickboxing is a low-impact but high-intensity workout

It is advised for beginners to take their training slowly. Listen to your body and take the necessary breaks to cool down and drink water.

Some common mistakes that beginners make are:

• Overextending Kicks – avoid high kicks until you before more flexible
• Locking joints when punching and kicking
• Exercising even after reaching fatigue
• Wearing weights or holding dumbbells when throwing punches – can cause injury to your joints.

Is Cardio Kickboxing Good for Weight Loss?

Cardio kickboxing is an excellent choice for those looking to burn calories which can be greatly beneficial for weight and fat loss. A high-energy workout can burn between 350 and 450 calories an hour and it has a positive effect on your heart as an elevated rate will allow for cardiovascular conditioning to take place. Cardiovascular conditioning helps you to be in a caloric deficit which makes the fat loss process faster. So, you can definitely expect to lose those pesky love handles and belly fat.

 

How do you Start Cardio Kickboxing?

If you are planning to start cardio kickboxing, the best way is to look for specialized classes at a martial arts studio near you or gyms that also offer cardio kickboxing classes.

Norbert’s Fitness Studio in Porvorim, Goa has dedicated kickboxing classes where you’ll be trained by international professionals from beginner to advanced levels for 3 sessions a week.  If you are from Porvorim, contact 9011009316 for further details.

If it’s your first class, make sure you do the following:

• Wear comfortable workout clothes
• Bring a bottle of water and a towel
• Arrive a few minutes early for your class

 

Conclusion

Kickboxing is a great way to stay fit even if you are not in it for competitive reasons. You can have several benefits such as improved cardiovascular health and increased mobility and strength.

Competitive Kickboxing uses several techniques that combine the uses of punches, kicks and knees and it will take a lot of time for you to get them down pat.

Another form of kickboxing that is non-combat but has most of the benefits of regular kickboxing is Cardio Kickboxing.

All in all, Kickboxing is a great sport that you can do for recreational purposes.