djuk

Morning everyone,

I am looking to take up some form of martial art for the main purpose of keeping myself in shape and learning to defend myself. Kickboxing looks to be good fun and perhaps the most physical as far as it's real world uses go.

Does anybody here take part in kickboxing and could share some information about the basics and how you find it?

Cheers

David

FASTER MIKE!!

hi david don't kickbox but i thai box so its similar. you'll know you've done a work out after a class there are different levels you can do, just training for fitness or actually compete in the ring. as far as self deffence goes, it does'nt really teach you how to defend more how to fight. can't really speak from personal experiance as i've never had to use it(mike touches wood). this is the website of the gym that i train at, there are some links on there that will give you some more info about maui thai

mike

moses

used to

i did tae kwon do , tukido and shotokan as a kid

and jeet kune do was the last one i done

but i never stuck to any of them i got bored too easily

*Cino*

i used to do tai kickboxing, i think it was, wa sa great workout, got you very fit. showed you how to defend yourself, basic blocks and getting out of way moves, teaches you how to fight one on one and how to fight a whole group that was cool. after you learn all the basic fighting moves, you practice with a partner (with punchbags and body bags) in the ring. then every grading you have to show you can do all these moves and learn the rules etc. i think after the first grading the next ones you have to fight in the ring with another member, with no punch bags etc which can fecking hurt !

but you'd defo enjoy it i loved it, i'd go for that one.

moses

lol cino dear after reading that i feel ashame for nikko u ever battered him

*Cino*

lol, no its against the rules to use it like that, you can only use it to defend yourself, never to start the fight

so don't listen to a word he says ! lol

moses

lol be honest cino luv


if u have an arguement usually woman cant stop hitting a man or scratching him without getting provoked, my sweet lady can scratch good but u know martial arts u ever done a headlock or kicked him

lol pls be honest

why do woman scratch and argue the same time if a man does the same he gets called abusive

*Cino*

i never scratch or hurt anyone when angry, not my style, i simply use my voice me and nick obviously play fight but i'd never intentioanlyl hurt anyone agressively (can't spell) and thats honest

i'm abit more mature for scratching/pulling hair and turning into pyscho woman lol.

moses

lol nice one so u grew out of that

well pls tell me wife to grow out of that too

or i will slap her one back
edited to add

i do like playfights i tickly my wife to death

*Cino*

grown out of it hehe nah, never did it in the first place

tickles lol i get tickled half to death too, not nice.

moses

i like doing that specially when she is trying to sleep


lol its awesome we try not to wake the baby

*Cino*

lol sundays are the worst for me, you know when you want to erlax and have a lie in? nope not possibe with nick, cold water splashed all over me, tickling fingers come out, pushed out of bed and not let back in and pillow whacks in my face..... i'm weary come afternoon/evening.

moses

cino dear i was so crazy when i was a teenager

i used to drink cold water and leave it in my mouth and when the wife would come in the kitchen i would spray her hee hee


and i luv to grab her feet and tickle her and then she tries to kick me with the other, i just jump on here and tell her to say mercy or im gonna crush her

and she does the same to me and nowadays my lil baby girl and my wife attack me


aww its cute


God give u both sweet kids too cino, their awesome

*Cino*

hehehe you sound as cruel as my bro and nick.

thank you moses

moses

thank u dear cino, its always awesome to talk to the scoobynet princess xxx


your awesome and my prayers will always be with u cool people

edited to add aye im cruel when it comes to being a tickly king

*Cino*

ooo cool scoobynet princess, i like that
*hugs*

we best let djuk's thread get back on track hehehe..... sorry djuk

moses

lol big hugs too u too and rib cracking and tickly ones

yeah we better before we get into trouble


talk to u soon God bless xxxxxx

mad_dr

Nice one David - martial arts and kickboxing in particular are a great way to get in shape, increase your general fitness and strenght, learn to defend yourself and also a great way to discipline and motivate yourself!

A hard day at the office always seems better after a couple of hours of aggressive kicking and punching! (As long as it's ME doing the punching and kicking, of course!)

The actual style that you choose to follow is not hugely important: To begin with, when you're learning the basics, you'll learn the same moves and techniques pretty much regardless of the name of your discipline.

There are loads of misconceptions that on your first day you'll be treated like a punchbag - this is simply not true. Martial arts clubs are businesses. It's not a good idea to injure your customers because for some reason, they don't usually come back... Everyone had to start somewhere so the other people will be able to relate to any nerves you may have and sparring is usually optional, so you won't need to step into a ring with an opponent initally. When you do, your fellow students SHOULD have enough control that they won't hurt you.

A guy at the club I go to has 17 years of Martial Arts experience, has been the British and European Kickboxing Champion and British Tae Kwon Do champion and he still insist that when he and I spar, he learns as much from ME as I do from HIM simply because there is no substitute for another person's style.

Check out http://www.wuma.uk.com/clubdirectoryuk.htm for a WUMA club in your area. They have clubs worldwide and are a really good organisation. They offer different styles and disciplines with tours and tournaments worldwide (When you've had a couple of weeks to practice!). Find your local club and go along for a watch. If you like what you see, give it a go. You'll be allowed to try before you sign up so you've got nothing to lose but calories!

Most of all: HAVE FUN!

talizman

iTrader: (1)

David,

Since your reason for wanting to take one up are primarily fitness, I would suggest you try a few and see which one you prefer.

If you were looking for a specific type of skill then a particular art would be recommended, but for general fitness, there are many that would get you in shape!

Certainly, kickboxing will fit the bill and give you a good cardio workout as well as endurance, flexibility and conditioning.

Most martial artists will be a tad biased and recommend their art, so the best thing you can do is to take in a few classes and see what you think.

BTW, Tae Kwon-Do is the best!

Jerome

I've dabbled with karate and kickboxing.

Karate I found excellent for fitness. To be any good you probably need to train at least twice a week. I did ****o ryu, which is an evasive style, and it is excellent for people who prefer to get out of the way of a strike rather than block it with force. Learnt some fairly nifty moves for disabling an attacker.

As for kickboxing (and maybe it was the school I went to), it isn't for the faint hearted or the pain averse. My bruises wouldn't have gone before I was getting wacked in the same place a week later. The training seemed to focus on hardening up as much as anything else. Needless to say, I scurried back to the relative cushiness of karate.

ozzy

Martial Arts will get you fit and kickboxing or even western boxing is a fantastic way of getting fitter.

I would suggest you start doing your own fitness routine as well as any MA as you'll get far more enjoyment out of it.

Start doing bodyweight circuits for general fitness and strength/muscle endurance, jogging and sprinting for cardio and (most importantly) stretching at least once or twice per week (in addition in stretching before/after any exercise).

You may find that a good deal of any MA class will include stretching, but I'd recommend you get into the habit of spending at least 30-45 mins once a week just stretching. It'll improve your flexibility and condition the muscles to avoid potential injury.

As Talizman suggests, you really need to try different styles and find the one you enjoy. A kickboxing/boxing class is a different experience to a Karate, Judo or even a Tae Kwon-Do class.

It's a great pastime, so just give it a try.

Stefan

Kevin Greeley

Training can get addictive though. I started Karate about 2 years ago just once a week. Now, I take the wife and kids with me 4 times a week! Plus circuit training, badminton and a bit of Yoga once a week on the other days.
I certainly recommend Karate for fitness, fun and making new friends.

sexy wrx69

ive been kickboxing for about 3.5 years now and i love it!!!

i do a Boxe Francais which is the French style kickboxing. Its more refined that the standard American style

what do you want to know about it???

edited to say its the much safer trained martial art. karate and other non-impact martial arts can cause muscle and tendon injury because most of the time you are punching and kicking the air. In kickboxing you (normally) punch and kick (gently) another person so you are limiting the chance for injury.

if that makes sense???

Scooby96

Did Jeet Kune Do for a while, still remember alot and practice now and then but lost interest in it bigtime as I dont seem to get into fights anyway!

little_idiot

It's all about what suits you mate,

Over the past 7 years I've done Jeet Kune Do, Carlson Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Aikido and now currently Lau Gar Kung Fu

Lau Gar suits me best really, but I like the tradition of it and learning the forms etc, plus my instructor is a Guardian of the style so I get to learn it from a good source.

I train about 3 times a week in class and it's very good for fitness and stamina, hasn't got rid of my beer gut though, but that would be the beer! my beer gut does give me a good centre of gravity though which is quite useful!

My advice really is that any class that devotes a good portion of the time to warming up/stretches and generally wearing you out will improve your fitness no end. go sit in on a few classes and see what looks to be most interesting for you

James

SiPie

Finally you've found the best style

little_idiot

Indeed mate, do you study Lau Gar too, If so, are you going to the summer course in Scarborough this year?

James

geldy

If defend yourself means avoid getting hurt then aikido is for you. However if by defend you mean counter-attack then many of the other suggestions on this thread would be more appropriate.

Done aikido and kick-boxing, and they are both excellent for what they were designed for.

SiPie

Nope... gave it up a few years ago as only ever wanted to learn how to fight and thought Lau Gar to be pretty comprehensive in that line... also refused to pay £250 (from memory... to sit the Brown sash course in Birmingham)

Already suffered at the hands of Master Yau during happy summer course times in Lllandudno ...fittest I've ever returned from a weeks holiday

Nothing like exercises on the beach, followed by a 6 mile run round the Great Orm to wake you up, then off for breakfast, then be at the hall for training from 9.30 to 1:00

But heh... the rest of the day is yours........ if you can stay awake

little_idiot

Not sure how much the Brown sash course is now. I have about a year to go before then, I'm just about to take my purple sash grading.

did my first summer course last year, absolutely excellent time, a week of physical torture that make you want more by the end of it, 7 o'clock in the morning running is pretty damn harsh though!