Kickboxing – or other hitting and kicking-based martial arts – is something that most people will have come across in film at one time or another. Since Bruce Lee popularised kicking and shouting in the 1970s, there has been a rash of martial arts films, including some seminal classics like Karate Kid and some of Jackie Chan’s offerings. Jean-Claude Van Damme has perhaps done the most to raise the profile of kickboxing itself, in the film of that name. But the kickboxing London offers generally differs from what you will watch on the screen. A good kickboxing club will naturally teach you how to fight (or spar, as it is usually defined), but there’s far more to it than that. In addition, the ethos tends to be very different from the type of thing you will see in film. The torturous, Karate Kid-style of learning in the club depicted will certainly be absent (in the real world, that generally has insurance and legal implications…), although so will the mystical and arcane approach of Mr Miyagi.
What you can expect is a good workout and some strong teaching whilst having fun with a group of other people who also want to learn to kickbox. That’s not to say that it won’t be difficult work, but the best teachers will push you just far enough – out of your comfort zone, but not to the point of destruction (don’t expect to hear those chilling words, ‘Finish him!’ uttered for real). You’ll work on strength, agility, flexibility and speed as well as all-important punching, kicking, blocking and dodging techniques – as well as different self-defence moves in some cases. These may be drawn from kickboxing or possibly from another style – perhaps one that deals more with grappling, since a lot of attacks (strangles, grabs and so on) will happen close-to. (If you’re looking for a reference point, think more Steven Segal films than Bruce Lee.)
All of that makes kickboxing a great workout. Any given kickboxing club will have more or less of an emphasis on certain parts of that – some, for example, will major on competitive sparring, whereas others will look to teach you self-defence or have a focus on fitness. The great thing is that for kickboxing London has a vast number of classes, so you can look and ask around to find the one that suits you best – in terms of location, timing of sessions, and ethos. Check the web and ask friends for ideas.
Please visit http://www.zendokickboxing.com/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.zendokickboxing.com/
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