The ULTIMATE Guide To Kickboxing

What Is Kickboxing?

Kickboxing is a modern sport that combines elements of combat sports like boxing with martial arts such as Karate. The sport has grown in popularity over the past 30 years due to the fitness and agility of its athletes. Kickboxing training offers numerous benefits for both beginners and more advanced fighters looking to compete.

What Are The Benefits of Kickboxing?

Kickboxing is one of the best all-around workouts you can do. Kickboxing tones muscles, builds mental toughness, increases agility, and improves flexibility. It is an incredible workout for your whole body and mind. Learning how to perform various kicks and punches, especially in combinations, is essential to becoming more comfortable with kickboxing as a sport and as a training option. Plus, you don’t need to be an expert fighter to enjoy the benefits of kickboxing. In fact, most people enjoy kickboxing for the workout it provides, with and without a sparring partner.

To get started, all you need is some at-home boxing equipment and you can begin to learn some of the basic kickboxing kicks and movements. For expert guidance, tips, and tricks, FightCamp offers many online kickboxing workouts led by professional kickboxers, MMA fighters, and martial artists to help you.

Now that you understand a little history of the sport and its benefits, you can take a moment to review the basic kicks in kickboxing, then get your at-home kickboxing gym ready to go!

How To Set-Up Your Kickboxing Space

The first step is to find the right space in your home to practice your movements. You don’t need a lot of space to set up your at-home kickboxing gym. FightCamp offers various equipment and bags that don’t take up much space, are easy to assemble, and are even portable.

We also recommend using a workout mat that is secure and non-slip as you work on your footwork and drills, such as the one that is included in all of our at-home boxing equipment packages.

What Type of Equipment Do You Need To Start Kickboxing?

Once you’ve dedicated an area in your home to train in, choosing the right gear is the next step.

Getting started in kickboxing is relatively simple. There are only a few items you may need to purchase before starting:

• Clothing
• Gloves
• Quick Hand Wraps
• Punching Bag

Clothing

The best type of clothing to wear while kickboxing is clothing that is breathable and is loose enough to allow you to move freely.

• Allows free range of movements
• Breathable to regulate body temperature
• Kickboxing is usually done barefoot but you can wear a pair of athletic shoes if needed

Gloves

Invest in high-quality boxing gloves and hand wraps to protect your hands and knuckles. Different gloves are used for different types of training. If you are hitting the bag, use heavy bag gloves, but if you are sparring, use 16 oz gloves to protect your opponent.

Gloves come in three (3) specific varieties: heavy bag gloves, boxing training gloves, and competitive gloves.

• Heavy bag gloves: Lightweight, lack molded thumb protection
• Boxing training gloves: Full protection, include a molded thumb
• Competitive gloves: Superior protection, expensive

Quick Hand Wraps

Quick wraps provide an added layer of protection for your hands and are worn between your hands and gloves. Hand wraps provide compression and stability for your hands and wrists while wearing your gloves and provide extra power to your punches. These are some options for hand wraps:

• Tape and Gauze: Traditional wrapping provides some protection and support
• Elastic Wraps: Mold to the hand and offer a medium level of safety and support
• Quick Wraps: Wrap around the wrist to provide ultimate stability and protection

Punching Bag

To practice your kicks and hits, you may want to buy an at-home punching bag. With an at-home bag, you can train daily even without a partner. Here are a few options for punching bags:

• Hanging Bag: Comes in two shapes - Hanging and Banana:

• Hanging Bags: Require installment, benefits footwork
• Banana Bag: Narrower than traditional bags, hangs lower, allowing footwork and kicking.
• Free-Standing Bag: Portable to move from room to room for ease of training.

[For a more detailed guide on how to choose the right punching bag for your workout, check out this article.]

As you can see, getting started doesn’t require much in the way of costly exercise equipment, though you may want to consider purchasing the proper clothing, including boxing shoes for protection and injury prevention.

What Equipment Can Improve My Kickboxing Skills and Take Them To The Next Level?

Depending on your level of interest, once you progress in your kickboxing training, you may wish to purchase other protective items if you plan to start sparring. Equipment such as headgear, a mouthpiece, shin guards, and a cup for male kickboxers are needed for sparring sessions. These items help to protect you during combative training. Note that wearing any training gear other than gloves and hand wraps is not recommended for hitting the bag.

Headgear

Headgear such as helmets should always be worn when kickboxing with a partner to protect your head against kicks and strikes that may otherwise cause serious injury.

• Protects the forehead and temples
• Some designs protect the jaw

Shin Guards

Shin guards, also known as shin pads, will help protect you and your sparring partner from the possible risk of injuries such as broken bones and torn tissues. When first starting to spar, you will want thick padded shin guards. The padded portion will cover your shins and the top of your foot and have adjustable straps to secure around your shin.

Finally, when you are getting started with any exercise program, it’s important to seek out professional training in the form of a coach or trainer to learn the correct movements and technique. FightCamp offers an at-home virtual training program for you to learn from professionals in the comfort of your own home.

Regardless of your level of expertise, FightCamp’s library of tips, tricks, and videos is a great place to learn about kickboxing and get outstanding training ideas from real pros.

Take your first No Equipment Needed FREE Kickboxing Workout on our YouTube Channel today!

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The 3 Types of Kicks In Kickboxing
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Add Some Kick To Your Workout With Kickboxing
5 Best Kicks In Kickboxing

The Author: David Throop is an avid fitness aficionado and fitness writer who practices a number of disciplines and activities from amateur kickboxing, yoga, swimming, and biking. He lives in Southern California.