Kickboxing – or other striking and kicking-based martial arts – is something that most people will have happened across in film at one time or another. Since Bruce Lee popularised martial arts in the 1970s, there has been a wave of martial arts flicks, including some real classics like Karate Kid and some of Jackie Chan’s offerings. Jean-Claude Van Damme has perhaps done the most to make known kickboxing itself, in the film of that name. But the kickboxing London offers normally differs from what you will view on the screen. A decent kickboxing club will naturally teach you how to fight (or spar, as it is usually called), but there’s a lot more to it than that. In addition, the ethos tends to be very different from the kind of thing you will see in the movies. The torturous, Karate Kid-style of instruction in the club depicted will certainly be absent (in the real world, that often 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 proficient teaching whilst having fun with a collection of other people who also want to learn to kickbox. That’s not to say that it won’t be tough work, but the best teachers will push you just far enough – out of your comfort zone, but not to the point of death (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 basic punching, kicking, blocking and dodging techniques – as well as different self-defence moves in some classes. 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 bits – 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 great 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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