Every sport carries with it the risk of injury and kickboxing is no exception. So it’s important to keep safety in mind. We’ve come up with a few tips that will help you avoid injury in your kickboxing class.

1. Don’t stretch cold muscles

Contrary to popular belief, pre-workout stretching (or static stretching) isn’t good for you. In fact, studies show it can actually make you slower and weaker. If you arrive for your class early, you’d be better off warming up your muscles than stretching them out. So jog around a little or do some jumping jacks to get those muscles warm and ready for the class. Stretching should be done in the middle or at the end of a workout, not at the beginning, to avoid all forms of injury.

2. Don’t kick with your toes

Round kicks are an essential part of kickboxing. As our safety-conscious instructors at Urban Martial Arts will tell you, it should always be your instep that hits the heavy bag, never your toes. (The instep is the top, flat part of your foot.) If you hit the heavy bag with your toes, you risk breaking your toes and causing serious damage. When kicking, be sure to point your toes so they won’t be perpendicular to the bag.

3. Pivot your foot during round kicks

One of the most common moves in kickboxing is the round kick. The instructors at Urban Martial Arts will correct your technique in class, but keep in mind when doing a round kick that the foot that is not kicking should always pivot. If you do not pivot, you leave one half of your body immobile, which can be dangerous and cause injury. It also gives your kick less power.

4. Don’t lift your elbow when you punch

Kickboxing combines two major components, kicking and punching. When starting a punch, remember to place your elbow as close to the body as possible. Try not to lift your elbow up to the right or left of your body at the start of a punch. If you do, it’ll place too much strain on your shoulder, causing injuries to the muscles and tendons of the shoulder region.

5. Don’t drop your hands

Whenever you’re finished throwing a punch, you should go right back to fighting stance, where your hands are up. If you drop your hands, you are likely to forget proper form and punch from your hip, which could lead to injury. Not to mention, of course, if you were to drop your hands in a real fight, you’d leave your face wide open for your opponent to punch. So keep those hands up!

Kickboxing is a fun and high intensity workout that can help you burn up to 800 calories per class. Not only that, kickboxing keeps your metabolism rate up even after your workout. But it is important that you take steps to guarantee your safety while working out. If you follow the tips in this article, you’ll be in good shape.

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