Kickboxing in itself is a very taxing activity. You give all you can during class and you’re left with nothing in the tank. But why are some days easier than others? Some days you feel strong while other days, you simply want to drop. The answer may have to do with the way you breathe. Having the ability to control your breathing properly will enhance your performance during training. Remember, your body needs that oxygen intake to continue the aggressive training and sometimes it’s easy to forget to breathe hold your breath while you perform techniques and combinations. Here are 3 steps to help you better control your breathing.

1. Say the word “house”
House? Sounds odd, but it will help you tremendously. Here’s why. Have you ever watched a professional boxing or kickboxing match and hear the competitors continuously grunt as they punch and kick? That grunt is actually a breathing method. By grunting as they attack or perform a technique, they are essentially exhaling, instead of holding in their breaths. It’s a memo to your brain that you have to breathe. Make sense? Now back to the word house. Say it. Say it loud and proud while you punch and kick. When you say the word house, you’re doing the same thing the professionals do as they grunt. You’re exhaling. Try it the next time you’re in class and you’ll notice that your breathing and energy level will improve. It may be silly at first, but it beats holding your breath.

2. Yell out any word you want
So you’ve tried saying the word house for while and it’s improved your breathing. You feel a lot better during training and you notice that things are getting a little easier to get through. But now, you’re getting strange looks from other trainees from time to time. People think you’re weird and maybe you want to change that. Here’s when you start saying any word you want while performing your techniques. The idea is to create that memo for your brain to remember to exhale and breath. Gradually move from saying the word “house” to saying anything that you can easily remember, and lock that into your muscle memory. People will often say or yell things such as “hi”, “ha”, “rock”, “bop”, “bah”, etc. The main point is that you let a breath out and exhale so that you aren’t restricting airflow in and out of your lungs. Holding your breath is the last thing you want to do while you punch, kick and perform combinations.

3. Simply grunt
By now you should be yelling the phrase of your choice as you perform techniques. Yelling should be second nature as you punch, kick and perform combinations. Your breathing is on point and the instructors aren’t yelling at you every other second to breathe. Great! Congratulate yourself, because you’re doing exactly what a professional athlete would do. Now, to continue your progress, you can stick to yelling your phrase of choice or simply gravitate towards grunting. The last step in this process is to simplify things. Instead of yelling words or phrases, gradually move on to grunting or exhaling your breath while you perform techniques. Those phrases you were used to yelling were meant only to act as a reminder and to train yourself on proper breathing patterns. Now that you’ve gotten used to it, move onto breathing out entirely by itself, but by all means stick to your phrase if you need to. Prime examples of what you’d expect to hear from professionals or more experienced trainees would be sounds such as “shhh” and “ssss”.

And there you have it. This simple but effective technique will help you enhance your training. A genius kickboxing technique if you will. Try step 1 for the first week and step 2 for the next 2 weeks after. Once you’re on week 3, your breathing patterns will have been dramatically improved as well as your overall ability to perform. Feel great, enjoy yourself and continue your success for a better, healthier you.

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Mistakes are common when it comes to kickboxing. You can’t expect perfection during every session and that goes for even the most experienced kickboxing practitioners. Here are 5 kickboxing mistakes even veterans make.

1. Neglecting to pivot your foot
When you throw a cross or hook, pivoting your foot enables your body to be in the proper position. This small but important motion is necessary for creating balance and ensures safety. Pivoting your foot also gives you the snap and power you want from your punches. If you’re neglecting your pivot, don’t fret. Even the most experienced kickboxers forget to pivot once in a while. One helpful tip is to pretend that your foot is the tip of a cigarette that you want to put out. You want to twist and push, as if you are putting out a cigarette.

2. Forgetting to breathe
Ever noticed that professional fighters often yell or grunt as they hit heavy bags? That’s not just for effect. Exhaling while you perform a technique is a breathing method that ensures you’re taking in oxygen as you punch and kick. Breathing is especially important during long combinations that require 3 or 4 punches followed by kicks, because it is easy to become exhausted without proper oxygen intake. Do you find yourself forgetting to breathe during combinations? Even veterans forget sometimes. It happens to everyone.

3. Not keeping your hands up
When you’re punching with proper technique, you punch with one hand while simultaneously guarding your head with the other hand. This is called “keeping your guard up.” Even veterans can sometimes forget to keep their hands up because they’re so focused on executing their punches. But even if you’re taking a fitness kickboxing class and there’s no one there to hit you back, it is essential to keep your hands properly guarding your face to ensure correct form and safety. Another factor to consider is dropping your hands after completing a combination. Often times, beginners and veterans will drop their hands after completing a combination or series of punches. Remember, it’s always a good idea to keep your defense and guard up. Be ready for everything, even in fitness kickboxing.

4. Taking too long of a break
Your body needs breaks in between workouts, especially one that is as intense as kickboxing. But often times, people will take too long of a break, including veterans. How long is too long? Usually a day or two is enough to recover from a grueling workout. But people sometimes take seven days to ten days off from training. That is the range for too long of a break. Anything past three days, and your body will begin to adapt to being dormant or not actively training, making it difficult to return to intense training. You get used to being too relaxed and will begin to deter yourself from training. This happens with veterans as often as it does with beginners. They will take a week off from training and return only to discover that their gains have been lost or have decreased dramatically. Aim to train at least 2 to 3 times a week to avoid taking too long of a break.

5. Having unrealistic goals
It’s easy for a beginner to have an unrealistic goal, simply because they don’t know any better. Beginners are starting from scratch so they don’t know what it takes or how long it takes to achieve certain goals. The veteran however, should know exactly what it takes, but where they make their unrealistic goal is within how long it takes. If a veteran has already lost 10 pounds, they may often assume that losing another 10 pounds will be easily done in a short period of time. Even with strength, a veteran may assume they will be stronger in too short of a time frame. Remember, veterans have already done the work. They know the routine and have already made their gains. Because they know the routine, they will assume further development will take the same amount of time, which may not always be the case. You should always have a realistic goal. Don’t expect to lose 10 pounds in one session and don’t expect to excel without coming to class often.

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Ah. Kickboxing… Gruesome pain and broken bones. Jean Claude Van Dam. Blood Sport. Fights to death… These are some of the misconceptions people have when they hear the term “kickboxing.”

So what is kickboxing exactly? What’s involved? Do you have to fight someone? Will you get really hurt working out?

I’m a kickboxing instructor who has heard all these questions and more from my kickboxing students. So I thought I’d share 5 things you should know when first starting out on your kickboxing endeavor.

1. No, you do not have to fight someone.
When people first hear about kickboxing classes they think, ”oh that’s exactly what I see in the movies.” They would actually visualize guys and girls fighting each other in the ring within fitness gyms and centers. They are very wrong. In fact, most of the time the classes offered consist of intense, calorie-burning workout sessions conducted WITHOUT physical contact. You DON’T have to fight anyone! If you’re hesitant to take a kickboxing class because you’re scared you’ll have to take physical abuse from another person, don’t be. The kickboxing classes that many studios offer prioritize the fitness aspect of the workout without making students spar each other. Being educated and knowing what exactly kickboxing classes entail would have made many of my students start much earlier.

2. It’s not as hard as you think it is.
A while back a friend of mine learned that I was teaching kickboxing classes regularly and had asked me about a practice he had seen in a movie. He actually assumed that I had my students kicking trees with their shins to condition them. He also assumed that I had my students run 25 miles daily, as well as punch hanging carcasses of meat in a butcher shop. No. The classes that I was instructing required a lot of physical activity, but nothing like he described. I would call for many push-ups, sit-ups and things of that nature. I would teach beginners how to punch and kick properly, mostly on a heavy bag. Yes, in the beginning it will be difficult and tiring. But, overtime it becomes easier and many of my students began breezing through the workouts, having fun the more they progressed.

3. It’s not as easy as you think it is.
Many gyms offer cardio kickboxing classes where students do not use boxing gloves or heavy bags. They simply punch in the air. One of my students, whom we’ll call John, told me how he watched one such class, where the members were following dance-like motions that the instructor had them mimic. It looked easy, almost like a joke. No one was even breaking a sweat! So on John’s first day of my kickboxing class, he thought he would breeze through it. But after about an hour-long class, John was on the floor breathing heavily and sweating buckets. My class had kicked his butt! He struggled with the push-ups and he wasn’t kicking and punching the heavy bags properly, which made him a lot more tired than the other participants. This wasn’t some dance class as he had assumed it to be. He told me it was hard, but so rewarding. Like many others on their first day, John was addicted.

4. No, the instructor isn’t trying to kill you.
Looking back at that first class John had taken, he really thought that I was trying to kill him. I pushed and pushed and pushed him to do more. Although all instructors have a different style of teaching, mine seemed very “pushy” to John. He kept thinking, “Wow, calm down. Let me breathe a little.” When it was all said and done, I remember approaching John with the biggest smile, and I told him how proud I was of him. I praised him for his hard work and encouraged him to return. Everything I had said, worked. John pushed himself to a point he had never been before in his life and felt great about it. It was an amazing accomplishment for him. Although I seemed pushy at first, it was actually thoughtful encouragement I was inflicting. For John, it worked. It worked very well.

5. Yes, you will get addicted.
After John’s first class, he was instantly hooked. He told me that the workout was better than anything he had ever gone through. I taught him how to defend himself, all the while burning up to 800 calories per class. The more and more that John learned, the more and more his physical capacity enhanced. Not to mention he finally got a six-pack. His confidence grew so much since his first day. Each class I had presented something new and always left John and fellow students wanting more. John had always said that he wished he discovered kickboxing earlier. For John and many of my kickboxing students, it was life changing.

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After looking at fitness inspirational quotes and weight loss success photos on websites like Pinterest, a lot of us have a sudden urge to get fit in order to get our dream body. However, after a few workout sessions, many of us can lose motivation and go back to the status quo. We all know that fitness is a journey, but certain factors tend to get in the way of our workout session. Here are several reasons why you don’t go to kickboxing class as much as you should:

1. Lack of motivation
If you’re losing motivation for your fitness journey, try getting a workout buddy to go kickboxing with you, so that you can both motivate each other on your off days. Instead of thinking of exercise as a boring and mundane activity, you can view it as a fun social activity with your workout body. Sometimes we just need a little push to be motivated – it’s all in your head anyway!

2. Lack of time
The lack of free time tends to be one of the most common excuses, as we tend to blame it on our busy work life or active social life. However, kickboxing is a relatively short workout session, as it takes less than an hour of your life. In order to slowly ease into your workout schedule, try leaving an hour of free time after work or during weekends to go to kickboxing classes. Once you get used to making free time for exercise, it’ll become a priority in your schedule.

3. Busy social life
Other than work, social life tends to get in the way of workout sessions – after all, who wants to stay in on a Friday night and wake up early for kickboxing class the next day? While it is important to have work-life balance, try going to kickboxing classes on non-peak socializing days, such as Monday nights after work. Other than keeping fit, you can kick the Monday blues away!

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We all need a little motivation for exercise from time to time, especially on our “off” days. Some people turn to a workout buddy, while others look at photos of their dream body. But sometimes all you need is some new workout gear to get remotivated. If you’re wondering what to wear for kickboxing class, here are a few items we recommend for this intense workout:

1. Sweatpants

Other than lounging, sweatpants are great for working out because they’re easy to move around in and the material will make you sweat out all those extra calories. Since you’ll be doing a lot of kicking in class, make sure your sweatpants aren’t too loose so that they don’t drop down while you’re doing kick routines.

2. T-shirts

Due to the high intensity of the workout, it is normal to sweat a lot during kickboxing. If you feel embarrassed by visible sweat stains from cotton tshirts, opt for sweat absorbent or moisture wicking t-shirts.These t-shirts are designed to pull moisture away, so that you feel dry while you’re working out.

3. Muay Thai shorts

If you really want to feel like a fighter while kickboxing, muay thai shorts are the way to go. These shorts are generally made of silk material, but they come in different colours and sizes, and you can even customize the design if you order them online. Bonus: muay thai shorts also make for comfortable sleepwear.

4. Ankle supports

Ankle supports are more than a fashion accessory – they provide support and help protect the delicate skin on your instep, which can easily get red and sore if you’re not used to kicking in that area.

5. Wraps

If you want extra support during kickboxing class, you can also get handwraps to protect your hands and wrists against injuries. Since you wear gloves while punching in class, your hands are already protected, but if you want extra protection you can use handwraps to prevent punching bag burns.

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If you’re going to kickboxing classes regularly, you may already feel stronger and leaner. Paired with good quality sleep and eating right, this should maximize your exercise results. Leading a healthy lifestyle is important, but sometimes all you need are a few simple tweaks to significantly improve your results. Here are three small adjustments to common kickboxing exercises that lead to big results.

1. The push-up

Some people tend to get lazy with push-ups and simply do it on their knees or only go halfway down. However, doing push-ups correctly will significantly improve your exercise results, as this will help you build strength in the targeted muscle areas. In order to do a correct push-up, you should go all the way down to the ground, until your chest is inches from the floor. Pause for a second when you’re down, then slow press back up and repeat the routine.

2. The crunch

Another exercise we do often during the warm-up of kickboxing class is the crunch. Some people just want to get it over with quickly, so they end up using the back of their heads to pull themselves up instead of their ab muscles. If order to reap the full benefits of crunches, you should focus on squeezing your abs and let your body slowly rise up and down. Once you use the correct form, you’ll see big results.

3. The squat

We do a lot of squats during the warmup segment of kickboxing class because it works so many muscles at once. But a mistake that many people make is not going down far enough. If you want a round and tight booty, make sure you squat all the way down to the ground instead of halfway. When you’re close to the floor, make sure you pause for a second or two to hold the squat before you come back up.

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