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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