Kickboxing Basics

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Never lock out knees and elbows (keep them "soft"). Keep your body in a neutral position--neither arch nor round your back. Always keep your abdominal muscles tight. All kicks should be low kicks. The music should be at about 122 to 128 bpm in order to complete each move with proper form. While doing high impact footwork, keep light on the balls of the feet. Imagine you're on a glass floor. Make the whole leg act as a shock absorber. Starting Positions: Defense Position Elbows at 90 degrees along side the body with arms in front of shoulders, and fists in front of chin. You will be able to feel your chest with your biceps. Front Fighting Stance Elbows at 90 degrees along side the body with arms in front of shoulders, and fists in front of chin. Feet are shoulder width apart. Lead toe points forward with a slight angle out. Knees are soft. Weight is evenly distributed over both feet. Hands are in a Defensse Position. Abs tight, lean in slightly with no pelvic tilt. Right and Left Hand Fighting Stance Feet are shoulder width apart. Feet are on a diagonal to eachother. Lead toe points forward. Rear toe points outward. Knees are soft. Weight is evenly distributed over both feet to start. Hands are in a Defense Position. Facing right is called the "Orthodox" Fighting Stance. Facing left is called the "Southpaw" (left-handed) Fighting Stance. Abs tight, lean in slightly with no pelvic tilt. Basic Technique: Forward Jab Punch with first two knuckles, flat part. Elbow tucked in close to body to avoid irritation of the rotator and deltoid muscles. Elbow close to body also adds to power in the punch. Maintain a straight line alignment from hand to shoulder. Maintain balance. Do not artifically raise shoulder, allow on slight rise in shoulder Aim through the target. Cross Jab Same as Forward jab except cross the centerline of the body Twist hip forward. Maintain knee and toe alignment to prevent knee torquing. Rotate torso into the punch. Push off the ground with the heel of the foot. Uppercut Punch This is a close-in punch, keep the punch close to front of body. As fist comes up, rotate of the torso into the punch. As the arm comes up, the hip will pivot forward slightly for added power. Align target with the first two knuckles of the fist. The arm returns to the Defense Position. Shin Block Raise the knee to the chest. Bring the opposite shoulder in slightly similar to a standing crunch. Return leg to starting position. Knee Strike Raise the knee to the chest. Reach up with both hands and pull target down onto knee. Return leg to starting position. Duck and Jab (Bob and Weave) This move is for Martial Arts and NOT for Aerobics, use a Tap and Jab instead. This move should only be done in martial arts class. This move will stress the knees by torquing and hyper-flexion over the knee. It is used in fighting only, where joint condition takes second priority to winning. Use a Tap and Jab as a subsitute for Aerobics classes. Front High Block Elbow is bent almost to 90 degrees. Fist is tight with palm facing outwards. Target should contact arm at a deflected angle not head-on. Forearm should be above head not at head level. Outside Middle Block Arm at a 90 degree angle, fist tight. Move arm from defense position out towards the side of the body. Do not extend arm any further to avoid irritating the shoulder muscles. Do not rotate forearm to avoid rotator irritation. Inside Middle Block Arm at a 90 degree angle, fist tight. Move arm from outside position in towards the center of the body. Do not extend arm any further to avoid irritating the shoulder muscles. Rotate forearm slightly so that palm faces inward. Front Kick from Rear Leg or Front Leg Initiate the Front Kick by bringing the knee up first then extending the lower leg. Point the knee at the target then kick, don't snap or hyper-extend the knee. Bring the leg down to original position with control and maintain balance. Again, snapping and hyper-extension is for fighting and winning NOT aerobics class. Contact target with the ball of the foot. Push Kick from Rear Leg or Front Leg Initiate the Front Kick by bringing the knee up first then extending the lower leg. Point the knee at the target then kick, don't snap or hyper-extend the knee. Bring the leg down to a more forward position with control and maintain balance. Again, snapping and hyper-extension is for fighting and winning NOT aerobics class. Contact target with the heel of the flexed foot using a pushing motion. Roundhouse Kick This move is for Martial Arts and NOT for Aerobics, use a turning kick instead. Side Fighting Stance, Defense position, one foot forward. Transfer weight to the lead foot. Come up on ball of lead foot to avoid torquing knee. At the same time begin rotating torso towards lead foot and bring rear leg come forward knee first. Point knee at target and begin extension of the knee. At the same time rotate on the ball of the lead foot continuing to extend other knee. Contact target with top of foot. Care MUST be taken not to torque lead knee when bringing body around. Bring leg down so that body is now facing opposite of starting position. Turning Kick This move is simliar to the front kick except for a slight turn into the kick. Side Fighting Stance, Defense position, one foot forward. Transfer weight to the ball of rear foot. Raise knee towards target and begin extension of the knee. Contact target with top of foot. Care MUST be taken not to torque rear knee when contacting target. Bring leg down to starting position.

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