Kickboxing 101

Posted by: Yan1978

Kickboxing 101 - 07/02/06 08:23 PM

Im new to Kickboxing and am looking for a school in the Montreal area. Im trying H2O Academy tommorow for the first time, they offer a free class as a tryout. Not having any experience in the area i was hoping some of you could give me a few pointers, things to look for in a good school/workout, so i can get a good idea of how good the class actually is before i shell out 450$ for a year.

Also, im 6'4" 220 pounds in good muscular shape, i weight train 3 times a week and practice difrerent sports (Snowboard, Tennis). I have great strenght, decent agility, decent cardio and poor flexibility, which i will have to work on i know. Is kickboxing a good martial art for tall and big people? I often heard that strenght and range were important in boxing. Last thing, i have back problems, mostly sciatica getting pinched or completely stuck, my lower back is my main weakness. There are a number of things i can't do at the gym because of that, anything that requires my back being at 90 degrees is out of the question. I was hoping Kickboxing classes would help me streghten my lower back and gain some flexibility, but could it be a problem? Is this a bad sport for the lower back impaired?

Any info would be greatlly appreciated.
Thanks

Posted by: Leo_E_49

Re: Kickboxing 101 - 07/02/06 09:02 PM

Quote:

so i can get a good idea of how good the class actually is before i shell out 450$ for a year.



Wow, that seems like a pretty expensive Dojo to me. Although, I've heard tell of worse in the states. I've been told I'm just good at finding low cost, high value Dojos though, so I may be a little biased.

Quote:

Also, im 6'4" 220 pounds in good muscular shape, i weight train 3 times a week and practice difrerent sports (Snowboard, Tennis). I have great strenght, decent agility, decent cardio and poor flexibility, which i will have to work on i know. Is kickboxing a good martial art for tall and big people?



Yes, it's unquestionably an advantage.

Quote:

I often heard that strenght and range were important in boxing. Last thing, i have back problems, mostly sciatica getting pinched or completely stuck, my lower back is my main weakness. There are a number of things i can't do at the gym because of that, anything that requires my back being at 90 degrees is out of the question. I was hoping Kickboxing classes would help me streghten my lower back and gain some flexibility, but could it be a problem?



Consult your doctor before you start at the KB gym and also, inform your instructor of your back problem beforehand.

Quote:

Is this a bad sport for the lower back impaired?



There can be strain on your lower back if you train improperly. Training correct technique should mean that you don't injure yourself. However, to be on the safe side, definitely talk to your doctor and instructor about it.
Posted by: MattJ

Re: Kickboxing 101 - 07/02/06 09:06 PM

Welcome to the forums, Yan.

Quote:

Also, im 6'4" 220 pounds in good muscular shape



LOL! What the hell do you need MA for? Who's going to pick a fight with YOU?

Kickboxing is a great way to learn fighting concepts, and is a great workout. It can be very hard on your body if you are not careful. I have a friend that was a full-contact TKD guy, and he eventually hurt his back pretty bad from over-torquing on his spinning kicks.

Listen to your body and let your instructor know in no uncertain terms what you can and cannot do. Push your limits slowly, and you will be able to practice long term. Rushing and over-doing will be a quick trip to injury.

Good luck.
Posted by: Yan1978

Re: Kickboxing 101 - 07/02/06 10:40 PM

Thanks for the input guys.
I will let him know about the back problems for sure, here is the link to the website of that school, if someone could take a minute and let me know his/her opinion of it. I know you can hardly rate a school by its website, but its the next best thing i have to having someone with some experience come with me at that class tommorow.

http://h2oma.com/index.html

Ill let you know hot it goes.

Thanks again.
Posted by: Leo_E_49

Re: Kickboxing 101 - 07/03/06 12:00 AM

I took a look at the videos. It looks good, and although I am no expert when it comes to kickboxing I can tell that their technique is tight and their form is generally good. They appear to train well, in that their routine is performed with maximum effort and the classes seem to be pretty exclusive, in terms of the numbers of people learning there. You're probably going to benefit from more personal attention there.

That said, I was disappointed to see that there was no sparring in the clips. Also, they claim not to be a just a cardio kickboxing class but the fact that they spend most of their time in the videos hitting pads instead of sparring is a bit disconcerting. If self defense is what you're looking for this may not be the place to go. Also, their phrase "Come and experience your fighters workout" is just a turn-off to me (I am personally not really into martial arts for exercise I'm more along the no nonsense self defense lines).

It really depends on what you're looking for. If you're just looking for a good workout, this is a good place to go. If you're looking to compete in tournaments this is also probably going to be a good place to go, as long as they let you spar every lesson. However, if you're looking for a self defense oriented school which deals with situational responses and rote-trained response, this is the last place you want to be. That's not to say that this training won't help you in a self defense situation. In fact, I think that kickboxing is a very effective martial art. It's just that without either situational self defense or contact sparring, this place wouldn't provide the best starting point for learning self defense.

I'd advise you to go speak to the instructor about these issues if you have questions. Again, if you want to train for exercise or competition, this looks like a great place to go.

P.S. Says here that sparring is optional and you have the opportunity to spar at the end of every class. I'm a sparring advocate, so I'll try not to place a bias on this too much by commenting on it.
Posted by: Cord

Re: Kickboxing 101 - 07/03/06 12:17 AM

It looks OK to me in my limited experience. The only thing that struck me as strange was in the 'muay Thai' training clip, the combo work included dropping a regular focus pad down to recieve the roundhouse to the leg. I can tell you that doing this to a proper mT kick thrown with force is going to get you hurt real bad- thats why Thai pads are a specific piece of kit, and if it is a light contact drill, then they would be better letting you strike the leg directly. Its the same with the knee techniques- not a lot of force going in, and zero clinching from which to deliver them, begging the question 'why bother'.

It looks friendly and well run however, but as Leo has pointed out, the instructor may be a fighter, but may not be training you in the same mould.

Thats fine, I myself train in a relaxed atmosphere, with many who arent interested in fighting at all, merely the learning of a skill out of interest, but then, my school do not advertise themselves as a home of MMA with gangsta rap and KO montages.

Just make sure they are teaching what you want to learn.