KICKBOXING FITNESS – Potentially The Most Versatile Physical Education Activity!     

Introduction

This is Part 1 of a 2 Part article about Kickboxing fitness and how it could be an extremely versatile activity option for any PE program.

Kickboxing fitness is a workout program that utilizes techniques, movements, and combinations of movements from boxing, karate, kickboxing, and self-defense training. The versatility and flexibility of this program provides students with exercise routines that can potentially be designed for:

• For students of any skill or conditioning level, and

• To achieve any one of a variety of specific fitness goals!  

Kickboxing fitness workouts can be designed to be safe and effective training routines for students who may have a broad range of experience, skills, physical conditioning, levels of function, abilities and capabilities. ‘Safe’ is defined as avoidance of acute and prevention of chronic injury. ‘Effective’ is defined as experiencing the most benefit, based on specific, defined student or PE program goals and objectives.

Kickboxing fitness training is not intended to develop Fighters or Black Belts! The goal is to provide safe workouts in which each movement is fully utilized, to positively stress the body and achieve the desired exercise program objectives and goals.

Competitive Fight and Self-Defense Training Vs. Boxing/Kickboxing Fitness Training

Goals for a fitness /exercise activity utilizing boxing, kickboxing and martial arts techniques are very different from competitive fighter and/or self-defense training. 

Competitive fight and self-defense training are primarily concerned with teaching a participant how to move and deliver various strikes with the greatest potential power and speed – in a repetitive manner. The goal is to out-point, knock out or physically destroy (for self-defense) an opponent! The development of speed and power in technique execution, for a fighter, is important. Concern for safety (defined as preventing injury resulting from improper technique execution) and health (defined as preventing disease through physical activity) is not the goal for the competitive fighter or self-defense training.

Kickboxing fitness training is primarily focused on providing safe and effective exercise activities for students of all sizes, age, fitness levels, skill levels, gender type, functional capabilities and medical conditions. Training methods and movement execution must be evaluated and modified to be safe and effective for every participant. From a fitness perspective: 

• Safety is evaluated and determined based on potential injury risk versus benefit gained during the performance of a specific movement or movement pattern. 

• Effectiveness is evaluated and determined based on whether a participant can achieve specific fitness-related goals.

Designing & Structuring Your PE Kickboxing Fitness Program 

Like any other fitness training program, kickboxing fitness should be designed according to proven fitness principles, to ensure the safest and most effective (best chance to achieve specific goals) workout routines. The following are some of those important Principles.

FITT Principle

The FITT principle is an acronym that represents:

• Frequency – how often an exercise routine should be performed (typically stated in ‘workouts/week’). 

• Intensity – how strenuous a workout should be.

• Time – the time for one workout session and the time duration of the program (weeks, months).

• Type – type of exercise that will achieve your specific goals.

Specificity Principle

The Specificity principle states that the students’ conditioning level will change according to the specific way the training is performed. To improve muscle conditioning, resistance training is required. To improve cardio fitness, cardio-based exercise must be performed. To improve balance, coordination or agility, exercises that specifically challenge balance, coordination and agility must be performed. 

Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the act of gradually increasing the demands or intensity of an exercise routine. Start with what is “easy” and gradually make it more difficult.

Training Components for Your PE Kickboxing Fitness Program

Kickboxing fitness combines and modifies traditional martial arts, boxing and self-defense techniques and movements into a dynamic exercise program. There are many aspects of health and fitness that can potentially improve through this training, including cardiovascular function, muscular function, flexibility, coordination, agility, reaction time, balance, brain health/cognitive function, emotional and mental health. The following are brief descriptions of each ‘component.’

Part 2 of this 2-part article describes the various fitness components that could possibly emphasized in a properly designed program, giving students the opportunity to enhance and improve a variety of physical functions.

Remember, “ONE BODY, ONE LIFE, ONE CHOICE – BE SAFE & STRONG!”

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