Kickboxing Take Off
In recent years, kickboxing has taken off as a popular way for people to lose weight and build strength.
Kickboxing provides a total body workout that burns calories, builds muscle, and increases your overall strength and endurance. While the sport was once somewhat obscure, it has grown in popularity due to professional kickboxing competitions and the proliferation of kickboxing classes at martial arts gyms and general fitness gyms. Across the country, kickboxing centers are popping up to provide advanced kickboxing training.
Here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, several health clubs and gyms offer kickboxing training. Most often, the classes focus on providing kickboxing classes as a way to burn calories, but there are some classes that offer kickboxing lessons that teach you how to spar with real partners.
Some great locations for kickboxing classes in Grand Rapids include:
YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids (Multiple Locations / Phone: 616-855-9622) – The YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids has multiple locations that offer a variety of different classes aimed at increasing your physical fitness. As part of their offerings, they offer no-contact Cardio Kickboxing lessons. The class teaches participants punches, kicks, and combinations as part of a workout that is easily adaptable to people of all fitness levels. The YMCA also offers a second kickboxing class that involves sport specific warm-ups, bouts of intense intervals, kickboxing specific strength and endurance training, and a calming cool down. While the YMCA is a membership organization, you need not be a member to take their kickboxing classes.
City of Grand Rapids Kickboxing Classes (Locations Vary / Phone: 616-456-3696) – As part of the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, the City offers two different kickboxing classes for adults. The kickboxing lessons include a “Kickboxing and Toning” class and a “Cardio Kickboxing” class. The “Kickboxing and Toning” class combines kickboxing to burn calories along with toning to build muscles. The “Cardio Kickboxing” features all the elements of a real boxer’s training program minus the punching bags and physical contact. Both classes require that you provide your own floor mat and the “Kickboxing and Toning” class requires you to have 3-5 hand weights. The City also offers financial assistance and scholarships for low-income persons interested in kickboxing training.
Endurance Fitness (940 Monroe, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 / Phone: 616-913-9123) – Endurance Fitness is a local chain of fitness centers-there are six locations in the Greater Grand Rapids Area–that offer a variety of physical fitness classes and exercise equipment. As part of their offerings, Endurance Fitness offers kickboxing training at many of its locations. There are two different kickboxing classes offered. There is a traditional kickboxing class that teaches traditional kickboxing moves for a total body workout (all fitness levels are welcome) as well as a “Turbo Kick” class. “Turbo Kick” combines athletic moves, sports drills, and hip-hop elements to give you an intense kickboxing workout that is different than what you will find in other local kickboxing gyms.
East West Karate (5330 South Division, Grand Rapids, MI 49548 / Phone: 616-532-1193) – East West Karate offers a Thai Kickboxing class that will help you get into shape and learn important self-defense moves. East West Karate says that their Thai Kickboxing classes work the entire body while providing “practical punching, kicking and blocking technique.” Moreover, they say that the class is “guaranteed to make you look and feel better than ever.” With a special free introductory class, there is no reason not to call them if you are looking for a local kickboxing gym.
Collective Fitness (4620 Kalamazoo Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508 / Phone: 616-455-8700) – Collective Fitness is a health club that combines a number of different things-a full gym, swimming pool, climbing wall, and a full selection of fitness classes-under one roof. As part of Collective Fitness’ offerings, there are Cardio Kickboxing lessons. The class promises to shed pounds and inches by offering a full body workout that also includes strength and agility training.
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Boxing, Muay Thai & Kickboxing Stuff
The root of full contact kick-boxing can be traced back to Thailand 2000 years ago, where the art of Muay Thai fighting started. Kick-boxing has been practiced for thousands of years, but did not become popular in the United States of America until the early 1960′s, where kick-boxing has become an extreme sport for the extreme contender. America did not recognize kick-boxing in the formal circuit until 1970 and it is a swiftly growing sport.
The difference between kick-boxing and regular boxing is the work “Kick”. The kicks are what take kick-boxing to a whole different level than regular boxing. The most common kicks used by the fighters today are the, front kick, side kick and the round house. Most of kick-boxing can be traced back to a form of martial arts such as, but not limited to;
Karate Judo Ju Jitsu Tae Kwando Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) Kapo Luta
Take any one of these martial arts and combine the fundamentals with boxing and you have a very aggressive, powerful and conniving fighter, who with one quick move could take his opponent to out. This form of fighting is much more dangerous than regular fist to fist boxing with gloves, because of the light weight gloves used and the use of kicking allows for a more powerful delivery.
The art of kick-boxing teaches strength, discipline, focus and defense; it is a great competitive sport and offers a total body workout. True kick-boxing is the art of defending and attacking ones opponent, Kick-boxers wear certain equipment and clothes that assist in protection and are used for easy movement, like mouth pieces, fight shorts, gloves, shin guards, all of these are used while the fighter punches, kicks and grapples with his opponent. Below is a list of the most common gear worn in the kick-boxing industry today and their prices.
Head Gear (leather with or without face cage)- 19.99 Revgear Cardio Wrap hand wrap- from 7.99 to 24.99 Pro Spar Shin Guard and instep- 34.99 Pro Spar Punches-Gloves- 34.99 Pro Spar Foam rib & ab guard- 44.95 Revgear Long Sleeve T shirt- 39.99 Revgear Fight Shorts- 49.99 Muay Thai Fight Shorts- 49.99 Focus Mitts- 49.99 Revgear Challenger MMA Grappling Gloves- 49.99 Revgear Platinum Leather Gloves- 79.99 Compression Shorts with Protective Flex Cup- 39.99
Mouth Pieces:
Shock Doctor-Gel Max- 19.99 Shock Doctor Pro- 9.99 Shock Doctor Power Double- 37.99 Shock Doctor-Braces- 29.99 Shock Doctor Power Ultra Gel- 34.99
Any of these apparel items can be found on-line at www.revgear.com.
As the art of Kick-boxing or Mixed Martial Arts some call it, takes on its new transformation in the western countries and we continue to take the sport to a whole new level, we also watch the apparel change as well. Once before they were extremely expensive, just like any other trend, with time the prices have come down and made it more affordable to be able to participate in.
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