Kickboxing Class Opens, Part 4

Kickboxing

“We’re opening up the kickboxing class to everyone,” Dax said one day after jiu jitsu class.

This was about 6 months after I’d started jiu jitsu.

Jiu Jitsu is great to learn because fights can end up on the floor, but what do you do before that? You certainly can’t start from on the floor! I was happy that kickboxing became an option, but I was also really unsure about trying it. I’d be walking in blind, and I might be the only woman. But I joined to learn how to defend myself,

and sometimes you just have to take the plunge. I showed up for class one night, and Dax worked with me just like he did with every other student.

For whatever reason, there’s usually only a small handful of us at kickboxing. Sometimes there’s only two or three. I’m usually the only woman, but it’s not too bad. The men have always been nice and respectful. I do feel more comfortable when there’s at least one other woman, but it’s one of those things you just have to get used to.

I showed up my first time with my gi just in case, but this isn’t something that requires a gi. Thankfully, I always wear a t-shirt and knee-length workout shorts to class, so it wasn’t an issue.

Class starts with cardio. We grab a jump rope and jump for three minutes, take a minute break, jump for another three minutes, take another break, and then we do one more round. It’s definitely hard, and I cannot jump the entire time. When I look over at the guys, they almost always have more stamina.

After cardio is always a couple rounds of shadow boxing. Personally, I don’t care for shadow boxing much. I guess this is what the professionals do, but I’d prefer to work with a real partner rather than throw punches into the air. It feels awkward, like I’m trying to be tougher than I am.

When shadowboxing is done, we work with pads. My dojo has boxing gloves for students to use, and we spray them down with disinfectant after class. We also spray the pads in case, especially if they get blood on them.

Front punch, jab, hook, and upper cut are pretty standard. It’s actually harder than you think to throw proper punches. You always have to make sure that your feet are lined up or you won’t have the power and follow through that you need. You also have to learn how to hit the pads in sequence without taking a second to think about the next move. It needs to be smooth. Hesitation is bad.

We had many classes where we worked only with punches. Kicks are a bit more advanced, especially paired with punches.

Is Karate Useful?

A small class can really work to your advantage when it comes to asking questions. I badly wanted to know if my karate background would help me at all in case I needed it to. One night, I asked Dax if anything from karate could be useful in kickboxing. His response was basically some things but only some.

I brought up the X block—you shove your arms down in an X pattern in order to stop a kick—but he says this is a terrible move because when you’re blocking a kick with your arms down, your face is completely wide open to a punch. He also said that it might work once, but you shouldn’t do it again. Honestly, I felt betrayed because I’d always thought the X block was so cool! He said that there are people who fight really well with karate, but the advanced stuff is basically kickboxing anyway.

Then he went over some self-defense with me like how you shouldn’t pull back if your hair is grabbed. This will only increase pain, and it won’t help you get free. You’re supposed to move in toward the person and strike—punch, elbow, knee to the stomach. Moves like that.