One of the best workouts you can do today is kickboxing. It’s a full-body boxing workout with some kicks. You can easily get started with this, and one of the things you need to familiarize yourself with are the types of kicks used in this training.
Types of Kickboxing Kicks
There are over 10 kicks used in kickboxing, but these are the three common types:
- Roundhouse kick: With this kick, you need to step across at a 45-degree angle, chamber your kick through the center, raise the ball of your base foot as you pivot and kick, extend the kicking leg, and swing your arm to counterbalance.
- Front kick: This is when you chamber through the center, snap the kick, and land with the ball of your foot. You need to lean back slightly and swing your arm here to counterbalance.
- Side kick: This is when you step into a side stance, chamber the knee to your chest on the kicking leg, and extend your kick and land with your heel and the blade of your foot.
The Best Kicks
Now that you know the most common types of kickboxing, here are the best kicks you might want to learn:
- Question mark kick: This type of kick is all about strategy to make the opponent let their guard down. You open them up to your knockout kick with this kick. You do this by faking them out with a front kick to get them to drop their hand and then follow-up with a rear kick to the neck that will take them down.
- Spinning back kick: Your arms play a crucial role in this kick. As you spin, drop down slightly and keep the knees tight. You do this by crossing your rear leg over your lead leg to turn. Hit your opponent in the neck with the heel of your foot.
- Low kick: Basically, this kick is chopping down the opponent. The goal here is to land the kick with your tibia. The higher up on your shin, the more damaging it is to your opponent. It’s a close-range kick.
- Spinning hook kick: This is another spinning kick, which you may need to use your arms for momentum. Step forward with the rear leg, use the arms to spin, and bring your lead leg around; lift your lead leg into a side kick with your knee slightly bent. Hook it to land a blow to the head of your opponent.
- Lead body kick: This kick is perfect to use when your opponent is holding their arms high. It’s a great opening for a lead body kick that is aimed at the liver. You do this by waiting for your opponent to exhale. Once they do, aim the lead leg right below the ribcage and make contact with the instep of the foot.
Ready for These Kicks?
Kickboxing is an enjoyable experience, and knowing these kicks will prepare you for training. Moreover, you can use these kicks to intensify the workout, which is a good idea, especially if you’re only starting out.
If you want to learn kickboxing for MMA, sign up for classes at Pride Martial Arts Academy. We offer kids, adult, and youth MMA programs for every level. We are on a mission to be the premier mixed martial arts safety center in Western New York. Contact us today!