In both cases though, it's gets better. The movements start to come together, feel more natural, and any pain in the shins goes away. It's an amazing thing. I can kick the bag 100 times as hard as possible with my right leg and not feel anything at all (except very tired). And believe me, I am not some guy like Dalton in the movie Road House who thinks "pain don't hurt." I'm a big ol' baby but just kickboxing once or twice a week has totally conditioned my shins, as well as knees and elbows. You just have to give it a little time. And I think it will be well worth it too. Here are several reasons:
Challenges are good!
Especially if you have boxed for a while, you are going to continue to get better but the improvements start to become a little more subtle and harder to perceive. Going from feeling slow and clunky with kickboxing to getting into a groove will happen relatively quickly and be very obvious to you. And this feels good! Part of why it feels so good is that you know it wasn't easy at first but you fought through and now have a new skill to build on. Like I said too, this won't take a very long time. The improvements will come fast and you will be super proud of yourself.
Fitness Boost
By changing up your work out a little and getting your muscles to work a little different, your fitness level will undoubtedly level up.
Balance
Because kicking involves being on one leg, your balance will improve through kickboxing. Balance is a trainable skill that becomes better the more you practice it. This works the other way too. If you don't train balance, it starts to go away too. Just like a muscle.
Coordination
Boxing certainly involves coordinating your hands and feet together but kickboxing presents some new situations to develop this skill. Besides the different strikes, we can also learn do things like switch stances dynamically as well as do some skipping and spinning moves that require a lot of coordination. Just like balance, this is something you can improve through training. Plus, you can lose it by not training it.
Self-Defense
Particularly when being attacked by a bigger, stronger opponent, many of the strikes we throw in kickboxing are very practical in real-life scenarios. Elbows and knees can be thrown in extremely close range and do a lot of damage as well as stun your opponent. Front kicks can keep someone from getting into your space too.
Self-Confidence
All of these things I have mentioned so far - overcoming challenges, better fitness, balance and coordination as well as self-defense skills - lead to increased confidence. It's a good feeling and it has a way of snowballing into other parts of your life. You just have to be able to work for it.
Fun!
Again, it may not feel that way at first when you are struggling to learn but once you start to get it down, kickboxing starts to become really fun. It becomes a celebration of what your body can do and sometimes, we get a little flashy and you feel like you are a movie action hero. You might think there is no way in hell you could possibly feel that way but you would be surprised. I have seen some people you might never expect to do it fly through the air and throw down. Plus, you are mixing it up. Something new can just be fun on its own.
Also remember that just about anyone who can box can also do some kickboxing. We have members who are 75 and 76 years old who do it and have gotten pretty good. You also don't have to be in any better shape or more coordinated or athletic or anything. Kickboxing is for everybody. Of course you want to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program but even someone like me with knee and calf issues can do it. I may not be able to kick as high as someone else but with proper technique, I can do a lot more than I thought I would. If you're brand new to boxing, maybe get a little more acquainted with the punches and terminology first, but it shouldn't be long before you are ready to begin your journey as a Nak Muay!!
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