A common question will arise regarding enrolling in kickboxing classes. That question will be "Do I need a lot of flexibility in order to kickbox?" That answer to that question revolves around your goals. But, before we delve further into the answer, here are two very brief and to the point statements for the answer:
There really is no requirement to possess any level of flexibility when you start a kickboxing program.
Your level of flexibility will increase over time as you train.
In short, you do not need to worry about being flexible when you start taking lessons. Commonly, beginners will look at a kickboxing match where a lot of head kicks are performed and will assume they need a high level of flexibility to take part in a kickboxing class. That is not the case at all. You will need a high level of flexibility in order to compete in a serious environment but this will not be required when you are a beginner. As such, it is best not to compare yourself to professionals or those with a high level of experience. Beginners often make this mistake and it skews their opinion on what to expect from a class.
Also, the amount of flexibility you need will depend on the style of kickboxing you are taking part in. In today's gyms, the most commonly taught kickboxing art is Muay Thai which puts more emphasis on low and mid-line kicks. Kickboxing arts such as savate and full contact karate have greater emphasis on head kicks but they are rarely taught in gyms because most gyms are more Muay Thai and MMA centric.
Since your kicks are targeting the low line and the mid line, you do not need a lot of hip flexibility or balance in order to deliver an effective kick. In order to kick high, you need the hips to "open up" more and this can be achieved by slowly and incrementally raising the height of the kick. Again, this does not have to be achieved overnight nor should it be. In fact, it may not have to be.
Truth be told, if your goals are self-defense or even MMA, you do not need to kick high. Hence, you do not need a lot of flexibility. Head kicks are non-existent in self-defense and they are rare in MMA.
While the debate may rage among MMA fighters and trainers whether or not high kicks are valid, this really should not be a concern of your unless you are ready to make the jump into the cage. Obviously, if your goals are to compete in the ring then you do need to develop high kicks. All of this takes time so there is no rush to develop the needed attributes.
It is advised, however, not to be too dismissive of the value of high kicks and the flexibility they provide. Developing a decent amount of flexibility has many health benefits since the more flexible you are, the more resistant to injury you will become. Also, training higher kicks requires a bit more in terms of cardio ability which, in turn, means you will burn more fat during your workouts when you are performing high kicks.
The controversy of high kicks in a kickboxing class really is not something that should be controversial at all. As long as you approach the development of proper flexibility the right way, you will be surprised how flexible you become in a short period of time. You might even become equally amazed at how great of a kickboxer your turn into once you tap into your body's full range of motion.
A Brief Look at Different Styles of Kickboxing
The art of kickboxing has a far greater and lengthier history than most people realize. Kickboxing maintains unique roots and origins in various cultures and the popularity of the sport has had its peak at different points in history. Each and every form of kickboxing has its own set of rules and employs different skills. For those interested in the sport or kickboxing, here is a brief look at the most famous of the kickboxing styles that have developed over the years:
Muay Thai: This is the national sport of Thailand and it is a comprehensive ring sport that entails punching, kicking, throwing, kneeing, elbows, and clinch fighting. This is also an art that is performed barefoot which emphases kicking with the shins. Many consider this the most physically demanding of the kickboxing styles. It helps enhance one's level of toughness tremendously and the many benefits to this art have allowed it to become the most popular kickboxing systems in the world.
Full Contact Karate: Almost forgotten about today, Full Contact was an enormously popular sport in the 1970's. Full Contact combined traditional karate with boxing and became a wildly successful television ratings draw and also packed arenas with fans in major arenas throughout the world.
Savate: Savate is the national sport of France and it remains one of the most interesting of all kickboxing systems. One component which makes it so interesting would be the fact this is an art that employs the use of the shoe. Hitting with the tip of the shoe allows the art to be one that is based on precision striking. Savate is not an easy art to learn but the effort one puts into learning it is well worth it.
Bando: This is a Burmese kickboxing art that is quite similar to Thai Boxing. The difference is boxing gloves are not used. Instead, the hands are wrapped in protective fist wraps. The rules also allow for headbutting which adds to the violence level of this art. Sadly, few people know this method of kickboxing which is why instruction in it is so limited.
K-1: K-1 is known today mostly as an MMA promotion but in the 1990's it was among the hottest kickboxing promotions in Japan. The rules were similar to Muay Thai but many different styles of kickboxing were represented. This allowed the fights to be very exciting.
Shan Shou: This is a Chinese style of kickboxing that spawns from traditional kung fu. What separates this art from other forms of kickboxing is that it puts a lot of emphasis on the sidekick and a great emphasis on throws is stressed.
JKD Kickboxing: JKD is the art of Bruce Lee and this would be considered a subset of it designed to enhance the fencing, boxing, component of the overall art.
MMA Striking: Not a pure form of kickboxing by any means, MMA striking does include quite a bit of kickboxing in it and it is designed to work within the framework of the totality of mixed martial arts.
The Bridge Between Kickboxing and Self-Defense
A common refrain you will hear from self-defense gurus is that kickboxing is not a good art for street self-defense. This is a misguided notion. While there are huge differences between training for the ring and training for self-defense, many of the tools and attributes from kickboxing remain the same. You simply need to adjust your tactics in the appropriate manner in order to achieve the desired results you are interested in.
First, you need to realize that modern kickboxing is more Muay Thai and MMA influenced than it was in the past. This means the emphasis is a bit rawer than prior generations. In modern kickboxing, greater emphasis is placed on the boxing component which means you will be taught to use your hands in a much more effective manner. Kicking is commonly performed with the shin or the foot is employed more for stop hitting and advance or attack.
Furthermore, clinch fighting has been added to the matrix. Within the clinch, you learn a standup version of grappling along with the proper use of elbows and knees which are critical for serious self-defense situations. The MMA influence on kickboxing is huge. Because of this influence, a great deal of grappling and counter-grappling is weaved into kickboxing training. With all these elements added to the mix, you do end up with a truly well rounded standup game which has very few holes in it. Both your offense and your defense will be quite sound.
Sparring adds the needed resistance and experience with dealing with a non-cooperative opponent. This does not mean your sparring sessions have to be intense or competitive. Even a moderately slow pace can yield great skill development and you will need such experiential skill to defend yourself.
To make the bridge to the self-defense arena is not as difficult as you would think. However, you do need to make certain changes. Learning how to strike with bareknuckles is a must since you do not want to run the risk of injuring your hand and wrist. You would also have to adjust your training in order to develop familiarity with a more street oriented opponent. All of these skills can be easily learned without having to change the core martial art of kickboxing. The big changes would center on environmental training, awareness, and yes, the legal issues surrounding self-defense.
Rather than fall prey to conventional wisdom, it would be wiser to look at how kickboxing can help self-defense skills from an unbiased perspective. Once you do this, you will realize how valuable kickboxing can be for self-defense training.
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