It can be an overwhelming task to start learning how to kickbox. There are so many different moves that you must learn, and you need to use different stances as well, depending on what your move is. When you are just getting started, we recommend for you to get down the basics right from the very start. Many beginners end up picking bad habits up that can be hard to avoid using later on. For example, numerous students begin with punching, but tend to over rotate their hands during the punch. The best thing to do is learn kickboxing at home all of the basic aspects properly and take care to ensure you are doing things correctly.
Of course there are numerous instructional videos and DVD’s that are available and are great resources. Taking that in consideration, I am about to bust some of the major myths about not being able to learn kickboxing at home. However, I do have a couple of disclaimers.
Myth:You cannot learn kickboxing at home without having an instructor.
You will be unable to deeply understand the techniques in this way.
Busted: It is challenging, but not insurmountable. You won’t be able to get direct feedback without an instructor, but if you use a program that is structured properly, you should have the ability to make self-assessments of your progress. Use a video camera, a training partner or mirror. Compare your form with the one being illustrated in the video you watched. Do you match the instructor closely? A video recording won’t provide you with individualized constructive feedback, so it will be beneficial to either have another person to observe and compare or do your own self-assessment.
Myth: DVD’s don’t really help you learn kickboxing from home since you don’t develop any muscle memory.
Busted: Where do I even begin with this myth. Muscle memory develops with everything you practice. It is true, that are numerous “how to” tutorials and videos, and they only provide a basic overview and don’t really teach you what to do to continue to advance. The videos don’t have drills. The way to commit something to muscle memory is to use drilling techniques. A good instructor will know which drills help with developing muscle groups as well as movement patterns needed for executing techniques properly. A good instructor who teaches the drills and then demonstrates them in videos in such a way that you can easily follow along can really help you develop powerful, efficient and clean strikes.
Myth: You cannot learn kickboxing at home unless you spar.
Busted: This is total B.S. Having a partner is very helpful. However, for centuries now martial artists have been drilling and training without sparring. Working with a partner does have benefits to it, however even at the professional level, sparring is only a small aspect of overall kickboxing training. Technique breakdowns, heavy bag work, shadowboxing, drilling and conditioning – these are all effective training methods to learn kickboxing at home. You do have disadvantages when it comes to realistic application and developing reaction time. However, it is still possible to visualize an attacker or target. That is something that is really lacking in martial arts these days: creativity and vision. The bottom line is that it is beneficial to have a partner, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. If you do happen to have a friend to train with you, then you can learn kickboxing together at home. So grab some mitts and gloves and find somebody you can work with. Start with working on combos together. Using mitt work will help you learn all of the reaction time that you need.
Myth: You need to have classmates in order to be exposed to various fighting styles so you learn how to adapt.
Busted: This is something that I don’t disagree with. However, you can always have an online community to get feedback, share training videos and discuss various strategies and tactics. With modern technology, there really isn’t any limit on how you can interact these days.
So there you go. It isn’t impossible to learn kickboxing from home. You can definitely benefit from having a community, training equipment, gym and instructor. Subscribe to a newsletter, join a forum, and expose yourself constantly to learning some new martial arts technique. You can continue to learn new things even after you become experienced.