Kickboxing for Fun and Fitness

Time breakdowns are all approximately and are for the instructional 20 minutes, warmup/stretches 6 minutes, cardio portion 20 minutes, and cooldown 5 minutes.

The instructional tape is taped indoors. The quality of the tape is much better than Women's Fitness International Freestyle tapes, but not Firm quality. When other things are spliced in it doesn't disrupt the quality of the tape at all.

Itshows the five basic punches, five times each from each side and sometimes from the front and rear arm while in the boxer's stance. They include the jab, cross, hook, upper cut, and elbow. Kathy is really thorough with her demonstration and because each move is demonstrated so many times I guess this is why WFI magazine advertizes this as a basic workout. After each move is demonstrated, Kathy shows how it may be used in a self-defense situation and then there is a cut of either hers or one of Jim's kickboxing matches shown to show the move, i.e. Kathy jabbing an opponent.

Kicks are demonstrated next. Again five time each side sometimes more with the rear leg front kick and front leg front kick. Again scenes from matches are thrown in and Kathy shows you how to use this move in self-defense. the kicks incude the front kick, roundhouse kick, side kick, and knees. She really doesn't show a back kick except later while demonstrating the combos that are used during the workout she calls this one kick a side kick and a back kick (same kick though). Like Aaron when doing the knee she pulls her opponent down. Also when showing side kicks she tells you to stomp with your heel. She does tell you with each kick if your opponent should be hit with the heel or ball of the foot.

Combos are next, she shows several which build on each other performed twice. These are fun. She does a knee, knee, front kick with the opposite leg, a jab and a cross; then repeats it twice and on the other side. She then has one which finally builds into right elbow, left elbow, right knee, left front, roundhouse, and side kick.

Then the workout begins. It's five minute warmup/stretch consists of punches, weaves, shuffles, stomps, etc. kind of like Power Kicks but more fun. The soundtrack is club music, kind of Madonna-like, and I like it because you can hear the cueing and the music at the same time (neither over powers the other). The participates don't do a lot of whooping, but I think during the whole workout they did twice.

During the stretch segment Jim does do one thing that bugs me, he tells you to "lock your rear leg" when stretching out the calf, but the stretches are really good (inner thighs, legs, and upper body). There are done in a slow and controlled manner to limber you up for what's ahead.

The cardio section uses the combos from the instructional segment but there are a few things inserted such as jumping rope, some pylo jump rope moves where you give it a lot of power, that front kick and touch the ground with your hand thing like in Kickbutt Combat, and jump squats (tough!). He then does this ab work section (standing) where you do side knees while crunching down, very similar to what Billy Blanks does with the "string" crunch thing. Then there are the lunges while punching like in Tae Bo's 8 Minute Sprint. Finally he does what he calls "The Burner" which is squats and front kicks (sound familiar?).

The cooldown doesn't contain any stretches at all, but it reminds me of a Tai Chi cooldown. He also does something he calls "sito" (this is phonetic I have no idea how it is spelled) to cool you down.

Also there is one girl in the left back who seems to be doing the moves slower. Jim points out in the beginning that you can, but I don't recall him pointing out this girl.

At the end of the tape he and Kathy say to watch for future tapes and give the number where you can buy the workout clothes if you like them (I did).

If anyone has questions email me, but I think I covered it all. Also the video is $46 and you really are only getting one workout.