Kickboxing is widely recognized as a very competitive and combative sports that involves kicking and punching the opponent to win. This sport is included in a group of martial arts and stemmed historically from other sports such as Karate, Muay Thai, and Western boxing among some!Most men participate in kickboxing classes as part of their general fitness and a contact sport they've learned to love eventually while women practices it to enhance their self-defence skills. As it involves kicking and punching the opponent, kickboxing is often seen as one of the perfect self-defence for women and even youngsters.

The sport started in the 1960s or even before that in different countries around the world but now, it's a contact sport that most men and women as well young kids participate in. It has continually evolved and later became widely recognized as a competitive contact sport and not just simply used for self-defence and fitness program.

In addition, belt grading systems are adapted by various kickboxing schools like Woburn Sands Kickboxing and many more as part of inspiring student of doing their best and demonstrating the advancement of a particular student in the said sport.

Watch this funny video demostrating a grading! CLICK HERE

Like in martial arts classes, the belt grading system help the students in a major way as it set goals for them to reach. The path from white belt to colored belts (yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, and brown) to black can be very long and will take a whole lot of training time.

White belts are for untrained novices or in simple words, those who have just entered a kickboxing school like Woburn Sands Kickboxing. They need to be trained of the basics first.

Colored belts as mentioned above will be given to students who advanced or acquired enough skills from being a white belt. It can take months to advance from one colored belt to another so determination would play a role.

Thsi video shows some great advanced moves, CLICK HERE to take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXlBGFNLc-U

Eventually, your ultimate goal is to achieve a black belt in kickboxing. Upon achieving it, it doesn't mean that the basic training ends. Yes, you completed the training but you can train more to achieve black belt grades.

The benefits of grading are many and already mentioned above but it ultimately help the students to be more motivated in achieving their goals as well as accomplishing personal interests.

Leading a healthy lifestyle seems to be the trend nowadays as more and more people around the world take good care of their healthy by eating the right food and improving their physical bodies. It’s not a bad thing to be concerned with your health and well-being, it’s actually more of a commendable act especially if you’re doing the right training. Woburn Sands Kickboxing actively encourages it’s students to train correctly and lead a healthy lifestyle.

And speaking of training, more and more women are turning into kickboxing as part of their physical fitness training. Although Yoga and Pilates remains to be top favorites among girls in their 20s and 30s, kickboxing is charming not only men but also women and children. A proof of how popular this mix of martial arts and combat sports is the number of kickboxing training gyms established in different parts of the world.

Though this combat sports started in Japan, more and more people are finding its significance as part of their physical training as well as an additional self-defense for women.

Kickboxing is described as a mixture of martial arts and recognized as a combat sports because historically, it stemmed from Muay Thai, Western boxing, as well as Karate, which are all popular sports among individuals.

Losing weight. Most women are in to learn this sport as part of their losing weight objective. Because it involves a full-body workout, burning calories will be faster in addition to improving the cardiovascular system.

Self-defense. One probable benefit seen by most women is it is one way of improving your self-defense techniques. The hand and eye coordination, punching, and kicking are all improved once you start learning.

Energy Increased. Though kickboxing would require energy, it naturally increases the body’s energy as well. The continued training may be tiring but it helps build the body’s cardio and strength at the end of the day.

It will also help in sweating out all those toxins your body has which further improves your blood circulation. Woburn Sands kickboxing provides the best training and drills for you so why not try it?

Woburn Sands Kickboxing lead the way and are cutting edge in its approach to reaching out to their students. The have a great mobile app to keep students informed and updated on club activities, why not CLICK HERE to download for your iPhone and CLICK HERE for your Android smartphone.

I have just luanched a series of articles that are available FREE by going to my Facebook page and clicking register.

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Here is a one of thise articles that I thought i'd share with you. I thought this article was relevant. At Woburn Sands Kickboxing, Milton Keynes, more and more women are taking up Kickboxing.

Kickboxing has evolved so much through the years and has already reached new heights in terms of popularity, and so has women empowerment. Gone are the days when women are thought of as the weaker sex. In fact, many women nowadays take kickboxing classes to learn how to defend themselves and to be independent. Plus, kickboxing is a fun way to keep one’s body fit and gets away from the boring monotony of running and lifting weights.

Kickboxing doesn’t only provide lots of fun and movements, sometimes, even choreographed to the latest hits, it also almost instantaneously hones the reflexes of a woman, much more so as compared to other forms of exercises. And because it requires constant movements and high impact motions, it becomes a very energetic form of workout all throughout. Person to person engagements are not just for testing skills or for more training, they mostly become a great way to motivate women for their personal success in their bout against weight control. Don’t worry though, kickboxing gurus always make sure that the bouts are safe and you have your protective gear on, in fact, they up the safety ante when it is women that are involved.

As a form of workout, kickboxing may seem like your just doing a combination of most cardio exercise programs, because kickboxing involves running, jumping, stretching, and lifting weights. But, kickboxing also incorporates high impact kicks and punches while also doing the activity continuously. This means that you will be forced to finish the whole workout unlike the rudimentary ones we all know. This also incorporates discipline in our daily exercise regimen. You also tend to exercise most aspects of your body unlike the traditional cardio workouts which tend to direct a single area only at a time.

And with our day and age, where chivalry has long been thought to be dead, it’s now a definite must for any woman to learn how to defend themselves. While the benefits that kickboxing can provide can’t be stressed enough, the point that you get to learn how to protect yourself from any danger is a wonderful plus. Women can also develop great self confidence knowing that they can handle themselves. While it’s still advisable to stay away from trouble, or situations where it may happen, knowing that you can defend yourself would be a great help. Experts say that women who are trained in kickboxing develop extra stamina when in dire straits and possess better reflexes raising their chances of survival.

So you not only get the chance to make your body look good when toning your muscles with exercises, but you also strengthen your muscles.

The history of Karate is a long and meandering path of development, across seas from Japan and Okinawa, through the heart of long-ago China and over the mountains into ancient India.

For many karateka training in a traditional, style, there is a certain satisfaction in making a connection to the past through training as their predecessors trained (or close to it) and, by observing tradition, carrying on values and practices still considered useful and important. But what is traditional? Through the ages, martial arrs undergo many changes: they adapt to new circumstances, they branch-off and are altered, they are lead by new people. Others die with their inheritors. In the end, what we have may be likened to the message in a game of Chinese whispers; altered from its origins by so many people that any obvious links to its beginnings may be hard to find.

The many stories that make up karate’s history have not escaped the Chinese-whisper syndrome. Modern karate’s origins have been the subject of research and debate for so long that the history of karare now has its own history! This is partly because unearthing karate’s earliest predecessors requires mapping the entire history of the martial arts in the East.

Many know Okinawa, an island 550 kilometres south of the Japanese mainland, as the birthplace of karate. But let’s look first to Japan, considered home to most karate systems existing today. Karate is now practised in an estimated 120 countries and takes many forms. Of these, some of the most famous were founded in Japan after World War II, prominent examples being Mas Oyama’s Kyokushin and Choiro Tani’s Shukokai. At the same time in Okinawa, the dominant schools (Ryu) were Shorin-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu and Matsubayashi-Ryu. Although there had been karate demonstrations outside Japan in the late 1920s and ’30s, it was in the post-war years that karate arrived in European and Western countries like Australia. The Japan Karate Association, formed in 1948, assisted in spreading karate world-wide.

The many styles that developed inside Japan all grew from various Okinawan karate systems introduced to Japan early in the 20th century. Around 1902, karate was added to Okinawan schools’ physical education programs and the secrecy that had surrounded the art lessened. However, some changes were made to kata for the purpose of teaching children and giving public demonstrations, and it is said this contributed to the loss of some knowledge concerning kata bunkai (applications) and thus the hiding of some of karate’s deadliest defences.

Shuri-te karate master Anko Itosu (1830-1915) pioneered this development and, though not alone, his student Funakoshi Gichin is the Okinawan most often credited with the establishment of karate in Japan. In the early ’20s, Funakoshi impressed Japan’s Crown Prince with a karate demonstration and his art was later given support by Judo’s famous founder, Jigaro Kano, securing karate’s acceptance by the Japanese.

Many Japanese held racist attitudes toward things Chinese or Okinawan, so these events were vital for Karate’s growth. The Okinawan’s originally called Kara?te tou-di, meaning China-hand. ‘Hand’ is a literal translation of te or di, which was used to describe Okinawa’s fighting arts just as the Chinese used the word for fist. To help karate blend into Japanese culture, the character tou was changed to a Japanese one meaning empty, hence we now have kara-te-do, ‘the way of the empty hand’.

From there, Kenwa Mabuni founded Shito-Ryu (1928), and Chojun Miyagi established Goju-Ryu (1930). Funakoshi founded Shotokan in 1938 and Hironori Otsuka blended jiu-jitsu with karate (learned from Funakoshi) to form Wado-Ryu in 1939. Universities in Tokyo and Osaka formed karate clubs and the art of Okinawan China-hand soon became Japanese. The Butokukai, Japan’s top combat-arts organisation, also helped Japanise karate, creating standards for teaching and developing ways to competitively test the arts. These were the beginnings of sport-karate.

The various Okinawan karate schools had always been scattered and disorganised, divided into closely guarded regional and family groups (much like the arts of China). Many styles existed but the primary three schools were all concentrated in a small area of southern Okinawa and named after their towns of origin: Naha, a town of merchants, Shuri, home to royalty, and Tomari, inhabited by farmers and fishermen. Variation between the styles is partly attributed to the distinct influences of these different classes of society.

Shuri-te featured long, low stances and an offensive approach, considered derivative of Shaolin Temple kung fu, while Naha-te is considered the most Chinese, incorporating hard and soft methods, breathing techniques and ki, (Chi or vital energy) control. Tomari-te (which focused on using the arms) developed from these two and together they were the basis for the Japanese styles; Naha-te became Goju-Ryu and Shorin-Ryu is a product of both Naha-te and Shuri-te. From the Goju and Shorin schools emerged Shito-Ryu, and so on.

The facts concerning Okinawa’s sources of martial arts influence are often vague and unverifiable, some say because WWII bombs have destroyed much of the evidence. Still, aside from the continual development of self-defence methods among Okinawans, it is accepted that Chinese martial arts have most greatly influenced present-day karate. In fact, Chojun Miyagi said a style of kung fu that arrived in 1828 was “the source” of Goju-Ryu.

This passage of combat knowledge from China is closely linked to a book of Chinese origin called the Bubishi, the subject of Kyoshi Patrick McCarthy’s book, The Bible of Karate. Published sometime during China’s Qing dynasty (1644-1911), it details Chinese kung fu history, technique and philosophy. It’s believed the Bubishi was written by a White Crane boxer, Fang Qiniang, the daughter of an Eighteen Monk Fist kung fu stylist who escaped the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by government forces (Shaolin was known to house and train revolutionaries) and settled in Fujian, China. Both feature in the Bubishi, as do their systems. This book was kept secret and hand-copied by generations of Okinawan masters; Funakoshi’s books even contain chapters taken directly from the Bubishi.

McCarthy’s extensive research exposed 10 more-or-less plausible theories as to who brought the Bubishi to Okinawa. Featured among them are some Okinawan masters who trained in China, including Uechi-Ryu founder Uechi Kanbun, who studied Shaolin Tiger kung fu in Fuzhou around 1897. Yet, while the Bubishi is of great importance to Okinawan karate, it did not arrive in Okinawa until sometime in the 1800s and was preceded by many more influential exchanges.

Common folklore tells of karate’s development by downtrodden peasants, their weapons confiscated by Japanese invaders, who developed secret fighting traditions while their rulers slept. Legend has it that this is why karate gis look like pyjamas: because they once were, and the tradition has carried on. However, these romantic origins are considered unrealistic by most historians, as Okinawan combative traditions go back much further.

In the 800 years between 600 and 1400 A.D., Okinawa experienced territorial fighting under the rule of warrior-chieftans and in the 10th century military power struggles in Japan saw some warrior clans move to Okinawa. From 794 to 1185, Japan’s methods of war were introduced, including grappling, swordsmanship and other weapon-arts.

Okinawa’s regional warring continued until 1429, when the rival groups came under one rule as the Ryukyu Kingdom. In 1507, feudalism (a system whereby peasants farmed for a wealthy lord and fought in his army) was abolished and private ownership of weapons was outlawed. This, says Kyoshi McCarthy, “explains why the Uchinanchu [Okinawans] began intensively cultivating an unarmed means of self-defence”.

So, long before karate was exported from Okinawa to Japan, the Japanese were bringing their own combative arts to Okinawa. However, Chinese kung fu’s influence was more recent and is more evident in the Okinawan karate that exists today. Again, there are many theories explaining how it got there.

Okinawa established trade with China during the Ming Dynasty and by 1393, a group of Chinese referred to as the 36 Families was settled in Naha, Okinawa. There, Okinawans were taught Chinese language, culture and, it is assumed, martial arts. During this period, Okinawan students also travelled to China to study and possibly learn martial arts. Another likely source are the sapposhi (representatives of the Chinese Emperor) who, in the 1400s, came to Okinawa for months at a time with many multi-skilled people in tow, including security experts. The Chinese kung fu that arrived in Okinawa, possibly by one or all of these means, was then used to police the island. After 1509, with even government officials barred from carrying weapons, these civil-defence methods went underground, but were secretly practised and developed by the middle-level samurai class known as pechin, whose responsibilities included law-enforcement. In 1609 Japan’s Satsuma clan captured the Ryukyu Kingdom and until Okinawa became part of Japan in 1879, eclectic fighting traditions grew. Due to the weapon bans, kobudo evolved through Okinawans making use of domestic and farming implements instead, of which the sai is an example (it is said to have once been a hay-fork).

Some pechin also visited Satsuma and learned the Jigen-Ryu ken-jitsu of the Satsuma samurai; it is thought that the six-foot staff techniques of Okinawan kobudo originated there. One example is Matsumura Sokon, an important figure in Shuri-te who was a security agent for various Ryukyuan kings and studied martial arts in Satsuma and Fujian, China.

But to fully explore the origins of China-hand, one must look to China. Most brief histories of karate begin with the legend of the Indian monk Daruma (in Japanese) or Bodhidharma, generally described as a skilled martial artist born into a warrior caste. He travelled to China around the Sixth Century AD to spread Zen Buddhism, settling at the Shaolin monastery to teach Buddhist meditation and philosophy, and physical movements that included striking – the alleged beginnings of the kung fu systems mentioned so far.

However, there is evidence of strong warrior traditions existing in China long before the arrival of Daruma (the first emperor to unify China, Qin Shi Huang, for example, left terracotta replicas of his entire army in Xi’an in 210 BC). It could also be logically concluded that fighting methods and traditions existed to an extent in all human societies, just as surely as quarrels and aggression existed. Texts discovered in China, reportedly 4,000 years old, detail systematic physical training, while 2,800 year-old writings describing unarmed combat have also been found in Europe. That aside, the previously mentioned systems of Monk Fist and White Crane kung fu can be traced to Shaolin.

While it is uncertain how much of Daruma’s story is true, the legend is strong and there is little doubt that the texts and exercises introduced to Shaolin have been influential there. However, there have since been many other developments in the kung fu of Shaolin, with various influences flowing into and out from the Temples, leading to the creation of many different styles.

Keeping in mind that traditions are ever-changing, the predecessors of Shaolin martial arts are not necessarily the true origin of karate, just as one person in a game of Chinese whispers has only a small influence on what is whispered at the end of the line. Due to Okinawa’s location (just 740 kilometres east of China and 550 north of Taiwan) it attracted the attention of pilgrims, traders and pirates of many races and has therefore had centuries of cultural exchange with Korea, Laos, Cambodia and numerous other Asian cultures with martial traditions. Some karate historians even say that the need for Okinawa’s sailors to protect themselves against pirates played a part in the development of Okinawan te, which has existed in various forms for at least 1,000 years.

Despite the focus of Japanese martial traditions on weaponry and grappling during the periods that Okinawa was most exposed to them, their influence on Okinawan karate and kobudo should not be discounted either. So, to provide a complete history of today’s karate, it would be wise to also include the history of all Japanese martial arts. That, however, would be another story entirely!

A good analogy for the history of karate might be that no child is born of only one parent; they will therefore have four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and so on. It can be said that all karate systems in existence today are the descendants of many different parents, each with unique genes but also similarities, evidence of shared ancestors somewhere in their lineage.

That said, it is well worth digging around for the many great individual stories that make up the history of karate. Some of us might also benefit from researching a history that is more personal, immediate and accessible: what of your teacher, his life and his art? Who has he trained with, in what systems? How has karate affected him, and he it? And what of his teacher?

Although the past is often more wondrous than any prediction of the future, historians uncover it not only out of curiosity; their common aim, it is often said, is to learn about the present from the events of history. So, by uncovering your instructors’ karate history, you should learn much that will help you on your own journey. You may also choose to learn from the history presented in this article and write it down carefully for future generations.

Martial arts are basically a set of physical and mental skills that are gradually taught, developed and polished by a trainer usually called “sensei” for Japanese arts and “sifu” in Cantonese.

Martial arts translate as “the arts of war”, and they consist of a multitude of weaponless combat techniques, focused primarily on self defense.

Based on ancient wisdom and philosophy, martial arts not only strengthen the body of the adept, but they also fortify his mind and his spirit. In Eastern culture, self control, discipline, patience, awareness, are considered to be the traits of a true warrior, and martial arts mainly focus on developing these skills to practicing students.

In ancient times, martial arts were kept secret and practiced in silence; being an apprentice in these skills was a great privilege. However, today there are various schools that perpetuate the traditional teachings of the great ancient masters.

Martial arts are divided into many different styles, linked together by the omnipresent oriental mentality. If you wish to begin practicing a martial art, you should choose a style that best satisfies your needs and potential. Some martial arts focus more on physical strength, while others focus on technique and reflex. The best thing to do before choosing the appropriate style is assisting to a few training classes and asking the trainer whether you fit in or not.

Another important aspect you should consider is that martial arts require a lot of ambition, dedication, perseverance and practice. You should keep in mind that the skills are learned gradually, and it takes time to achieve higher ranks.

When you have discovered the style that fits you best, make sure that your trainer is qualified and that he teaches in an approachable manner. Regardless of experience or rank, not all martial arts masters have the ability to teach! You should look for an instructor that stands as a true “raw model”, a person whose teachings match his ideals and beliefs.

Having found the right instructor and training gym, all you need is equipment. Martial arts equipment is sometimes optional and it mainly consists of a uniform or sparring and protective equipment such as boxing gloves, head gear and chest protection. You can either buy these traditional uniforms, or make them yourself. Consult your instructor and find out his requirements regarding the appropriate training outfit.

The martial art equipment also includes a belt. It is made of a certain textile material and its purpose is to distinguish the ranks of the students. The black belt marks the highest level of experience and it can be obtained through years of learning and practice.

Whether you choose to practice martial arts as a sport or for self defense, its benefits are substantial. Martial arts improve your physical condition, as well as your concentration, attention and ambition. They strengthen the mind and body altogether and help you achieve self-respect, confidence and balance.

For many people, being the best they can be in their chosen sport is about commitment to training, working on physical fitness, perfecting techniques through regular practice. But how much attention do you pay to training your thoughts and emotions to achieve peak performance?

Many successful people in sport recognise that the mind plays a crucial role in their performance, and developing their ability to control their mental state means that they can achieve the level of performance they would like consistently

Sharon Corbridge is a Sports Mind Coach, and by using techniques from Cognitive Hypnotherapy and NLP can help you create the state of mind that could help take you to that next level in your sport. To find out more click on the Sports MInd Coach button below.

We all have dreams, desires, goals and it’s great to daydream about what it would be like holding that title belt high in the air feeling the energy of the crowd cheering you on. Back to reality now and here’s a question for you. How much time do you put into a day to make that dream come true? The time you spend training or doing something productive to get closer to your goal or dream, compared to sitting on your couch watching TV.

Don’t get me wrong daydreaming can be productive if you know how to creatively visualise. Realise that your habits will determine your future. Successful people have successful habits, unsuccessful people don’t. To get your dream to materialise you need a plan to structure your time into productive slots. All successful people have a plan, follow it, and gauge their progress by it.

Work towards making the majority of your time being productive towards your goal, i.e. training and conditioning, read and view material that is going to help you become a better martial artist such as viewing videos of your training and your fellow students to see what you need to work on.

IT’S ALL ABOUT WERE YOU PUT YOUR FOCUS

Ninety percent of your focus and energy should be directed at your plan to achieving your goal and career if you want to succeed in the martial arts world or in any goal in life. Instead of coming home from a long day at work kicking back with a beer and watching the game, put on an instructional dvd to help you learn new techniques or improve on your speed or power. Set up practice time at home, don't wait for that training session at the Dojo to come around.

Go to the gym left weights, do cardio, strength train or work on techniques with a sparring partner. During work or on your way home visualise yourself in a match or line work performing a technique you have recently learned, so it becomes ingrained in your subconscious and is in your arsenal. Build on your strengths, not on your weakness.

There are three kinds of people, people that make things happen, people that watch things happen and people who say what just happened. Which one are you? So if you keep asking yourself why your martial arts career isn’t happening take an honest inventory of yourself because it’s about were we put the focus in our life that determines were we are going.

If you keep on doing what you always done you’ll keep getting what you always got. Making your dreams become reality is not about luck, or “if it’s meant to be it will happen”. It’s not hocus-pocus; it’s all about were you put your focus.