Kickboxing
Kickboxing is contact fighting sport system, derived from the practices of various traditional martial art styles blended with modern combat techniques. Mainly focused on striking techniques using both the hands and feet, kickboxing is a fast and mobile art both suitable for self-defense as well as a popular form of sporting competition.
Originally developed with tournaments in mind, Kickboxing teaches people the arts of combat skills but also gives them a method to put those skills into safe practice, competing against each other in either semi or full contact bouts with appropriate protective gear so that they can develop more fully as fighters.
This fast moving martial art builds physical skills like strength, speed, agility, balance, flexibility and coordination, as well as confidence and discipline. Kickboxing practice puts great emphasis on physical experience, and uses three primary methods to engage and develop it's practitioners. The first of these is fitness exercises, building cardiac strength and stamina to increase health and mobility. The second is padwork, using a variety of punchbags and kickbags to develop targetting, coordination and to help students direct their strikes with speed, power and precision. The third aspect is sparring, where students engage in mock combat to put their skills to the test in direct, but safe, practical application.
Maintaining a level of safety is key to the art of kickboxing, and all sparring, whether it be semi or full contact is done with an appropriate level of safety gear, including things such as boxing gloves, gumshields and mouthguards, and foot and groin protection. Some strikes, such as elbow strikes, groin strikes and strikes to the back of the head are also dissallowed during tournaments and sparring, to prevent injury.
Here at Zheng Dao Lo we primarily emphasize semi-contact kickboxing, helping to boost the skill of its practitioners while reducing the risk of injury. We also have a long history of tournament winning fighters, and are always keen to help develop those who wish to practice in competition on greater levels. We have held our own tournaments with a heavy kickboxing element for many years, giving students a great place to develop a tournament mindset and skillset.