Cardio Kickboxing Combinations

A form of martial arts, kickboxing finds its roots in Japan. What was formerly popular as a form of self defense, kickboxing today is largely practiced as personal / general fitness, as well as a contact sport. Kickboxing is very closely linked to the Thai martial art, Muay Thai Boxing, mainly because it is a combination of both, Muay Thai as well as a form of karate. Although this martial art is essentially of Asian origin, the American variant of the same came to being in the 1970s. As mentioned previously, cardio kickboxing today is the latest trend in terms of fitness routines to choose from. While cardio kickboxing isn't everybody's cup of tea, it most certainly is a brilliant way to keep fit and stay in shape. For those of you who are interested in taking up this martial art, how about we go over a few cardio kickboxing combinations. Based on this, you can decide if you want to go ahead with it or not.

What are Cardio Exercises?

Cardio, which is short for cardiovascular, basically refers to the heart. Rather logically then cardio exercises are those which elevate your heart rate, and maintain that elevated state for a long time. Common cardio workouts are brisk walking, jogging or swimming. These exercises mainly help strengthen the heart and lungs. It also helps increase metabolism, thus allowing faster burning of calories (it's like a dream come true for most girls!). Newer trends that have become a great success in recent times include routines like kickboxing and pilates as well. All these forms of exercise are pretty popular amongst celebrities too, thanks to the fact that they are great stress-busters. So while you can choose from whatever you like best, in this article, we'll only discuss kickboxing as a cardio routine.

Cardio Kickboxing Combinations List

Kickboxing combinations are essentially made up of 3 basic moves, the jab, the cross, and the hook. Some people also consider the upper cut an important move. Rather obviously, all these cardio kickboxing combinations are made up of these moves. We will get to boxing combinations for cardio kickboxing in a bit, but before that let's go over some basic terms and kickboxing combinations.

Terms

Hands

    * Jab: Used to attack the head or the body, the jab is a straight punch from the front hand
    * Cross: Straight punch to the face of the target
    * Hook: Aimed at either the head or the body, the hook is a rounded punch
    * Uppercut: This punch is a rising punch directed at the chin
    * Backfist: Targeting the head, this punch is from the front hand, while raising the arm and bending it at the elbow

Legs

    * Front Kick: A type of kick where the face or chest of the rival is struck with the heel of the foot
    * Back Kick: Done with the base of the heel of the foot
    * Side Kick: Used to attack the opponent's head or chest, this kick is a front leg kick while using the heel of the foot

Combinations

    * Jab, cross, lead hook, cover
    * Jab, cross, lead hook, lead front kick
    * Jab, cross, rear leg front roundhouse kick, cover

Exceptions

    * Lead leg side kick, feet together, rear leg step back
    * Lead leg side kick, feet together, cross with rear leg step back

Combinations for Cardio Kickboxing

   1. Jab-Jab/Jab-Jab
   2. Jab-Jab/Cross/Jab-Jab
   3. Jab-Jab/Hook/Jab-Jab
   4. Jab/Cross/Jab-Jab

   1. Jab-Jab/Cross-Cross
   2. Jab-Jab/Cross/Hook
   3. Jab/Cross/Hook/Jab
   4. Jab/Cross/Hook/Cross

   1. Jab/Cross/Knee/Jab
   2. Jab/Cross/Knee/Jab
   3. Jab/Knee/Hook/Jab
   4. Jab/Knee/Hook/Jab

The above mentioned routines / combinations may sound strange or perhaps even complicated, but don't worry about it. Go check out some fitness classes, maybe even watch a demo and then decide if you'd like to take up this form of exercise. It is true that initially every inch of your body may be sore, but believe me, it'll be so worth it in the long run.