The reason so many martial arts schools have trouble teaching effective fitness kickboxing is because conventional martial arts and fitness kickboxing are two completely different animals. Teaching conventional martial arts has very little to do with teaching martial arts fitness.
The elements of a good fitness kickboxing class are not the same as a conventional martial arts class. I have separated the key elements of a good fitness kickboxing class into three categories: Consistency, simplicity and intensity. Allow me to explain these three elements and how they relate to conventional martial arts and fitness kickboxing, and why they are so different.
Because conventional classes must continue to change, as students learn more material and advance in rank, classes are inherently inconsistent. Conversely, consistency in your fitness program is a key element of its success. Your fitness students must experience a consistent workout. For example, the treadmill, not aerobics, step or spinning, is the most the popular form of aerobic conditioning at a fitness center.
That’s because people can rely on the consistency of the workout. They know that every time they’re on the treadmill they will receive an aerobic workout.
What about simplicity? Conventional martial arts is not simple. Achieving a Black Belt is a complicated process compared to other sports or physical activities.
A fitness kickboxing class must be simple. People don’t want to think too much while they exercise. They must be able to enter the aerobic zone, where they can push themselves physically by performing repetitive motion with little thinking. A good fitness kickboxing class will develop a simple combination by adding basic techniques one at a time.
The third category is intensity. Most schools only offer their upper ranks consistent, high-intensity, conventional martial arts classes. The mid- to lower ranks must focus so much on learning during the majority of their classes that they cannot train at a physically intense level.
The best fitness classes are those that are more intense and physically challenging. If students don’t experience that intensity and challenge, then they will not participate. The problem with intensity is that everyone is different. What is physically challenging for one person is a cakewalk for another.
You must have class structures that allow students to vary the intensity. I relate it to the treadmill. One person can run on a treadmill at a five-minute/mile pace, while the person on the next treadmill is running at a ten-minute/ mile pace. It’s the same activity, but different intensity levels.
This is why I prefer the non-rhythmic, heavy-bag workouts. The student hits the bag five times during a minute or 50 times a minute. It’s his or her choice. Once again, the same activity, but different intensity levels.
My point is that you, as a martial arts instructor, must understand that what you do in a martial arts class will not work in a fitness kickboxing class. It depends on the needs of the clients and why they are at your school. Your martial arts students want to learn and achieve their Black Belts. Your fitness students’ goals want to lose weight and be in shape. Each group has different needs requiring different approaches.
Conventional martial arts is a personality-driven business. Because of the complexity of martial arts, it requires a unique leader to teach and motivate enough students to become successful.
A good fitness kickboxing program is dependent on the system, not the instructor. The fitness instructor should choose from a variety of basic combinations, but he/she shouldn’t be allowed to teach new material or change the structure of the class. The instructor is only there to motivate and ensure the class flows from one technique to the next, without requiring students to stop, pause and think about the next move.
The best part about running a fitness kickboxing program is that it’s much easier to create a system that is consistent, simple and intense than it is to find that unique leader to teach conventional martial arts.
Seminole, Florida’s Jim Graden is internationally recognized as a martial arts fitness pioneer. Jim is the founder of The Ultimate Bodyshaping Course (UBC) and UBC for Kids. He can be contacted through NAPMA.com.
