How you introduce Fitness Kickboxing to your new students will have the single biggest impact on the success or failure of your program. You can have the best “butt-kicking” Fitness Kickboxing class in town, but if you don’t develop a systematic approach to introduce kickboxing to your new students, then you’ll always have a small, loyal group, instead of a large, more profitable following.Depending on your class schedule and time availability, you may want to schedule your introductory class at the same day and time throughout the week or you may want to work with beginners individually, as they join the program.
The introductory class prepares new students for their first kickboxing class, which you should be able to complete in one session. Before I explain how, allow me to present the process to introduce new students to Fitness Kickboxing.
First, introduce yourself to students with warm, friendly handshakes and good eye contact and use the students’ names.
Try to convey a true desire to help them. Establish a rapport with each student from the very beginning. It’s not only very important, but also will have the single greatest impact on students’ decisions to return to class.
If you’re teaching a group introductory class, then you must make personal contact with each student. The majority of your students want the benefits of fitness kickboxing; few of them want to become a kickboxer. Many new students will be older, overweight and not very coordinated. They can be easily discouraged if they’re not treated with kid gloves.
Second, the introductory instructor should focus on three elements of the introductory class.
Second, the introductory instructor should focus on three elements of the introductory class.
- Safety
- Building rapport
- Fun
Third, the instructor’s goal is to provide students with positive experiences during their first fitness kickboxing class. It’s important that introductory classes are taught just before new students’ regular kickboxing classes. It’s much easier for students to apply the techniques they have just learned than return two days later when the material is no longer as fresh in their minds. It’s also important that introductory classes are not physically demanding. It is a learning experience and should be fun.
Fourth, during introductory classes, briefly explain the techniques students will learn: the jab, cross, hook and uppercut punches and the front, round and side kicks. The goal is not perfection of the techniques, but a basic understanding.
Make sure they understand the techniques well enough, so they don’t hurt themselves. No matter how much time you spend on a technique during introductory classes, the majority of your students won’t execute it any better than if you just briefly explained it and proceeded to the next technique. Remember, consistent repetition is what makes a student good.
Fifth, Show new students how to wrap their hands. Hands are wrapped to protect their wrists from injury when they hit the bags or mitts. The gloves protect the hands. Students may not be hitting the bags very hard at first, but as they develop power in their strikes, how well they wrap their hands becomes more and more important. Always make sure students’ wrists are supported.
If you’re introductory class is a group of students, then first demonstrate the hand-wrapping technique before they try it. Make sure wraps are tight, but not uncomfortable. If you’re introductory class is a single student, then explain the technique as you wrap his hands. Wrapping someone else’s hand is not the same as wrapping your own. Remember, you’re not wrapping his hands or any student’s for a ten-round bout, so keep it simple.
