KICKBOXING

Kickboxing is a striking art using kicks and punches from Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Thai Boxing formulated with a North American "Boxing" style for footwork and fight strategy.  Kickboxing is a phenomenal way to gain confidence and learn coordination as well as work independently.  It is fast-paced and has lots of fun elements such as spin attacks, blocking, and evasive maneuvers.  Our Youth Kickboxing program is a great introduction to martial arts for your pre-teen.  We do not spar in this class as it is a fundamentals class.  We use the heavy bags and hand pads.

What is the difference between Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Thai Boxing?

While there are many different types of striking arts from the East (including Chinese boxing and Kung Fu), Karate is Japan's "way of the empty hand" - which literally means, you have no weapon (such as a sword, which would have been applicable way back when), and you are resorting to defending yourself with your hands, arms, and legs.  In traditional karate, you will learn various "kata" or patterns that help with muscle memory and focus, as well as significant blocks and traditional striking from the hip.  This is an excellent way to learn how to stay grounded when defending strikes (or empty hands vs. weapons).

Tae Kwon Do is a Korean art; a super fun and action-packed style with flexible kicks.  This art focuses mostly on kicks and patterns, but there are hand movements, blocking, and board-breaking as well.  Great for kids, Tae Kwon Do has a reputation of being fast-paced, and super fun for people of all ages.  If you look up Tae Kwon Do, you will find many great examples of this dynamic art with extremely talented, flexible artists and impressive stunts.

Thai Boxing, or Muay Thai, as shown in the name, is from Thailand.  Students of this art are extremely focused and dedicated strikers and have made a huge impact in the MMA and professional fight world.  Known for its hard hitting, brutal and repeated attacks, Muay Thai students are simply TOUGH.  The strikes in this art are traditionally full power and require full body commitment.  Lower strikes to the leg are popular in this style, as well as multiple combo'd punches designed to set up the leg kicks and body shots to down an opponent in seconds.  Pad work and heavy bags are central to this training, as well as a sincere devotion to gratitude, meditation, ritual, and ceremony in many professional bouts.

So what about the "North American" style?

Just think boxing with kicks.  This is a simplified version of what we mean by North American.  This side of the hemisphere borrows from many styles, but essentially we can say confidently that the agility, footwork, evasive maneuvers, and combinations in professional boxing with the added finesse of karate style kicks, is the foundation of what we teach at Warrior Arts Academy.  You can look up some old kickboxing fights from 30 years ago and find Canadian and American pro fighters fighting this style right here in Canada and really inspiring a whole generation of kickboxers in North America.  Footwork, quick blocks and counters, movement around the ring, and kick/punch combinations have really enabled professional fighters to diversify strategy in MMA.  And since boxing is so popular in America, the added kicks is another element.

Kickboxing fights were illegal in Canada for a very long time, and certain provinces forbid competition all together.  With the exception of Quebec and Alberta, all of the other provinces would not sanction fights.  This changed in the early 2010s when the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), was making its international debut worldwide, and with some prominent Canadian fighters, the fans wanted to attend the events.  This opened the doorway for Canada to accept this as a sport they would finally find a way to sanction.

Quebec is the hub of pro fights, with Montreal being the centre of showcasing these fighters since the 1980s.  Warrior Arts Academy was born out of the knowledge we gained from our training in Ottawa, Ontario - which is right next door to Quebec, so access to fights were much easier.  Luckily, we had the right coaches and we were raised during a time of great promise for the sport, especially as it opened up recreationally to the public.  We capitalized on this and made it enjoyable for beginners and fitness fans.  We do shadow boxing, use the heavy bag, and a lot of partner work with hand pads (the hand pads are the most popular).

Monica and David have 20 years experience in both North American style and Muay Thai, and bring the best of both to the dojo.  We've learned from some very talented people!  We hope you enjoy your journey with us.

Visit our Kickboxing Page for information about our Kickboxing Membership and then come and give it a try!