Two questions that we are commonly faced with are “What is the best age to start kickboxing?” and “What age is too old to start kickboxing?” When it comes down to kickboxing, there is no hard-and-fast rule. Kids as young as six can start to train and we know of some people in their 80s who train more than once a week. It is very true that kids may sometimes learn faster than adults. In addition, children can quickly become comfortable with the skills and moves in kickboxing.
Very often, children who start off kickboxing drop out after a year or two. As a result, they never really reach a level at which they are able to adequately perform in a sparring event or competition.
We do see many adults going back in their 20s and even 30s who had trained as a child and want to go back. However, because there was a gap of a number of years, kickboxing skills will need to be re-learned. So either as an adult coming back to kickboxing or as a new adult to the sport, you will still be able to learn the sport. At the end of the day it all comes down to your dedication to training.
If you want to take up kickboxing at a competitive level it is necessary to train multiple times a week.
Kickboxing defined
The term “kickboxing” is something of a catchall. In Southeast Asia, the terms can refer to Cambodia’s Pradal Serey, Lethwei from Burma, the Filipino Yaw Yan, or the immensely trendy Muay Thai. All of these kickboxing styles permit the use of elbows as well as knees during fights.
However, in the United States kickboxing is more a mixture of boxing and karate. It strictly bans strikes with anything save the hands and feet. In addition, attacking an opponent’s groin, legs or – alternatively – back is also off-limits.
Kickboxing isn’t just a great way to shred calories and also to build muscle. The sport also improves balance, coordination as well as flexibility. And research suggests that cardio kickboxing might help strengthen bones to ward off osteoporosis in the future.
How Often Should I Do Kickboxing?
It is recommended that kickboxers train at least once a week. Competitive kickboxers can train up to seven days a week. Olympic athletes or world champions would be required to have this amount of dedication in order for them to compete at the highest levels.
Even at national kickboxing levels kickboxing students would compete between four and five times a week. For kids under the age of 16, it’s not recommended that they do kickboxing more than twice a week. It is more important that a child is more rounded and also has other activities on their schedule and not just kickboxing training.
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