Kickboxing

Kickboxing is the most immediately physical thing we teach, and the quickest route to feeling fit and capable if that is what you are after.

If traditional karate is a long study, kickboxing is the fast lane. There are no kata and no formal etiquette to learn before you can join in — you warm up, you hit pads, you work the bag, and you leave having genuinely trained.

That does not mean it is unstructured. There is a clear technical syllabus behind it: stance and guard, footwork, the punching combinations from boxing, and the kicking range that karate brings. Sparring is light, controlled and entirely optional; plenty of students never spar at all and get exactly what they came for.

It is also the class people come to for fitness first and stay for the skill. An hour of pad work is a harder cardio session than most gym classes, and it is considerably more interesting.

What you learn

• Stance, guard and footwork
• Punching combinations drawn from boxing
• Kicks — roundhouse, front, side and hook
• Knees and close-range work
• Pad work with a partner, and heavy bag conditioning
• Light controlled sparring, entirely optional
• Conditioning and cardio built into every session

Who it suits

Adults and older teenagers who want to get fit and learn to strike properly, without committing to a traditional syllabus. Good for people who have bounced off gym membership and need something with more to think about. Also a natural second art for karate students who want more sparring practice.

Grading & belts

Kickboxing runs a graded syllabus for students who want one, but plenty of members train purely for fitness and never grade. Both are entirely normal.

Your first session

Come in a T-shirt and jogging bottoms with a bottle of water — no suit, no equipment, nothing to buy. Your first session is free, you pay per session after that, and there is never a contract. Pick the club nearest you below and message the instructor directly.