Full contact and kickboxing are both combat sports in the "striking" category. Many people tend to confuse them, however, they are quite different. But that's not the point; the real question is: what should you do for a week of training in full contact and kickboxing? To answer this important question, here's an article that tells you everything about training sequences you can do in just one week. Also, keep in mind that in these combat sports, you won't do the same training every week. This is simply one example of a typical workout.
The warm-ups
After the bow, all the fighters must warm up for a few minutes, about ten minutes to be precise. This involves a moderate run, alternating with butt kicks and high knees. Then, while running, the fighters practice hooks, uppercuts, and straight punches. To further warm up, everyone takes turns sprinting for a few seconds. This involves side steps, followed by running backward to improve balance and practice peripheral vision.
After your body is fully warmed up, you should also warm up your wrists, ankles, and knees to avoid spraining your joints . Furthermore, it's essential to rotate your head and torso to prevent injury later on. Once you've finished warming up, put on your gloves and let's start boxing.
The sparring partners
Before the end of each class, there's a little time after the technical work. This is when everyone puts on a helmet and mouthguard. It's also essential to take a sip of water, as you're out of breath and need to stay hydrated. Then, it's time for 15 minutes of sparring. For those who don't know what sparring is, this is the time to do a simulated fight with a real opponent.
To do this, you play eight one-minute rounds, during which you have 15 seconds to change opponents each time. When the bell rings, everyone does their best to apply the techniques and avoid blows as much as possible, while attacking their opponent as much as possible with their own strikes. Depending on your opponent, the blows will be stronger or weaker. If you face a tall opponent, try to adapt to their blows, which will be stronger and more precise.
Also, during this time, the coach walks around the fighters to observe and comment on their techniques and movements. This is ideal if you want to improve your boxing. And when the bell rings again, everyone stops to drink water—not just a small sip, but the entire bottle. Then, once everyone has finished putting away their equipment, we gather to stretch.
Punching bags
The punching bag is the most important piece of equipment for boxing training . It's the one you'll use to work on your punches, kicks, and other techniques the most. In fact, if you want to improve even a little, having a punching bag is ideal. It allows you to refine your strikes, whether punches or kicks. To do this, hang the punching bag and train with a partner. For your workout, repeat different combinations while doing plenty of cardio. Here are the combinations to try:
- Direct right and left : an exercise that helps to increase power and is done for 2 minutes.
- Right/left high kick a speed exercise for 2 minutes
- Front kick : for more power in your shots, for 2 minutes
- Free work with kicks and punches for 2 minutes
- The uppercut with knees going as low as possible for speed, for 2 minutes of sequences
- Spinning back kicks which allows you to have balance and power in 2 minutes
- Jumping kicks for total control of your body and for stability for 2 minutes
We have written a complete article on working with the punching bag.
Stretches
However, to truly complete your workout, never forget to stretch . Indeed, to avoid muscle soreness, you must stretch your body as much as possible, starting with your shoulders, legs, and arms. These parts of your body need to be stretched as much as possible because they are the ones that work the hardest during the session. Furthermore, you should also stretch your glutes and back. To do this, lie on the floor in a supine position. Then, bring your right knee over your left side and do the opposite for your right side.
After that, sit down and open your hips. With your feet together, try to bring them towards your pelvis, keeping your back straight. This will allow your adductors to stretch properly. Finally, sit with your legs straight and try to reach your feet with your hands, keeping your back as straight as possible; otherwise, it won't be effective. This exercise will increase your flexibility.
Prepare a schedule for the week
For this part, you should prepare a short list of exercises to do over the course of a week. To do this, create a detailed program of the training techniques you need to use, including warm-ups, sparring, and especially stretching.
Indeed, normally you should prepare a program for three days: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But if you want to do more, it's up to you to manage your schedule. The important thing is that you have a program to follow for your training and not waste time doing just anything.
Conclusion
A one-week full-contact and kickboxing training program focuses on developing a series of sequences to combine power, strength, balance, stability, and above all, speed in your movements and techniques. This is complemented by technical work with a partner, and stretching is essential to prevent muscle soreness.
Sport in place offers several sports coaches specializing in boxing, kickboxing, and full contact who can help you progress. This can be useful if you don't have time to go to the gym, if there is no club near you, or even to complement club classes; a sports coach can therefore be a good solution.
