Kickboxing with poor body control?

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I accompanied a friend to a kickboxing class a few months ago. It was really hard (physically), but fun. I'm considering if I should take it up again, as I recently got a pretty cheap chance. The problem is that I'm kind of afraid of looking/acting stupid. I have poor balance and bad muscle control, and I'm generally really clumsy. I even managed to break a toe in the second lesson I attended. Even back then I felt that the other people in the course looked down on me and didn't really volunteer to practise with me.

Could Kickboxing improve my body control and perhaps even my self confidence? And would you recommend me to tell the group in advance that I'm autistic and therefore a little clumsy?

YES!

I think this is a good idea. Secretly practice from you tube videos. I never attended any classes but I self-studied and cherry picked aspects of styles.

What you are experiencing in performance anxiety.

No need to say you are autistic but if you are sparring or doing a roundhouse. Make sure they are aware you can "be clumsy" - which is again anxiety. Clumsy means you withdraw attention from the environment because anxiety is flooding you.

If you strengthen your core, you'll see a dramatic improvement in your balance and coordination. Try a pilates DVD. In my experience, pilates worked better than just doing crunches because pilates makes you work more muscles. If you do this concurrently with kickboxing, you'll progress faster. Everyone is pretty bad when they're a beginner. It takes a lot of practice and perseverance.

look at 8 min abs

ps embedding vids. anyone know how?

If you have poor balance and muscle control, kick boxing is probably skipping too far ahead for now. Kind of like; learn to walk before trying running.

Balance and muscle control can be improved, but I'd suggest starting at the beginning with something specifically designed for those areas. The Feldenkrais Method is one approach. Yoga might also be good.
http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Try dance. Bruce Lee was a competitive ballroom dancer before he started martial arts. I figure skate (though not entirely awesome) and it's given me incredibly more body control and awareness. I also had a period where I liked the punching bag a lot, and I do think it helped me a lot for that. But yeah, try a dance class or ice skating if you want to gain some more body awareness.

I have always been horribly clumsy, but I have a green belt in tang soo do, a purple belt in Tae kwon do and a blue belt in kung fu. I told my teacher up front that I have Aspergers and can't stand on my own feet half the time. I fell several times and lost my share of matches but it definitely helped me.

Also, what he told me was to fill a milk jug with water and carry it around in my right hand everywhere I can for a week, then switch to my left hand. Said switch 3 each side and it will help so much. It sounds insanely silly, but it really works.

Kick boxing training can and will improve your body control. You will not look good for a long time, because you're a beginner, and these things can take years to be good at. You will absolutely feel awkward, that's how it is, for pretty much anyone starting out. Like if you don't know how to do a roundhouse, and you try it your first time, it can't be good. Work on your roundhouse and it will get better!

In kickboxing class, the students usually would do all sorts of things to improve "body control" and confidence. It's not all just kickboxing you are doing, it is kickboxing training so you will probably be observing instructors and trainers doing moves, participating with them, and other students, doing warm ups, stretching, bodyweight lifts, drills, and sparring.

Boxing is fun and very good for self confidence. Don't be afraid to look stupid. Just go for it. Your moves will get better.

I have very little body awareness but I managed to become quite a good dancer.

I would say perhaps work on some core (ab) exercises in between classes and that should help!

Good luck!

If *I* can do kickboxing, then *anyone* can. Seriously, my ballet teacher told my mother not to waste her money anymore, that's how little I have/had in the way of body control. Five years of kickboxing has given me great core strength and has improved my balance and limb strength.

It sounds like you're hitting targets (is that how you broke your toe?). I'd recommend doing cardio kickboxing for now, the kind where you don't hit targets (but still concentrate on proper technique and form). You'll improve your poise and overall strength. It's great fun; I love it!

You are not going to learn with YouTube videos, those should only ever be supplementary. You need to get proper coaching,

I would simply say from my martial arts experience it comes, try not to worry about it. So long as the teacher don't give up on you (just don't expect more attentions than anyone else), just keep going, and try not to care what you look like. In fact if it looks good you are often doing it wrong.

I recommend one legged exercises for balance and core strength. Sand with your leg shoulder width apart front on, bend you knees you your bum is is level with your heals and you knee are level with you heals

1. Swing your (straight) legs forward and back in a large ark, for say 10 reps.
2. Then swing you (strength) leg down to up at the side, 10 reps.
3. Then rotate the leg in a large is circle to the side clockwise, keeping the leg straight as possible, 10 reps. Use the arms to counter balance (yes you can even circle the arms).
4. Do the same counter clockwise, 10 reps.
5. Bend at the knee and swing it back an forth across you body. Using the arms to counter swing 10 reps.
6. Have the knee in a fixed position, and rotate the lower leg in a circle like you area outlining a dustbin, 10 reps.
8. Rotate the other way.
9. Have the knee and ankle fixed, rotate the foot, 10 reps.
10. Rotate the other way.
11. Repeat 1-10 on with the other leg.

You may loose you balance quite bit, but persevere, and do this exercise often. Eventually you will be able to do this without putting you foot down all the way through one side, or wobbling, and you will be able to expand on this to build kicks into this.

My Martial art teacher, is deaf and has weakness in one ankle due to operation on childhood injury, this affects his balance, but he does this exercise and does it pretty well. He wobbles a bit but retains his balance, but in practice in sparing you wouldn't even know.

This exercise is really good for that, because it put through some of the extremes of balance. We even do one legged exercises where where have the leg extended out in a front kick and keep it there for extended periods whilst we do hand drills. It is though, but cool one to do on yearlings, bring them up to standard. it hurts, they fall over, tire, but eventually it doesn't hurt much, it is less of a big deal.

I started taking beta blockers before my Tae Kwon Do class, and it's really helped. After just 5 classes, I'm a actually one of the better ones compared to those who started around me. This wouldn't have been the case if I had been my normal anxious self, however. Eventually, I'd like to stop taking the drugs, so I can learn to transfer the skills into my normal life where I don't normally take beta blockers.

I've never trained anywhere where someone was made fun of if he couldn't do something properly the first time. Most martial artists and combat sportsmen don't roll that way, because they've all started where you are now, and they know that there's always someone who's better at something - and more often than not, they've learned the hard way. I know I did.

I know this thread is about Kick boxing.


But does any one here do old school boxing? It's my 21st next month and rather than a huge party am thinking about asking my folks to pull a few strings and get me into boxing with some of the local greats.

But even though I'm actually going through the process of getting my asperger's Diagnoses Disproved with my Physiologist I -reaally- can associate with poor motor control and balance.

All martial arts are a dance. Develop a rhythm and a flow, then concentrate on expression (improvisation) and gusto (style). Don't forget to breathe.
There you go, master all these and you'll be able to dance with death in no time.