Improved Health: This one is probably the single most important benefit. Without good health nothing else matters. Not money, not prestige, not possessions. When you think about it absolutely nothing else matters. The problem is that most people wait until something goes terribly wrong. A heart attack, cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes! Kickboxing will dramatically improve every facet of your life including your health. The beauty of it is that with improved health comes the vitality and energy needed to enjoy your possessions, money and prestige!

Unstoppable Courage: When you look back, how many things would you have done differently or participated in, had you had more courage? What would your life look like today? Where would you have gone? What would you have done? Can you use more courage? Can your child use more courage? Actually it takes courage just to join Kickboxing doesn’t it? Perhaps you think you don’t have what it takes?

Better Posture: Part of looking attractive is having a good posture. Unfortunately in today’s work and school environment being “hunched” over a desk or computer for hours a day is not uncommon. The resulting bad posture can be unattractive and unhealthy. This sometime leads to a poor self-image. One of the main building blocks of Kickboxing is proper posture in a proper stance with good balance. This is usually developed early and quickly. The result...a better posture.

Increased Endurance: Here you will increase in both physical and mental endurance. Both are important in order to reach any worthwhile goals in life. Physical endurance will increase substantially as you perfect the various techniques and combinations (sequence of moves). Mental endurance will also increase as you learn more combinations and enjoy practicing the various self defense sequences. This increased physical and mental endurance will make daily work and or school seem less tiring thereby giving you more energy for play.

Increased Physical Strength: Strength “comes in handy” in so many different areas of our lives. Kickboxing uses muscles you aren’t even aware of and uses them in countless “combinations”. You will also learn the proper “body mechanics” to generate even more strength.

Increased “Mental Strength”: There are no two ways about it. As you reach the higher belts, increased mental strength will be a by-product of your efforts. As you learn to focus on the task at hand, mental toughness (strength) will gradually increase and will dramatically help you when faced with real life unpleasant situations.

Cardiovascular Health: If your heart and lungs mean anything to you then you will love this. One of the problems with aerobics, jogging, jazzercise, stairmasters, treadmills etc. is that it all gets boring very quickly and we end up stopping. We all know that we need some kind of exercise for our heart and lungs. Never mind that we dramatically reduce the risk of having a heart attack but lets face it, being out of breath after 2 flights of stairs is not pleasant nor is it appealing. With Kickboxing, yes you will get a great cardio workout but boredom is never an issue simply because you are always learning or perfecting something new. Developing these key elements assist the body’s circulatory systems, musculoskeletal and hormonal systems to function smoothly and efficiently to maintain overall health & well-being. Your body will better be able to fend off illness as your immune system regenerates itself. Fitness allows your body to sleep better, to wake feeling rested, to decrease your appetite and to explore new life activities.

Improved Flexibility: Wouldn’t it be nice to not always be stiff and sore in the lower back, knees and shoulders? Just watch young children at play! Flexibility is natural. Muscles are supposed to be elastic. Unfortunately due to lack of activity (not age) muscles start to shrink and stiffen up. By the time we are 65 many have a hard time crossing the street before the light changes color! Is this what you want? One of Kickboxing’s aims is to make a body more youthful, elastic and flexible. This, however, is accomplished with very specific exercises and movements designed to slowly increase joint range of movement.

Pleasant Looking Muscle Tone: (women) Hold out your right arm straight ahead of you (relaxed and palm up). Now shake it a bit! Do you like what you see? If not then you lack muscle tone. (Men) Stand with your back straight. Now, without rounding your back look down at your toes! Can you see them? Need I say more? Muscle tone is what makes a body nice to look at. From a tight stomach to slim thighs and shaped buttocks, Kickboxing works & improves them all.

Improved Stamina: Do you find yourself starting to slow down by mid afternoon? Do you often feel like just crashing in front of the TV after supper, for the rest of the evening? It’s only Weds and you are drained! Think perhaps some extra stamina would come in handy? Unfortunately in life there are no free lunches. You will have to exercise to improve your stamina. The question is would you prefer to ride a bike, jog, do aerobics etc. or learn Kickboxing while increasing your stamina and getting all the other benefits?

Quick Reflexes: They may not be a necessity in today’s world but comes in very handy when a child is about to fall and hurt herself or a car hasn’t seen you and is about to flatten you! Quick reflexes and timing are skills developed from the various drills performed in Kickboxing.

Improved and Useful Coordination: These benefits are a little like the ones above, they are not necessary today but who wants’ to be a “clutz”? Haven’t we all been embarrassed at times, especially during “play time”? This is a common problem. As our bodies grow and change for some it’s harder than for others. Kickboxing helps form new “neural associations” on a regular and consistent basis. This improves eye-hand coordination, eye feet coordination, foot-hand coordination etc.

Speed: What is the difference between quick reflexes and speed? One is an unconscious trained reaction and the other is conscious planned effort with a desired outcome. Very “handy” in all sports not to mention it looks impressive.

Excellent Timing: What good is speed if you don’t have proper timing? It is priceless in sports and very critical in any type of self defense situation. Kickboxing specifically teaches this skill so that a small child or women can defeat a much larger opponent.

Improved Mental Sharpness: Could you use some mental sharpness skills when faced with challenging problems and situations? Are you in business or maybe raising kids? Perhaps you’re a student! Part of Kickboxing is to train you for self defense situations. In a self defense situation you better have mental sharpness or you will be “toast!” You must know what to do, how to do it, when to do it all while controlling your emotions and thoughts. It takes mental sharpness and it comes in handy in so many other areas of our everyday lives.

Body Weight Control: 50% of North American adults are overweight and the other 50% think they are! Practicing Kickboxing uses every muscle in your body. It speeds up your metabolism and burns more calories. Even when practicing the “softer” side of Kickboxing, the results are spectacular. The difference between Kickboxing and any other sport is the “complete” and “total” fitness including the mind. (emotions, will, character, self image etc..) By enjoying “complete” health and fitness you will develop the proper self-discipline and self-control needed to maintain your desired weight.

Beautiful Body Shaping: Obviously Kickboxing will not give you “assets” that are generically impossible for you but will definitely bring out your very best and if you’ve never truly been “in shape” you will thoroughly enjoy your new look. Looking 10 years younger by practicing Kickboxing is much easier then you probably think.

Improved Balance: In today’s world, balance isn’t a necessity at least not until you’re in your 60's. But if you participate in any kind of sports then balance is a must! This skill is usually learned in the beginning and within a few months.

Quick Reaction (both mental and physical): This skill is vital in business, as a parent and as a child. It can be used to avoid danger, to make the right decision quickly, to capitalize on temporary opportunities, to know what to say and when to say it, etc.. “Quick reactions” both physical and mental are skills that can literally save your life, but usually are left to chance. Why not benefit from them all the while enjoying total health and fitness?

Total Self-Control: This is a skill we never seem to have enough of. Both as adults or children we can all use more self-control. It would save us a world of trouble. Ever buy something you regretted a week later? How about regularly eating to much of the wrong things? Can’t stick to a commitment you made to yourself? This is one of my favorite benefits! This one must be learned well in Kickboxing or you will injure someone. Not to mention self-control can sometimes help you avoid “situations”. Not only will you learn physical self-control but through Kickboxing you will also learn mental self-control. Should you or your child ever find yourselves in an unpleasant confrontation you will need a “calm mind” to act appropriately.

Positive Attitude: Kickboxing helps us re-priorities what is really important in our lives. Instead of chasing the latest fashion or fad or toy etc., Kickboxing has many ways to remind us of the true value of physical health, mental health, being at peace with oneself, which relationships are the really important ones to us, a stress free life style and the list goes on. By having our priorities in the correct order, keeping a positive attitude is much easier.

Better Work and or Study Habits: In order to go up in the various belt rankings you will automatically develop different useful and practical habits that will go a long way in helping you in every area of your life including work, school and yes play.

Agility: Agility does take a little longer to develop, but unlike other sports or “fitness” exercises using only specific or major muscle groups, Kickboxing uses every muscle in your body helping you develop impressive agility.

Increased Physical, Mental and Emotional Energy: Again I think you will agree we can all use much more energy specially later in the day. Without energy there is no life, it’s that simple. Do you have a hard time going out for a walk with your spouse after supper? Don’t have the energy to play with your kids on weekends? Has the stress of everyday life sucked out whatever energy was left? Kickboxing will teach you how to “plug” your energy drains. It is much simpler than you might think and can be learned quickly and put to good use almost immediately.

Ability to Focus: Learning some of the more advanced Kickboxing techniques will require the ability to maintain strict focus. This skill will gradually be perfected and for longer and longer periods of time. If you’re a student or a business person, this skill will prove to be almost priceless.

Increased Self-Discipline: This is a character trait or skill that is not taught in school and many youths could use more of. Unfortunately the same can be said of many adults! In today’s “instant gratification” world many have not learned that short term pleasures or solutions usually come at a very high, long term price! With Kickboxing for instance, in order to progress from belt to belt, practice will be necessary therefore self-discipline is gradually developed and carried over to everyday life. Actually self-discipline starts to develop the very first class as the basic foundations are being laid.

Almost limitless Patience: Many of us learn at a slower pace than others. This is the same for kids and adults. We are not all born “athletes”. This is another reason why Kickboxing is so great. We all learn at our own pace. In the beginning, the thought “my body just cannot do that” will go through your mind regularly. As your fitness level increases and you are encouraged by the results, patience begins to grow and develop as you gradually “raise the bar” on what you thought your physical limits where. This in turn leads us to the next benefit...

Dramatically Improved Self-Confidence: Can hardly touch your toes? Couple of flights of stairs and you’re out of breath? Always feel stiff and 10 years older then you are? How long has it been since you REALLY played and had fun? Always stressed out? Can barely raise your leg to waist level? How do you think you would feel if you could touch your toes let alone do the “splits”? Your “cardio” fitness level has doubled within a few weeks! The everyday stiffness and pain has gradually subsided, the stress levels dramatically reduced and you now feel 10 years younger! Do you think your self-confidence will also have grown? Believe me; it will have gone through the roof as you catch yourself one day actually “playing” and truly enjoying life. Now how do you think a child, who may have always thought of him/herself as inferior physically, all of sudden able to do things that few, if any, of his/her class mates can do, would feel? I’ll tell you... in a few words...liberated, exhilarated, free, unstoppable, self-confident, energized, etc.!

***Positive Self-Esteem***: As your Kickboxing accomplishments ( increased physical & mental strength, flexibility, agility, endurance, appearance, reflexes, endurance, coordination, speed, etc.) begin to accumulate, you find yourself now able to handle whatever life throws your way. It is inevitable that your self-esteem will be positive.

As you can see the list of benefits Kickboxing has to offer is almost endless! Can any other sport or physical activity accomplish even a fraction of this? Perhaps on the purely physical level some sports come close but Kickboxing seeks to improve much more then the physical aspects of a person. Your goal may be simply to lose a few pounds and look good (and that’s fine), but unless you develop some of the other skills we talked about earlier you will only put those pounds back on. 

Besides, what good is it to look great if you are all stressed out and other areas of your life are falling apart? 

Total and complete health is the only way to go. The sooner we learn this, the sooner we can start to really enjoy life and all it has to offer. Some of the other benefits you will get from practicing Kickboxing include the ability to concentrate better and longer, increased self-respect, increased agility and fluidity, a continual active awareness, relaxed breathing and a calm mind, a sense of accountability and responsibility. 

The list goes on but you get the point.