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israeli kickboxing
IKI Offers Kickboxing Training and Certification
Israeli Kickboxing Instructors
I often hear people say, "Yeah, I do Kickboxing" but while the words are the same the meaning is entirely different. No, you do Not do the same kind of kickboxing that I do.
I shall explain.
These days the term "Kickboxing" usually refers to a fitness program which is actually "Aerobic Kickboxing". It's goals, methods, and objectives are entirely different from other forms of Kickboxing.
Another form of Kickboxing is "Sports Kickboxing", much like regular boxing, MMA, or wrestling, this is a ring sport.
And then there is Israeli Kickboxing, which we use as a compliment to our Krav Maga training.
Let us analyze them in terms of goals, methods and objectives.
Aerobic Kickboxing
The goal here is fitness, pure and simple. The fitness industry gets bored and boring, and every few years needs a new fitness craze to get people off the couch and into the gym. Some guys came up with an excellent business idea of taking some techniques from kickboxing, choreographing them, adding music, and voila, a new fitness craze.
For some people, mostly women, this proved to be the elusive tool they needed to lose that difficult weight. Aerobic kickboxing is more exciting than a daily walk, or spending hours on the treadmill. The exercise routine has proven successful and the classes filled up, but this is NOT Kickboxing. Now people refer to it as Kickboxing, but that is simply not correct. It is Aerobic Kickboxing but like most things the terms are shortened for convenience.
What they have done is taken kickboxing techniques and modified them to fit the rhythm of the workout routine. The self defense aspects, indeed the Fighting aspects of the art, have severely compromised in order to fit the workout routine. The goal is fitness and weight loss, not self defense and not competitive fighting skills.
Nothing wrong with that, the goals are different, but let's be clear: When you train in Aerobic Fitness Kickboxing you are not developing either fighting skills or any self-defense skills. You are becoming, hopefully, fit and slim. Do not be fooled by advertisement that claim: Lose weight and learn to defend yourself! This is simply only half a truth.
Main Goal: Fitness, Weight loss, body toing, looking good.
Kickboxing, the Sport
The competitive sport of kickboxing has as its' goal, winning fights, becoming the champion. A fight is expected to last a while, otherwise what are fans paying for? Indeed some fights do end quickly, although this is the exception, but the idea is that the fighter plans and paces himself for a prolonged fight. He must study his opponent, before and during the fight. This means he can use strategy, he can "set up" attacks, he can watch his opponent and look for openings. It is a game of strategy and skill. Patience and timing are a virtue. There is also a limit to how much damage he is allowed to cause. Each association has its rules and limitations. Those participating in this sport are athletes. They are usually young and extremally fit. They are devoted to training and fitness. Only the very strong and fit are able to participate in this sport. The rest are spectators, sitting safely on the sidelines or in front of their TV set.
Main Goal: Winning a competition. Coming home with a trophy and a pay check. Becoming famous. Becoming an actor.
Israeli Kickboxing
We call our style of kickboxing "Israeli Kickboxing" as we have developed it here in Israel over the course of several decades. It differs in that it is used as a training accessory, a compliment to our Krav Maga training and contains many of the same elements. Thus, while it is still kickboxing, and can be practiced as a sport unrelated to Krav Maga, we use more self-defense elements and principles that Sport Kickboxing and certainly more than Aerobic Kickboxing.
One of our key components is the "Flow". The idea here is to multiply your power and maximize your energy output.
How so?
With Aerobic Kickboxing the goal is actually to waste energy. Yes, the movements are designed to burn calories, this is technically a waste of energy. Movements and routines are designed to maximize the burning of calories, in other words, to waste sources of energy. The intention is not to cruise through the exercise but to maximize the effort, i.e. expend more energy.
With self-defense the goal is actually the opposite; you want to conserve your energy, you want to use as little energy as possible to achieve your goal. We cannot stop the fight when we feel like it, we can't leave the "workout", and we can't "throw in the towel". We are in it until it is over and we don't know when that will be. Thus we need to plan for long run. We therefore design our drills with that in mind. As Bruce Lee said, Economy of Motion. Every unnecessary move is eliminated.
The drills are designed to create a flow for another reason as well; to multiply your power and impact. Rather than increase your power by becoming stronger (a worthy goal but time consuming and not easily attainable) we use the flow of energy from one technique to set up the next technique as more powerful. We produce a chain reaction using the natural flowing movements of the body. The result is that mild mannered unassuming people can hit with an unexpected impact. By correctly using the flow you can dramatically increase your power. I have seen this change take place within minutes!
Proper stance, proper flow, can multiply your power. While you can increase your strength at the gym over an extended period of time with serious workouts, supplements and fitness, this change with your Israeli Kickboxing can happen within a few minutes once you understand the concept that I am teaching. I have seen this dramatic change many times, even when very experienced fighters, and even with an Olympic athlete.
Thus Israeli Kickboxing uses the same strategies used in the Israeli military and high-tech industry; leading Israel to be a leader in both fields, despite being a tiny nation. These are:
1. Analyze the methods and eliminate wasted movements. We must slim down to the basic essentials and eliminate all non-essential movements.
2. Find the shortest, most efficient, route to your goal.
3. Use your limited resources to create something greater than what you have. This is a key element of all Israeli innovations. We have very limited natural resources, our greatest natural resource is our creativity.
4.Develop a powerful foundation with the flexibility for improvisations as needed. Never be locked into any situation. This is a lesson we learned through many bitter wars. One cannot be locked into one set plan, but plans rarely work out as planned, but with a solid foundation you can adjust and improvise when the odds are against you.
5. Take pre-emptive strikes. This too is a valuable lesson learned on the field of combat.
All these methods are tried and proven, in training, in combat and in business.
Main Goal: Surviving a violent attack.
DVDs from Israel
Krav Maga and Kickboxing DVDs directly from Israel.
Kickboxing Instructor and Rank Certification
IKI offers testing and ranking in Israeli Kickboxing.
Belt ranks from Yellow belt through Blue belt are $38, Brown belt is $60, Black belt is $160
Please see Israeli Kickboxing certification for all the information, how to register, and how to test.