Kickboxing Moves – A Recap of the basics

Kickboxing is full body calorie burning workout system that uses a combinatsion of punches , kicks, twists, balance, and lots of core muscles. There are many forms of kickboxing type Martial Arts in the world and you may hear things like “Kickboxing is famous in Thailand” , this is not 100% true in reality.  In Thailand they do Muay Thai, and although some may consider it a form of kickboxing, I like to keep them separated.  This is also true for tae known do and other similar martial arts that exist in the world.  Kickboxing is its own type of art and as with many arts there are very similar names for punches and kicks, methods of training,  yet there are also many difrences in how the participants train.

Kickboxing is a great way to get in shape all while learning some self defence moves.  There has been a few times someone has told me they defended themselves using Kickboxing techniques they learned in a Fitness Kickboxing Class.     For the purpose of this article we will discuss the basic moves of Kickboxing along with a brief discription on how it is performed and tips to develop the particular move.

Jab -  The Jab is thrown from your lead arm while in your fighting stance.  If your left foot is forward and right foot is back.  Then the jab would be thrown from your lead arm which in this case is your left hand.  The jab is a simple manouever to perform yet often done wrong.   When throwing the Jab, try to no just throw from the shoulder.  This punch much like most of the other punches and kicks generates its power from  the hips.  When the jab is thrown, don’t  just leave it out there.  Quickly throw it and bring it back.

Cross – This punch is usually where people throw all their energy into a single punch.  It is called a Cross because it crosses your body (if your in a proper stance) when it is being thrown.  Although it is generally more devistating, it is often slower and requires more control and endurance.  While throwing the Cross be sure to not fall into your punches due to losing your balance and try not to have your arm doing a scooping motion as you bring your arm back.  Straight forward and straight back is how it is done.

Hook – To perform the hook properly takes time.  You need to be able to perform a slight arm with your arm, while bringing the elbow high so it is in line with your wrist and fist.  As the punch is beginning to be thrown you generate speed and power from a pivoting motion in the leg that is the same side as the arm you are punching with.  So if doing a lead left hook, you will pivote off of your left foot.  A good way to think of pivoting  is crushing out a cigerette or squishing a bug.  Same people say Elvis dance as well.  Just pivot, arc arm, wrist stiraght, and elbow in line with wrist and your good.  To get good at throwing hooks you need to start slow and work technique then build up momentum and confidence to throw harder.   Having a partner hold pads  is a great way to start.

Uppercuts – No two uppercuts look the same it seems.  A great devestating punch but very difficult to perform right without making yourself look like you are scooping something up from the ground or making huge broadcasted Hay makers.  The key to a good Uppercut is to keep the arms in nice and tight and rototate the legs and shoulders while performing the punch and then small snap up with the arm just before you hit.  To get good at at Uppercuts get a rope and tie it at both ends.  Have the rope tied at your shoulder height.  Then duck under the rope going side to side moving your head and body.  When you get comfortable add in the uppercuts while you duck and weave side to side under the rope while moving forward.

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva

Front Kick -  Front kick is under estimated because it seems abit of an amature move.  However, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has knocked out a few people with this simple front kick.  When done correctly it can be fast and surprising.   There really is not much to discuss when this move just lift your leg and kick.  When kicking in body I would advice you hit with the heel of your foot and not your toes incase you break a toe.

Roundhouse Kick – The Roundhouse kick is one of my favourites.  It is also called round kick, or Thai kick.  What makes the move so nice is the distance away from your opponent you are able to kick at.  This kick can be thrown low, medium or high.  While kicking think of a baseball bat swinging at the target.  Your leg should be that baseball bat.  Pivote on your leg and kick with the other leg. The power is generated from the ground up and the explosion occurs from the hips while throwing the kick.  It is fast and as we have seen in Muay Thai, it can be very devestating.  To get good at throwing round house kicks you need to be able to generate power from your hips and rotate the body while keeping your balance.  That is why this kick is believed to be an intermediate type of move.   Below is a video on a very nice Roundhouse kick.

Re-Thinking Bicep Curls and Consideration on Working The Biceps Brachii Muscles

Quick Brief Summary of Biceps and What They Do

Inside the gym we all ways see lots of people working out their arms and one of the main exercises I see for arms is the bicep curl.    This is a good simple workout for those people who are looking to get bigger arms or just wish to have more definition.  Any workout is better than no work out, however I think a better understanding of what the muscle does and how you might be unknowingly not making maximum use of your time while training your Biceps.

Lets review! The Biceps brachii or biceps as it is generally called has two muscle heads.   The two heads are the long head and the short head and both originate in at two different points on the scapula (the part where the shoulder is made up). The two muscle heads then insert down on to the radial tuberosity just past the elbow.

So why does this matter your asking yourself?  Because ,by just looking at where the long head originates, we know it has some effect on flexing at the shoulder.  It is a small affect but still some affect.  We also know that it plays a small part in supinating the forearm.

So the biceps main function is to flex the elbow, then a minor role in shoulder flexion and lastly a minor role as well in supination of the forearm.   If we were to put all three of those motions together we would have standing bicep curl with weights to our side.  Next as we begin to curl we would perform a rotation of the weights as early as possible so palms are facing up.   Continue with the curl as you bring the weight up towards your shoulder until you can’t curl any more.  At this point raise the shoulder up by 5 to 10 degrees.  (Doing this will raise the point of your elbow up).

Notice the Supination and elbow raised?

Congrats!  You have performed a bicep curl and work all three jobs the Biceps Brachii are responsible for. 

Now this is just some technical methods to consider when working out your biceps.  When it comes down to it, nothing beats hard work and repetition, and to stay motivated you need to mix up your workouts.  This is why I’ve included a link to some other methods to consider while working out.  Check this link below for more ideas or click here!

Cucumber Salmon Rolls Recipe Made Easy

See below for a Tasty recipe with cucumber and salmon with a bit of mustard. Easy to prepare and high in Omega 3.

I love seafood and salmon is definitely one of my favorites. Like most fish, salmon is high in Omega 3. Thanks to by brother in law for making this for the family this weekend. The food was easy to eat and kept the salmon flavor which I like. I did reduce the mustard and increase the portion of salmon a bit. A friend claimed, I should have used hot mustard. Give it a try!

Ingredients

• 1 English Cucumber
• 100g Smoked Salmon
• 1/2 Cup fresh dill sprigs
• 2 tbsp Mustard

 Instructions

Source: Image courtesy of N.Surpra / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Begin by cutting cucumber in half lengthwise 
2. Using a vegetable peeler, cut thin strips lengthwise from each half, turn the cucumber as you reach the seeds.
3. Well doing this, make sure the to get the strips of cucumber with a band of green skin on top and at the bottom 
4. Add two inch square piece of salmon to the cucumber strip 
5. Add dill on top. 
6. Top with some mustard
7. Roll up the cucumber

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This recipe can also be served with smoked trout instead of salmon. I also found that it was good by eating it with some soya sauce. I hope you enjoy it. See below for more great recipes and articles.

Cook Time

Prep time: 20 min

Ready in: 20 min

Yields: Makes ~ 4 - 6 

Other Great Articles

• Beans and Pasta Recipe
• Are you getting enough Iron and a look at some simple sources of Iron

Copyright of Victor Evans, created 08/11/11

Writing For Hubpages and My Journey On Trying To Make Money

Hubpages So Far

 So far my experience with Hubpages has been good. I'm not making big leaps in revenue, but then again, I never I thought I would. I am however slowly making some money and I have to admit I was rather surprised and happy when I earned my first penny. LOL. Was like I won $100 dollars or something.
I am enjoying learning all about SEO, no-follows, back links. and feel there is still so much more to read and learn still. The one thing I'm playing around with a lot more now is where to place amazon adds and links in comparison to my writing. I feel I'm never really happy with the layout and need more room. Maybe it's not me, but rather the level of control on page setup. Either way still fun stuff.

The Addicting Part of Hubpages

I've never been good at writing. That is also why I started writing articles, or blogging. I get to share my knowledge, better learn SEO, back linking for my website, and I get better with each article I write.

Start Writing For Hubpages and Earn!

Do you fellow bloggers find that you are thinking of things to write all the time?  I mean I'm at work or home and all of a sudden I see something, and I'm like "I can write about that". I also feel like I'm reading Hubpages that I honestly thought I would never care about, yet I find myself reading them. Well maybe it's just because I'm still kinda new and soon the blogging adrenalin will wear off and I'll end up only writing like every month or two.We'll see I guess.
Hope the new people are enjoying it as much as me. As for the older bloggers or Hubbers out there. Any tips, comments, or critiquing is always appreciated.

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

I can not reiterate how important this is. After almost 4 months later from when I joined Hubpages I really started taking SEO more seriously. Don't waste the time like I did.  Read, research, take notes, make book marks, and read some more. I'm still learning and perfecting my blogs and hubs all the time. I have definitely seen a increase in traffic with the more I learn and the more I apply to my writing there is usually a coloration to my traffic. This of course increases revenue. So if you want to make more money with your Hubs, get more friendly with SEO.

What is Cardio? What is Aerobic? What is Anaerobic?

Aerobic activity is when your body begins to expend a little more energy than at resting state.  Aerobic activity is done through low intensity type exercises and allows your body to utilize oxygen and recovery oxygen.   Some things to keep in mind:

1. Aerobic stands for "living with air"
2. Have to be able to meet the demands of oxygen need
3. Cardio and Aerobic are used interchangeable a lot of the time.
4. If you were to do high intensity activities it would NOT be Aerobic but would be anaerobic

So remember Cardio and Aerobic are usually meaning the same thing.

However Anaerobic means "without air".  This is a result of your body performing types of cardio exercises but to the point of intensity where your body is unable to breath enough to match the demand.  An example would be multiple sprints back and forth.

New Pair of Boxing Gloves for Kickboxing Class - Rival RB10 Intelli-Shock bag gloves

I finally spent some more money on a pair of boxing gloves and so fair I have not been disappointed.  The gloves really do take comfort to the next level.  What I like most is how snug they feel when I put my hand in and the way they wrap just enough that makes them comfortable.  Something is different about the design but it works for them. The company claims they absorb 40% more than traditional gloves and is made 38% lighter as well.   That;s good and all but the best part for me besides the comfort is how breathable they are and you really can tell after a few boxing sessions.

The gloves are Rival's Intelli-shock bag gloves.  These gloves are technically not for sparring but could easily pass for sparring or training if a person so chose.  

If your looking for a pair yourself click here! Or click on the image of the gloves below please.

Rival RB10 Intelli-Shock bag gloves for Kickboxing Class

A New Year, A New Mix of Training - Kickboxing to A Tabata Style Method

We all know or have heard about the style of training called Tabata.  But just to remind those who have forgot, its training to max intensity and speed you can do for 20 seconds.  Then when the 20 seconds is up you rest for 10 seconds and repeat this over and over 8 times.    The best way is to choose 6 to 8 exercises and best to keep it around 30 minutes long.  This is because a whole hour of this style of exercising can be too extreme.

What I have done is figured out two sets of kickboxing workouts as the 6 to 8 exercises mentioned above and complete the exercises using the Tabata style.   An example would be jab, cross for workout 1, straight kicks for workout 2, and perhaps uppercuts for workout 3.  Just a brief example.   Give it a try and design your own workout.  If you would like I have written a full article on it already that includes easy to follow example.  Click on this --> kickboxing! <--link to read it if interested.