A Beginners Guide: How to Kick a Punching Bag

Boxing doesn’t consist of punching alone, another way to utilize a punching bag is kicking it. However, whenever you feel the urge to relieve some stress and kill your anxiety, kicking a punching bag is perfect for taking out all your frustration – while getting into an effective boxing workout.

1. What Is Kickboxing?

Kicking a punching bag does have its own purpose as it serves a relevant yet different discipline. Kickboxing is a form of martial arts which combines the elements of boxing with karate. In particular, fighters do not wear any boxing equipment and bout with bare feet.

2. What Does Kickboxing Do To Your Body?

Kicking a punching bag or kickboxing strengthens and tones your legs, arms, glutes, back, and core all at once. It is a complete body workout, though you’re moving through the entire workout. It increases your calorie burn while also strengthening your muscles. This promotes fat loss, not muscle loss. 

 

Relevant Reading:

Boxing Workouts to Help You Knockout Your Body Fat

3. What Are The Benefits Of Kickboxing?

However, kickboxing is a full-body workout that has a lot to offer to its practitioners. Here are some of the benefits of kickboxing mentioned below. 

3.1. Ideal Cross-Training Workout

If you have been stuck in your exaggerated workout routine or pounding on a treadmill for several weeks. You need a break from your boring routine, kick-boxing tends to be the perfect cross-training workout. 

Therefore, you can add some weights by wearing ankle weights or wrist weights, or just putting on a pair of lightweight boxing gloves for extra resistance. Adding up one or two kickboxing workout sessions per week in your routine can help you break out of a fitness rut, fast.

3.2. Boost Confidence Level

Unlike other potential exercises, kickboxing also helps you release endorphins which gives your mood a boost and helps you feel more confident. For several hours after your activity, endorphins will make you feel happier and more cheerful.

3.3. Improve Coordination

You can strengthen your core and improve your reflexes and coordination skills if you have poor posture and coordination. The fast punches and kicks on the punching bag will allow you to focus your energy in order to correctly execute each movement.

3.4. Reduce Stress

The best way to get relief from stress is to punch it out. Punching bags are specially designed by keeping in mind the power of punches and kicks. So after a high-intensity kickboxing heavy bag exercise, you can punch and kick your way to a stress-free zone in minutes. The movements in kickboxing challenge several core muscle groups and will give you a full-body workout, rapidly.  

3.5. Burn Excessive Calories

According to the Muscle and Fitness Magazine reports kickboxing punching bag workouts can burn 800 calories per hour. Meanwhile, you will be toning up your entire body as you rev up your metabolism. Although, it is a high-intensity boxing cardio workout that is great for weight loss and getting you in shape, fast.

3.6. Boost Energy

Kickboxing is a high-intensity cardio workout that will energize you and give your mind and body a boost. You'll be feeling exhausted and sweating out toxins, giving your energy levels a much-needed boost.

3.7. Better Posture

Standing tall makes you look perfect and more attractive, but hunching over a computer all day does affect your posture. As a result, kickboxing workouts will put numerous muscle groups to the test that don't get enough attention during the day. Moreover, you’ll start to build your core. While using your waist and abs during your kickboxing workout you are targeting your core muscles around your abdominal wall.

Kickboxing workouts, as a result, have a number of mental and physical health benefits and are an excellent way to break out of a fitness rut. Whether you are a fitness fanatic or just started as a beginner kickboxing routine, it will help you reach your fitness goals. 

4. Ways To Kick A Punching Bag

If you desire to reap the benefits of kickboxing and win any fights, you have to learn how to kick a punching bag and also common mistakes to avoid.

4.1. Front Kick

The front kick, also known as a Teep kick in Muay Thai, is the most basic of the three and appears in kickboxing for beginner’s classes. It's a long-range style in which you push and strike the punching bag with your bottom foot.

Hence, the front kick is usually the safest kickboxing kick. Avoid kicking the punching bag with your toes. Though it is the only way you can really hurt yourself and you would know it right away because it doesn’t feel right.

How to Do a Front Kick:

• Stand facing the punching bag. Provide yourself enough space so the bag is just out of range if you were to throw a punch.
• Toes pointing toward the heavy bag with one foot forward to take a wide-leg stance. Point out the back foot as much as comfortable. Slightly bend both knees and feet flat on the floor.
• Bring both fists in front of your chest like a boxer and keep your torso upright.
• Take a step a little forward with your front foot and shift your weight onto your front leg. Kick through with your rear foot, extending your back leg to slam the ball of your foot into the heavy bag with the momentum.
• Step your kicking leg back and return to the starting position once you've made contact with the heavy bag.

4.2. RoundHouse Kick

A roundhouse kick, does it sound familiar to you? Yes, you might have heard of it if you are a fan of martial arts flicks. If not, imagine this: To strike their opponent with the top of their foot, a fighter twists his hips to one side, elevates his front knee, and extends his leg.

The roundhouse is maybe one of the common kicks, but it is also the one that tends to create the most problems for the opponent. For example, if you are familiar with other forms of martial arts, like Taekwondo and Karate, you might notice that they use the top of their foot to strike their target or opponent. Perform this with a punching bag, however, and it is a recipe to prevent injury.

The top of your foot has a bunch of these tiny bones. Although, it is not smart to hit a 100-pound bag with full force at that contact point. Instead, hit the bag with the top of your shinbone at the center of your leg.

The roundhouse also tends to produce knee problems since you can potentially rotate your knee in, which is not healthy.

How to Do a RoundHouse Kick:

• Face the heavy bag with your back to it. Allow enough space so that if you were to throw a punch, you could just barely reach the bag.
• Take a wide-legged posture with one foot in front of the other, toes pointed toward the heavy bag. The back foot can extend as far as it feels comfortable. Both knees should be slightly bent, and both feet should be flat on the ground.
• Maintain a boxer's stance by bringing both fists in front of your chest.
• Shift your weight onto your front leg by taking a slight stride forward with your front foot. Rotate your front foot so that your toes point outward as far as possible when you step. With your back foot, use the momentum to kick through.
• Rotate your hips to pivot on your front foot as you kick through, pushing your front heel toward the heavy bag and impacting the side of the bag with the top of your shinbone in the middle of your kicking leg.
• By pivoting on your front toes, you'll be able to rotate your front foot and knee simultaneously, allowing you to bring your rear leg into touch with the side of the heavy bag without twisting or dragging your front knee.
• Step your kicking leg back and return to the starting position once you've made contact with the heavy bag.

4.3. Knee Strike/Upper-cut Kick

The knee strike is the upper-cut of the kicking world, as it is the pest and most powerful kick you can generate. Simply drive squarely into the middle of your bag or an opponent with the top of your knee.

If your opponent wants to grab ahold of you and their hands are already physically on your body, a knee strike is a really good reaction to that, especially if it is a male attacker.

While your knee serves as a point of contact, this kick isn't known for causing knee pain. You shouldn't have any problems with a knee strike if you don't experience any pain or discomfort when you touch or push on your knee.

The only problem you might have is a classic friction rash on your knee. This can happen if your knee glides up the bag after making contact. Fortunately, it's a simple remedy.

You'll need to learn how to poke the bag with your leg straight in and then straight out to avoid slippage and friction.

How to Do a Knee Strike:

• Face the heavy bag with your back to it. Get near enough to hold the bag steady with both hands.
• Take a wide-legged posture with one foot in front of the other, toes pointed toward the heavy bag. The back foot can extend as far as it feels comfortable. Both knees should be slightly bent, and both feet should be flat on the ground.
• Prepare by leaning in with both hands on the bag to keep it steady. Then, using your front foot, take a little step forward and use the momentum to force your back knee into the bag. To power, the strike, concentrate on exploding through your rear hip.
• Step back into the beginning position as soon as your knee makes contact with the bag. Make sure your knee doesn't slide up the bag.

5. Takeaway

Boxing does not only base on punching, it has varieties that serve the purpose of different martial arts disciplines. Kickboxing is one of the most renowned and famous combat sport among martial arts enthusiasts. However, like boxing, kickboxing also counts as a full-body workout as it includes the movements of all body parts. Kickboxing workouts at home are beneficial in multiple ways, either you want to get lean and lose weight, you’ll need a punching bag, a pair of boxing gloves, and boxing shorts so that you could get a complete range of motion while doing the punching bag workout.