Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Kickboxing

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are interested in kickboxing for sport, fitness (including cardio kickboxing) or self-defense, this is an excellent starting point and final destination (unless you wish to take it to a competitive level). This wonderful book provides the aspiring kickboxer with all the tools necessary to get fit and/or compete: a little history, factoids about the sport, training tips, and a through description of the required strikes, kicks, and blocking techniques. But what really makes this book shine, shine, shine is that it provides you with actually step-by-step beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts and conditioning drills that you can follow to get in fighting shape. No guess work necessary on your part! And if you have the guts and desire to take on the ultimate challenge, there is even an additional 8-week program to get you there. Then if that isn't enough, at the end of the book, it provides self-defense techniques with pictures. I highly recommend this gem of a book to anyone who has an interest in the sport or just getting in fighting shape. You won't be sorry!

I've read several books on kickboxing for fitness (and sport) and none are as organized or cover the sport of kickboxing or cardio kickboxing as completely and thoroughly as this book. This book gives you a little historic gems and little known facts, step-by-step technique description for the fighter's stance, kicks and punches. But it truly excels because it provides actual workout plans, schedules, and conditioning drills for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced, as well as for those who want to go to the ultimate level. If you are interested in kickboxing for fitness or sport, this book can be your first and last stop.

I really thought this book was a 3, but after some thought I gave it a 3.5. The main reason I gave it the higher score is because, as many other reviewers point out, it is a very complete reference. It's loaded with information. The author is clearly very experienced.

Unfortunately, as a beginner, this book came up short in several key areas. First of all, the pictures and diagrams were simply not clear enough. While not true of all books in this series, I find this issue does crop up from time to time. The pictures are dark and dated, and it's very difficult to clearly see the poses. The publisher should have sprung for new pictures for this book.

The book's other shortcoming is in the area of organization. The information is dropped on you as if you were reading a dictionary. It's very difficult to learn something new by going through so much information. The book could have been better layed out, starting with some basic exercises and then delving into the more complex.

In my opinion, these changes would make this a tremendously better book.

I'm always skeptical about "for dummies" or "complete idiots" guide to anything because it is so self-deprecating to read. But don't judge a book by it's cover: if you are interested in kickboxing for fun and self-defense, this is an excellent book as long as you are not interested in doing it professionally. This wonderful book provides the aspiring kickboxer with all the information to get fit and compete: a little history, facts about the sport, training tips, and a great description of the required strikes, kicks, and blocking techniques. But what really makes this book standout is that it has step-by-step instructions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts and conditioning drills that put you in shape. If you have an appetite for even more, there book has an additional 8-week program to get you there. Then if that isn't enough, at the end of the book, it provides self-defense techniques with pictures. This is a gem to anyone who has an interest in the sport or just getting in fighting shape.

This book is outstanding. I have 13 years experience in different martial arts (tae kwon do, kickboxing, Brazilian Jujitsu) and think that this is a very complete resource. I was impressed by the explanations and photos of techniques related to kickboxing and training, but what makes this so wonderful are these added features.

1. actual self defense techniques using palm hand strikes instead of a closed fist

2. advice on ground fighting (using striking techniques)

3. advice for young children on self defense

In addition, the training routines presented and pad drills are first rate. They even work with Thai boxing's elbow and knee strikes.

This book covers every thing you need to know to become a kickboxer. Except fall techniques. And that is to me an important part to avoid getting injured. Except for that it covers everything from how to execute a kick and punch, trainingprograms for the seriously obsessed and what kind of equipement you'll need. It has lots of illustrating pictures. Most are really good, but some of them aren't. It has a fun approach to learning kickboxing with small windows that tells you about the sports history, and even waring for warriors and words for warriors. These have humour. Some are just to tell you not to fall, while others are important advice to avoid getting hurt in the ring. This book tells you everything you need to become a good kickboxer. But if you're having trouble with the falls, it doesn't even mention them. And I think that falls are an important part of kickboxing. That's why I rate it as a four star book. Othervise it is an excellent book. And I would recommend it as a basis for all new kickboxers.

This is a very clear and well done book on Kickboxing. It is great for someone curious about the sport. This book is written to pick up and get started immediately, and is great for beginners. If you are interested in learning about the sport, or learning the attacks, defenses, and training of kickboxing, I highly recommend this book to get started. Lots of pictures as well as step by step descriptions of each technique make it easy to learn quickly. Get this book, you won't be dissappointed.

If you are even remotley interested in kickboxing buy this book! It is the best of it's kind. The book teaches all the punches,kicks and blocks with informative step by step photos and writing. What suprized me is that the book also teaches knee and elbow stikes. This book covers everything you need to know. Whether you just want to learn a little self-defense or become an actual fighter this book is it. It even has a complete 8 week training program for a fighter. Don't even think about another kickboxing book. This is all you need. Do yourself a fovor and buy this book.

Via this very user friendly manual, all the main angles of Western Kickboxing are presented in a fluid, clear and sharp manner. The layout is good. The graphic is good. The font is good. The wording is good. Alltho well-organized via progressive modules, there is good variety to keep interest going. Ring and general strategy and tactics are quite relevant to Kickboxing. Kickboxing moves are well illustrated and explained as are their combos [combinations]. Practice and fine-tuning of those is well presented. Nutrition, warm-up, sparring, and cool-down are practically presented. Chapter 18 "The Perfect Self-Defense", Chapter 19 "The Complete Martial Artist" and Chapter 20 "The Fight of Your Life" have great advice on extending Kickboxing out of the Ring for self-protection. Kickboxing is long-time well-proven versus all opponents in and out of the Ring -- from most classical Savate to most modern Kickboxing. Savate has a nice quick explanation on page 20 in a good chapter on history and development of Kickboxing. Karon Karter and Guy Mezger have created a SMART guide to Western Kickboxing +++

This is a nice basic primer to kickboxing. I would recommend many books before it, but everyone starts somewhere. This book can certainly spark interest to expand on it's base.