Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

I'm looking to mix up my cardio even though I'm a die-hard runner. However, I love to kick ass when necessary. I've never taken a kickboxing class, but I don't want to do that weak aerobic kind. I also took boxing and wrestling when I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy.

So, let me know your likes and dislikes about Krav Maga and Kickboxing.

Thanks in advance!
Wendy

I've done both, I really liked Krav Maga it was a great workout and empowering.

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I started off with Kung Fu, went to American Kickboxing and then to Thai Kickboxing, the latter really kicks ass...
No Bruce-Lee-movie spinkicks or jumpkicks, even kicks to the head are rather rare... just good ol' boxing with some
punishing low kicks and kneeing in the clinch... no elbows in Europe (and probably not the US, at least not without guards)...

I do Kickboxing and Jeet Kune Do. I think a real boxing/kickboxing class would be a great workout for you. I would try to find a place where your actually hitting bags and pads though. I started out as a runner at a young age running road races, then ran track and cross country in school. Then went back to road racing and found martial arts when I needed to cross train to help me damaged achilles tendon and plantar fascia rest a bit. I think it would be great cross training for you. Now I run to supplement my martial arts training.

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hi

I highly recommend Krav Maga. I did Tae Kwon Do for about 8 years took a few years off and then started doing Krav about a year and a half ago. i have to say i love it. I have done a host of martial arts in the past- japanesse and brazilian Jui Jitsu, Aikido, karate and tae kwon do. Krav is by far my fav. In november i went for a 7 day (of hell) Phase training and became certified as a level 1 instructor. I started teaching right after. What i think i like most about krav is simplisity and practicality of it. Since it's roots are from a military training background, it is designed to make a student able to defend themselves in the shortest time possible. So the moves are practical, to the point and don't need years and years of practice to be capable in it like some martial arts. it's really based on street practicality and not sport. I know not all Krav school are the same but most if not all will cross train you in all aspects of martial arts. So in Krav you will learn kickboxing/muay thai. Most Krav schools don't have official belt systems but they classify you in levels. Level 1 is beginner and in Level 2 you start sparring which is kickboxing for the most part. in my school we also grapple (brazilian jui jitsu). I think it's important to be a well rounded and be cable in standup as well as on the ground. There are so many good marital arts out there and everyone has one that fits them. So i recommend sampling a few and see what you like. But my vote is krav, especially since you will learn kickboxing/muay thai anyway!!!!!!!!!!

I've been doing Krav Maga for over 4 years now, and I can say that it is both a great workout and extremely practical. In just a few months, I went from fairly low-stamina (I'd just finished college and needed to get back on track with fitness) to feeling fairly decent.

Don't expect to fly through to get a black belt and get constant reassurance. There have been many many times where I've nearly quit after having my butt handed to me over and over again.
While it is easy to get good enough to feel confident you'd survive a "real" fight, nearly *everyone* in the class is going to be at least as good, and they're going to beat on you.

One thing to be wary of is that not all centers are created equal, as with any sport. It comes down to the level of skill of the instructors and their dedication to the style and not just dedication to their income.

I lucked out and happened to pick an excellent instructor. He knows many of the other instructors around the country, if you'd like, I can ask his opinion on where to go in your area.

Both my husband and I do Krav Maga at a studio here in Michigan. It's a pretty good workout. We use bags/pads and incorporate kickboxing into the mix. Where I go they also have a Cross Fit class a couple times per week. So I do that as a workout, along with running, strength training at the gym, and kundalini yoga. I try to mix up my routine to prevent boredom and challenge my muscles.

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I am actually also thinking of taking up kickboxing. We used to have a pretty decent class at the Y. But for some reason they changed the format to the cardio dancey kickboxing that doesn't resemble kickboxing whastsoever. So I found a place nearby that has an actual boxing ring, and teaches mma, and kickboxing. They have classes and private sessions too, I always feel good after punching something! ROFL

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Krav will give you great foundations for real life fighting, not sport fighting or fictional scenario's where two people face off and bow before fighting. It teaches you situational awareness and the need to do 360' scanning even while fighting one opponent so you don't get king hit from behind by a second attacker.

I love the fact that it teaches the common lead-up to a fight so that you can be prepared to GO! For example, people generally posture up towards you and try to make themselves bigger, they point at you or poke you in the chest, they raise their voice, they will push your fence (eg touch you and see how you respond).
If anyone touches your "fence" twice you smash them because if you don't respond after the second time they push you, they will take that as a sign of weakness and usually attack you.

Krav teaches you groin kicks, breaks, throat strikes, eye gouges, biting. The things you would actually use in a no holds bared life or death fight. It also teaches good knife and gun defense. I practice with a friend with a training gun and a short and long knife. Sometimes we are wrestling for control of the knife for 2 or 3 minutes, the way you see in movies like saving private ryan. If it is life or death it won't always be over with a single move. Krav teaches you to keep going, keep attacking and then escape.

Once you have got to P1 level in Krav you can start doing other things like kickboxing and such to improve your striking. Krav is more like a solid clothes stand onto which you hang other skills. I like Muay Thai for my elbows and knees and clinch. When you add in the Krav blocks and sneaky aggressive moves you have a great combination.

BUT! having said all that, and as some others have mentioned, it depends on the place you train at. I got tired of the place I was going too because they spent half the class doing stretching and warmup shadow boxing and drills. I need to be more productive than 40 mins of training out of an hour and a half. I now train based on Krav books with my friend. We study the book and practice one or two moves each session over and over. Much much faster and it is also nicer to train with someone who is bigger and stronger than you are. It is almost useless learning disarms and skills with women or skinny guys as your strength gives you too much advantage and you think you know the technique easily, when it is just your strength overpowering them. With a strong opponent you only get the knife, or gun or get out of the hold if you actually do it correctly. GREAT TRAINING > GRADES/BELTS

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