With Fight Night fast approaching, why not find out a little bit more about Kickboxing as a sport, the training and what to expect from the highly anticipated night.
Kickboxing is a form of martial art that can be described as being influenced and developed from several other disciplines, such as Karate and Muay Thai. As a competitive sport it appeared around about the 1950s and 60s. Having taken off in Japan during the 60s, it then spread to Europe and North America but only really took off towards the approach of the millennium.
Nowadays, although there is still very much a focus on Kickboxing as a competitive sport, there has also been a surge of interest in it in terms of fitness and self-defence. What’s more, it is increasingly plugged by the mass media as something that every celebrity under the sun is involved with, and thus is becoming more and more popular and accessible to everyone.
In terms of training here at Loughborough the club offers four separate training sessions each two hours long, with the further optional Thursday morning session, which is particularly aimed at those seeking to fight or step up their fitness. Most if not all of those competing in any up and coming fight, with particular emphasis on Fight Night, will be attending all of these sessions and spending most of their time sparring in preparation.
Sparring can be described as a free-form fight, which allows the fighter some freedoms, but also comes with enough rules so as to avoid injury to either party. Protective gear is worn including foot guards, head guard, gum shield, gloves, shin guards and groin guards for men.
In the lead up to Fight Night, Team Captain for the Club, Zen Lee takes us through how he prepares for a fight:
“I will be training hard, focusing on the basics and stamina up until two weeks before a fight. Then in the following weeks I tend to tone it down to perfecting three or four combinations, watching a few boxing and kickboxing videos to pick up tips. Then, a couple of days before the fight I just relax and take it easy. Most importantly on the night of the fight I picture myself having already won, I like to believe that I can win as otherwise what’s the point!”
So, with all that said what should you expect from Fight Night 2013? Well, regardless of Kickboxing not competing in BUCS, we are remarkably one of the largest AU clubs and Fight Night is our biggest event of the year. You can expect a range of skills and abilities to appear this year, with Eddy Williams returning for his advanced full contact fight against Antonio Capo, which will be the most anticipated fight of the night and is not to be missed! This year Fight Night is hosted on the 30th of November, aka St Andrews Day. Considering our rivals for the night are Edinburgh this should lead to a tense and charged atmosphere.
To keep up to date with all things Fight Night like our Facebook and Twitter pages. Want to buy a ticket, then click here – http://www.lsu.co.uk/ents/event/3041/, or alternatively email v.obryan-11@student.lboro.ac.uk for further information.
Check out the event – https://www.facebook.com/events/220250201489750/?fref=ts
Loughborough Students Freestyle Kickboxing Club is proudly sponsored by The Student Block.
Vignette O’Bryan
