As people grow more aware of the need to lead healthier, more active lifestyles, the demand for fitness instructors increases. More specifically, people want to improve their lives through kickboxing classes.
Even though kickboxing has been around for decades, it continues to grow traction each year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for fitness instructors for kickboxing classes is expected to grow 15% within the next eight years.
While an immensely popular exercise practice, kickboxing is a combination of different martial art forms, resulting in intensive kicks, punches, and stances. People practice kickboxing for fitness, self-defense, and as a contact sport.
Kickboxing also comes in various forms, such as Muay Thai, Parcel Serey, Muay Lao, and Lethwei, even though they all focus on the kick, punching fundamentals. When practicing kickboxing, you get a full-body cardio workout and a sense of gratification from punching and kicking your frustrations away.
While kickboxing has evolved into different forms and styles, its roots run deep in Japanese culture, where it all began.
You might think, like karate, kickboxing dates back to ancient Japan. But, it started in 1960s Japan when Osamu Noguchi, a renowned boxing specialist in the country, decided to combine and adapt fighting techniques from karate, Muay Thai, and western boxing.
Because of his initiative, the full-contact practice began to take shape and eventually took form as an established organization a couple of years later called the Kickboxing Association. From there, kickboxing spread to Western societies. However, it took a particular stronghold in the United States in the 1970s and has continued to flourish globally ever since.
Honestly, kickboxing is a great fitness option for anyone. It comes with many health benefits, and with the variety of class options for kickboxing, even beginners can take part. If you’re big on the one-on-one contact, competitive side of kickboxing, you can even consider practicing the sport to complement mixed martial arts (MMA) training.
Since kickboxing is a combination of three different martial arts, partaking in kickboxing classes can aid you in their practice too. For instance, if you need help with agility when preparing for a karate competition, it might not hurt you to try some kickboxing classes to practice similar movements, footwork, and enhance your endurance.
Even if you don’t need MMA training but are curious about whether or not kickboxing is the best general workout option for you, you should consider how it improves:
Not to mention, kickboxing can help improve your self-esteem and overall mental health. Getting out there and getting physical, working nearly every muscle in your body can be immensely rewarding. In kickboxing, you can discover the potential within you that you might not have recognized before.
So, if you need a healthy boost for both your physical and mental health, kickboxing might be the workout you’re looking for.
If you have the appropriate certification and your gym has an opening for a new class and instructor, you should be able to teach kickboxing at your gym. However, you’ll first need to ensure your teaching abilities, certification, and equipment for success as a teacher.
Qualified, professional, and certified fitness instructors can teach kickboxing. You will also need at least a GED or high school diploma to qualify for a kickboxing instructor position.
Plus, prospective kickboxing instructors will need to have a knack for motivating and conducting a class because teaching a kickboxing class is about more than knowing the exercises; it’s about inspiring a class to reach their kickboxing potential through positive reinforcement and education.
While you don’t need a specialty certification in kickboxing to become an instructor, you might want to consider it to boost your credibility and job prospects as students and establishments might more likely consider an instructor with adequate certification.
You might also need to get certified in first aid. Many gyms and fitness institutions require instructors to have a first aid certification if something happens during a class where CPR is needed.
At the very least, you should have your GED or high school diploma. If you choose, you can also acquire an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in an associated fitness field to increase your credibility and expertise.
Since kickboxing involves a combination of kicking and punching, you might want to invest in some specialty boxing equipment, such as punching bags, gloves, jump ropes, padded helmets, and heavy bags.
However, you should decide on which type of kickboxing class you want to teach before purchasing equipment. For example, suppose you plan to conduct a general fitness class for novice kickboxers who wish to learn the basics. In that case, you won’t need to purchase any protective gear or gloves because your students won’t make physical contact with each other.
Similarly, if you plan to teach on a competitive level for the full-contact sport, you might want to buy tape, protective gear, and more specialized equipment for various moves that general classes don’t cover.
You can’t hop to the front of a kickboxing class and try your hand at teaching without adequate research and planning. Additionally, you can’t launch your course and hope for flocks of students to line up at your door. Instead, getting started teaching kickboxing requires more know-how and background.
Research is always in the initial step you should take, no matter the subject. For example, if you were to take a fitness class, would you pick one at random and hope for the best? Probably not. Instead, you should conduct thorough research into what kind of class you want to teach and at what level.
Do you have your certification and prior kickboxing competition experience? If so, you might want to teach students of the same advancement. Or, do you have the experience and know-how but would rather help beginners get started in the sport than instruct amateur fighters? These questions are just a few to consider when researching.
Additionally, you’ll need to research what it takes to become a kickboxing instructor and assess whether or not you have it, such as certification or education.
Once you’ve decided on your optimal class, it’s time to start planning out your class structure. A structure can include class duration, frequency, and variety.
As an instructor, you don’t want to teach the same class repeatedly; it can bore students and won’t help them advance their skills. Instead, you should seek to structure your courses with varying levels and topics. Maybe, for a few classes, you can focus on correct footwork and positioning while others focus on upper-body strength building.
You also want to give yourself a break from teaching. Don’t offer multiple classes every day of the week, or else you’ll wear yourself out. So, remember to plan around your performance ability and mental health when considering your teaching frequency.
So you have your research and your plan, and you’re ready to teach your class. But, of course, you can’t do that without a class to teach. That’s where marketing comes in.
You can use simple marketing strategies to attract students to your class without spending money on an actual marketing professional. For example, try putting up some flyers in local businesses, creating a business profile on social media to promote your class, and spread the word to your friends and family to get the word out.
Keep up with your marketing strategy as you teach, and soon the students will flood through your doors. Plus, if you keep up a great class, your students will turn to their friends and family to keep the word circulating about your kickboxing class.
Finally, after setting up your kickboxing class and hosting your first session, you can keep the momentum going with a gym management system like Wodify. Wodify offers an all-in-one management platform to help you easily maintain and create schedules so you can keep your kickboxing classes running smoothly and efficiently.
Book a demo with Wodify here if you’re ready to start and manage your kickboxing classes like a professional.
