5 Life-Changing Benefits Of Training Kickboxing

ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella defends his belt against dangerous Aussie Danial “Mini T” Williams as ONE returns to the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand this weekend.

The epic clash of devastating strikers serves as the co-main event of a stacked ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov card on October 6.

Incredibly, Di Bella began his training at just two years old under the tutelage of his father, Angelo.

While we don’t all have a former Kickboxing World Champion at home to show us the ropes, there are still many benefits to be had from training kickboxing. Here are five of biggest.

Improves Mobility

If you sit at a desk all day without taking frequent stretching breaks or the occasional stroll through the office, you’re probably having a tough time touching your toes.

Continue to sit for long periods, and by the time you retire, you’ll most likely be calcified into the “S” shape you often see in elderly people who sat for long periods throughout their careers.

But when you practice kickboxing, the dynamic and static stretches – along with the kicking and punching motions – will vastly improve your range of motion.

It might take a while to achieve the dexterity that Superbon Singha Mawynn possesses, but give it time, and eventually, you’ll be as flexible as the former ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion who specializes in show stopping head kicks like the one he landed on Tayfun Ozcan at ONE Fight Night 11.

Increases Coordination

You might be wondering why coordination is on our list of kickboxing benefits, especially since you probably learned to walk somewhere around the age of two.

However, improving your coordination ­– even as an adult – has plenty of benefits. If you work in manual labor, for instance, muscle coordination helps your body work together to move heavy objects without getting hurt.

You can even benefit from improved coordination if you work in an office. Something as simple as twisting your body to open a file cabinet from your chair takes more core stability than you realize, and if your core is weak, you could pull a muscle.

When you train kickboxing, you’re teaching your muscles how to work together so they can help and protect each other from potential injury.

Lowers Stress

The pressures of daily life can take a toll on all of us.

Whether it’s holding down a day job, keeping up with studies, or raising a family, we all have commitments that require significant time and attention.

If you don’t handle stress properly, it’ll eventually wear down your health and could lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and more.

Kickboxing, however, can lower your stress levels because when you train, you’re releasing all the pent-up frustrations and pressures that life has hit you with.

Don’t believe it? Just look at Williams, who is preparing to challenge Di Bella for the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE Fight Night 15.

“Mini T” may be a ferocious competitor in the ring, but outside of it, he is one of the most down-to-earth athletes on the ONE roster. There’s no doubt that kickboxing helps keep his stress levels down.

Raises Energy Levels

If you’ve been living off of energy drinks, that’s a strong sign that your body is lacking natural energy.

Continue to dump those unnatural uppers into your system, and eventually, you’re going to have problems sleeping, gain weight, and maybe even experience tooth decay from all the sugar.

Instead of slugging down those drinks to keep your energy levels up throughout the day, take a kickboxing class when you need it most – before or after work.

With practice and commitment, you’ll be slamming kicks into the pads well into the fifth round like ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai, who continues his charge into the kickboxing ranks at ONE Fight Night 15 when he locks horns with fellow Thai star “Smokin” Jo Nattawut.

Tones Muscles

If you live a sedentary lifestyle, it’s going to show in the shape of your body. In many cases, people who don’t exercise have flabby muscles that cause their skin to sag.

Spend decades not exerting your muscles, and your body will begin to look like someone draped a sheet over a skeleton.

Regularly train kickboxing, however, and you’ll tone your muscles and keep them tight – even into the later stages of your life.

It may take some time to look like ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Chingiz Allazov, who successfully defended his crown against Marat Grigorian at ONE Fight Night 13, but after a few months, you’ll definitely notice the difference.