Kickboxing Basics
Stance, guard, footwork, the jab and cross, and the roundhouse, front and side kicks, taught over eight sessions on Monday and Wednesday at 18:00.
Course$90
Learn to kick properly long before anyone spars
Three separate streams under one roof: a beginners' course, fitness kickboxing on pads and bags, and a fight team the coaches invite people onto. Your first class is a $12 trial, and the gloves and wraps are on us.
$12trial class, gloves lent
0sparring rounds for beginners
4 weeksin the Basics course
Three streams, three rules on contact
Every class on the timetable belongs to one stream. The contact rule for each stream is printed on the gym wall and here, so nobody walks into a class expecting something else.
| Stream | Sparring | Contact | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kickboxing Basics | None | A partner holds pads; nobody strikes a person | New to kickboxing, aged 16 or over |
| Fitness Kickboxing | None, ever | Bags and pads only | Anyone after a hard workout |
| Technique | None in class | Light, controlled partner drills | Members after Basics and three months of classes |
| Fight Team | Coached, at an agreed pace | Full drills in full kit | Members invited by the head coach |
Sparring happens on the fight team and nowhere else
Nobody spars in a trial, in the Basics course or in a fitness class. Those classes hit pads, bags and the air, and a partner only ever holds pads. Sparring is a separate skill, taught on the fight team to members a coach has watched for months.
Fight team sessions begin with technical sparring at a light, agreed pace. A coach stands at the ring for every round, stops it the moment control slips, and pairs people by size and experience.
- Invitation only, after at least six months of regular classes
- Gum shield, 16 oz gloves, shin guards and a groin guard every round
- A coach watching every pair, every round
- Competition rules and medical checks vary by country; the coaches explain the local ones
What each class feels like
Classes run for adults and for 16 and 17 year olds with a parent's signature. Pick by the feeling you are after, then check the stream it belongs to.
Fitness Kickboxing
Three minute rounds on the bags with one minute rests, combinations called out by the coach and music up loud. No partner work at all.
Length45 min
Morning Bag Rounds
A quick version of the fitness class at 07:00 on weekdays, finished in time for work. Showers open from 06:45.
Length30 min
Technique
Combinations, defence, checking kicks and footwork with a partner at a light, controlled pace. Pads and partner drills only.
Length60 min
Fight Team
Conditioning, sparring at agreed intensity and preparation for amateur bouts, Tuesday and Thursday at 19:30 and Saturday at 10:00.
EntryBy invitation
One to one pad work
Forty five minutes with a coach holding pads, booked at a time that suits you. Good for sharpening one kick or catching up after a break.
Session$45
How a trial class goes
The trial is a Basics taster or a Fitness Kickboxing class. Either way, it ends with a chat about which stream suits you.
Book the trial
Choose a class and a day. A coach confirms the place within one working day.
Arrive fifteen minutes early
Fill in a short health form at the desk, borrow gloves, and wrap your hands alongside a coach the first time.
Train at your own pace
Stance, guard, the jab, the cross and a roundhouse kick on pads. Take water breaks whenever you need them.
Talk to the coach after
They suggest a stream, and if you join within a week the $12 comes off your first month.
Kit advice before you spend anything
Train in gym clothes and bare feet for the first month, with gloves and wraps from the gym box. When you are ready to buy, this is the list the coaches hand out.
- Hand wraps, 4.5 m
- Bag gloves, 10 to 14 oz
- Sparring gloves, 16 oz
- Shin guards with instep cover
- A fitted gum shield
- Groin guard
- Head guard where rules ask
- Skipping rope
- Water bottle and towel
Glove weight depends on your size and on what the gloves are for, so ask a coach before buying. Fight team kit is checked by a coach before its first round.
Trial, course and membership prices
Start with the trial, take the Basics course if kickboxing is new to you, then choose a membership or a pass.
Trial class
one class$12
- A Basics taster or a Fitness class
- Comes off your first month if you join within a week
- No contact, no sparring
Kickboxing Basics
4 weeks$90
- Stance, guard, footwork and the core kicks
- A pair of hand wraps to keep
- A move into Technique when the coach agrees
Monthly unlimited
a month$85
- Every Fitness and Technique class
- Fight team at no extra cost if invited
- Pause for illness or travel
Ten class pass
ten classes$110
- Fitness Kickboxing and Technique
- Good for shift workers
- Morning Bag Rounds included
Monthly memberships roll on until you give two weeks' notice. Where local competition rules ask for a yearly medical, fight team members arrange one before their first bout.
Upstairs at the print works
Basics, bag rounds and the quiet minutes before class.
Asked by the heavy bags
Is kickboxing just boxing with kicks?
Close, though not quite. Kickboxing adds kicks with the shin and foot, and the stance is squarer so the legs can kick and check kicks. Rules on knees and clinching differ between styles; Roundhouse teaches punches and kicks, with no elbows.
Does anyone need to be fit before starting?
No. Basics starts slowly, fitness classes run in rounds you can step out of, and coaches would rather you rest than lose your form. Fitness tends to come with regular training, though nobody here promises how fast or what it will look like.
When could a member start sparring?
Only after joining the fight team, which takes an invitation from the head coach after at least six months of regular classes. Plenty of members never spar at all and train happily in Fitness and Technique for years.
Who should speak to a doctor before training?
Anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure, a past head injury, a recent operation or a pregnancy, and anyone with doubts at all. Tell the coach what the doctor said; they adapt the class and never ask anyone to train through pain.
Which gloves should a beginner buy?
Wait a month, because gloves are lent until then. Most adults then start with 12 or 14 oz bag gloves and add 16 oz sparring gloves only if they join the fight team. A coach will check the fit before you buy.
What if a booked class has to be missed?
Cancel up to three hours before and the class goes back on your pass. Later than that, the place counts as used, because someone on the waiting list could have trained.
Overheard at the bag rack (example reviews)
Booked the trial convinced someone would expect a fight. It was pads, a lot of footwork and a coach who spent ten minutes on my guard. Three months on, still no sparring and no plans to.
The Basics course broke every kick into small pieces. By week four the roundhouse finally landed with the shin, not the toes.
Fight team sparring is slower and calmer than outsiders imagine. The coach stops a round the second anyone gets careless, and pairs are matched with care.
Book a trial class
Choose the class and the day. Expect a yes from a coach inside one working day, or another class if that one has filled up, or answers to anything you asked.
- Nothing is booked until a coach confirms
- The $12 is paid at the desk on the night
- Health form filled in on paper at the gym, not online
Come up the stairs
Phone while the gym is open, or email and a coach answers within a working day.
Contact
Upstairs in a former print works near the bus station, with bike racks by the door
Gym hours
| Monday to Thursday | 07:00 to 21:30 |
| Friday | 07:00 to 20:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 to 14:00 |
| Sunday | Closed |
Watch before you train
Anyone curious can sit by the ring during a Fitness or Basics class. Fight team sessions are closed to visitors.
Ask to watch