Question 1

Is there a specific beginners kickboxing class?

Accepted Answer

Yes — two of them. Beginners Kickboxing runs on Tuesday at 20:30 and Saturday at 12:30, and both are built entirely for people with no striking background whatsoever. Everyone in the room is at roughly the same stage, which removes the intimidation of walking into a class where everybody already knows the drills. You'll cover stance, guard, basic punches and kicks, and simple pad work with a partner. Both sessions are free for your first visit, and there's no expectation that you continue afterwards.

Question 2

What's the difference between the beginners class and Monday's adults session?

Accepted Answer

Monday 19:00 Adults Kickboxing is intermediate to advanced. It assumes you already know your stance, can throw combinations without thinking about each individual punch, and understand basic defence. The pace is quick and the rounds are longer. The beginners sessions on Tuesday and Saturday teach those foundations from scratch with far more explanation and correction. Start in beginners, and the coach will tell you plainly when you're ready to move across — usually a matter of weeks rather than months if you're training consistently.

Question 3

Do I need my own gloves?

Accepted Answer

Not for your first session — we can sort you out for pad work. If you decide to continue, gloves and hand wraps are the first things worth buying, and they don't need to be expensive. A 12oz or 14oz pair covers most training needs for most people. Sizing varies more between brands than people expect, so ask a coach before you order online; it's a two-minute conversation that saves you buying the wrong thing. Everything else — shin guards, a gum shield — can wait until you're doing contact work.

Question 4

Will I be hit on my first night?

Accepted Answer

No. Beginners work on pads and technique, not on each other. Any contact work in our classes is controlled, supervised and entirely optional, and it comes much later than most people assume. The image people carry of a first martial arts class — being thrown in with someone experienced and getting hurt — simply isn't how the room operates. You'll spend your first session learning to stand, move and hit a pad your partner is holding, and you'll leave tired rather than sore.

Question 5

Is kickboxing good for fitness?

Accepted Answer

Very. Rounds on the pads combine sustained cardio with full-body power output, and the conditioning benefit arrives quickly. What makes it different from a gym circuit is that you're concentrating on getting a technique right, so the effort is a by-product rather than the point — most people push considerably harder than they would on a treadmill without noticing. Members regularly tell us their general fitness improved more in two months of kickboxing than in a year of gym membership they never used.

Question 6

Can teenagers join the adult kickboxing classes?

Accepted Answer

Teens aged 13–17 have their own dedicated kickboxing sessions on Monday at 17:45 and Wednesday at 17:00, which are paced and paired for their age group. That's the right place for the overwhelming majority of teenagers, both for safety and for how the material is taught. For older, larger and more experienced teens who have outgrown the teen class, message us — we'll assess it individually with the coach and the parent rather than applying a blanket rule.

Kickboxing Classes in Reading

What kickboxing training involves

What you'll learn

Beginner guidance

Kickboxing sessions this week

Who teaches this

Obaid Mirza

Leandro Lima

Kickboxing questions

Related disciplines

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