During the time of closed gyms and limited activities, we have learned that it can be a lot of fun to incorporate an outdoor workout, especially with the nice weather we've been having lately.
Of course, we can all walk, bike, run, and so on, but as a fighting athlete, you sometimes want to do something different.
Of course, adhere to the rules imposed by the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) and only train with your partner, children or housemates, keeping a sufficient distance from each other.
Starting with a run and some light stretching exercises is of course fine, but immediately throw some pads, jump ropes, a medicine ball and preferably a large kicking shield in your sports bag and take it with you.
Training with boxing mitts
Paddling is great fun and can be done together while maintaining a safe distance. For children and beginners, the inexpensive hand paddles are fine, but for adults we recommend spending a little more on more durable hand paddles.
You'll really enjoy these for much longer. We recommend getting the Booster BPM2 pads. They're really great! You can have a lot of fun with the small focus pads, so that investment will pay for itself quickly.
And let's be honest... for the rest, we're currently living quite frugally.
'Focus pads', small (often round) kick pads, are very pleasant to use and also very good for training, and can be used to practice countless exercises and techniques.
The larger kick pads are also very useful, and will prove particularly helpful for children, beginners, or when training powerful techniques.
Hard steps on large stair cushions
A kicking shield is a real treat. Let off steam with low kicks, front kicks, side kicks and roundhouse kicks. And why not, practice those slightly more difficult backward spinning kicks and 360 degree kicks at the same time.
You can also use the jump cushion as an extra training tool during the warm-up and training. Lay the cushion flat on the ground and use it as an obstacle to jump over forwards and sideways.
It also serves as a great substitute for the bench we normally have in the gym. These jumps will significantly improve your fitness and jumping power. Your legs will get a good burn.
Besides absorbing (hard) kicks, you can use the kick pad for many other exercises: hold the pad at chest height (and go higher and higher) and jump up with both feet at the same time and pull your knees up so that you touch the pad.
As you do this more often, you will notice that your leg strength, volume, and jumping power will increase dramatically.
Want to add some game elements to your training with children (or big guys, it doesn't matter ;) )? Use the cushion as a ram or push cushion to push dad or that big, strong partner away in rugby style. In short, there are plenty of variations to invent with a little creativity for a fun outdoor training session with a large kick cushion.
Technical exercises
If you want to work more specifically on your footwork or dodging techniques using body movement (bobbing and weaving), stretch a rope (or a long budo belt) between two poles or trees, or have two people hold it at shoulder height.
Stand in a fighting stance at the beginning of the rope and slowly move forward towards the other side while continuously moving under the rope in a 'bobbing & weaving' style with your eyes facing forward.
And for the martial artists among us, now is also a great time to perfect those breaking techniques with our reusable plastic breaking boards of various thicknesses.
For truly dedicated martial artists, we also offer various jump ropes and resistance bands to make your leg and buttock training really tough. Use these to strap your ankles during your workout and you'll emerge from your training regime like a beast!
Dummies and punching bags
Nowadays, in addition to traditional punching bags, 'dummy' bags are also available on the market. These are punching dummy's on a stand filled with sand or water. The advantage of these dummy bags and/or a punching bag is that someone can always train without a partner.
Furthermore, one can perform the techniques as intensely as desired without injuring anyone else. They are of such high quality that you can easily set them up in your garden and, if you can afford it, really go all out with them.
Of course, jumping rope, abdominal exercises, and the like are also perfectly fine to do, so we don't have to use this crisis as an excuse to get out of shape. Osu, Ush, Taekwon, and train hard!