With these Tips for your first kickboxing match, you will immediately be ahead of the game. You will certainly be a little nervous. Don't panic, with our tips you will be strong in your shoes. Your very first match can be an overwhelming experience. It is a feeling that you will not experience anywhere else. With our tips you can prepare yourself well for your very first kickboxing match.
Train hard
This goes without saying, but there are still many people who do not take this step seriously enough. You can be the biggest talent in the gym, but if you do not enter the ring well prepared , you will not win the match. In youth and novice matches, the best fighter does not always win. The fighter with the best condition and who can therefore give full throttle from the beginning to the end often takes the win. Another factor is that if you are well trained, you can also take hits better. So training a lot, running regularly and resting a lot is super important!
Lots of firs
Sparring is the ultimate form of match preparation because you can't fool yourself with sparring. When sparring you learn how to really block punches, how to dodge and how to counter well. My golden tip for sparring is, don't spar with people who want to prove themselves. These people will spar too hard with you. Instead, you should spar with experienced guys and/or girls who want to help you grow. These people know how to spar with you. Let them get you on your weak points, but don't spar too hard with each other because then you will quickly get injured. Of course you don't want to go into the ring with injuries.
Make sure you are at the right weight
This is one of the most important tips for your first kickboxing match! Your trainer may want you to fight at 70 kg, for example, while you normally weigh around 73 kg. This of course means that you have to make sure that you do not gain too much weight. Try to fight at your own body weight, or a maximum of 5 kilos below that. The more weight you want to lose, the more strength you will lose. Make sure that you are at a reasonable weight a week in advance . The more kilos you are overweight, the more you have to make up for it on the evening of the weigh-in. Many fighters fight well below their natural weight because they then have an advantage in their height and strength. This is not a big deal, but if you fight too far below your weight, it can become dangerous.
Good equipment
It is important that you have the right kickboxing gear. Of course, it starts with a large sports bag where you can put all your kickboxing gear and care products. From sports tape to Thai oil , from cooling spray to an extra mouthguard, you need to have everything with you. You can't expect the trainer to have everything with him, you are responsible for your own kickboxing gear.
Sleep well
Make sure you are well -rested the next day. This means going to bed early. Make sure you sleep an hour longer than you normally do. You need to give your body time to recover! If you give your body that time, the better your results will be on the day of the competition. So if you normally go to bed at 23:00, go to bed at 22:00 the night before the competition.
Good food
Try to consume enough carbohydrates before the match. Carbohydrates give you enough energy. Pasta is the most common meal in the locker room. Pasta is also easy to take with you. Fill a plastic container with pasta and bring cutlery. Eat your pasta in the locker room well before your match, this way you can digest the food well and you will not be in the ring with a full stomach. If you then receive a punch or kick to your body, the food can come up.
Relax
You should try to get as much rest as possible before your match. Make sure you arrive at the location early. This will allow you to do everything at your leisure. Go to your dressing room and find a good spot. Sit down and/or lie down on a bench, put in your earplugs and listen to some music . Eat something calmly, drink something and get changed at your leisure. A mistake I see a lot of people make is that they look too much at the schedule on the door. So just relax, and everything will be fine!
Keep calm
When you’re in that ring, it’s essential to stay calm. Pay attention to your breathing, both before and during the match! The way you breathe is a major factor in your match. Before the match, when you’re in the locker room, and you feel the tension building, you need to try to stay calm and breathe.
Breathe in through your nose and then breathe out through your mouth. This will help you calm down. Also during the match you should pay attention to your breathing. Try to breathe out as little air as possible while punching. This will make you tired faster.
Do what a lot of boxers do and that is make that weird hissing sound while punching. What you are actually doing is creating a sort of filter that ensures that you only exhale as much air as you need for that specific punch or kick. This leaves you with oxygen in your lungs. This is one of the most important tips for your first kickboxing match!
Don't focus too much on strength
Now that the match has started, you will probably notice that every punch/kick you throw feels different than during training. This is completely normal and is due to the adrenaline pumping through your body. The adrenaline makes you feel less in the ring. Not only do your punches feel weaker, you also feel your opponent’s punches less than you normally would during sparring. But make no mistake, your opponent feels the same. The most important thing is to focus on your guard and to keep fighting technically. The moment you try to give more power, the more energy you waste, which makes you tire faster.
Listen to your trainer
This is one of the most important tips for your first kickboxing match! The match has started, the bell has rung and you and your opponent are going to fight. Try to stay calm and listen to the instructions your trainer gives you during the match.
Just try not to look at your trainer during the match. Many beginners make this mistake. If you constantly hear your name behind you, you will automatically turn around. Try not to do this. Practice this during sparring! Make sure your trainer or someone else gives you instructions and you are not allowed to look back. The reason you should not look at your trainer during the match is because then you do not see what is happening in front of you.
If your opponent notices that you are constantly looking back at your trainer, he/she will take advantage of this by hitting you when you look back. This can be very dangerous because most knockouts in kickboxing come from fast punches/kicks that you don't see coming.
Restore
You get very little recovery time in a kickboxing match, so you need to make sure you make good use of the rest periods you get. When the bell rings, try to get to your corner as quickly as possible. Keep your head up and your chest out. Let your arms rest on the ropes, this gives your arms a rest and allows you to breathe in and out better. Listen to what your trainer tells you and think about your breathing. Make sure you take a sip of water. Don't drink too much water, because this can cause you to feel the water rising up when you get hit in the stomach later in the match.
I hope these tips for your first kickboxing match will help you with your very first match. I wish you a lot of fun, try to enjoy it a bit of course, you will never forget your very first match. It gives you an unprecedented feeling. The tension disappears by itself when the match is underway. And then the best thing about a kickboxing match is the satisfied feeling you get when you have fought 3 full rounds and you are allowed to stand there. And if you also win, then your day can't be ruined. Good luck and go for it!
