Kickboxing Cheat Sheet

The key takeaways for beginners – the four basic kicks, short combinations and a guard that stays up even while kicking.

Equipment

Item	Priority	Tip
Hand wraps	High	Stabilise the hand bones – fractures make up around a fifth of all injuries.
Gloves (14–16oz)	High	More padding protects you and your partner – one solid pair beats two cheap ones.
Shin guards & mouthguard	High	Mandatory from first partner contact – helps against cuts, not concussions.

Your start

Between boxing and Muay Thai: Boxing is fists only, Muay Thai is eight limbs with elbows – kickboxing sits in between, no ground game.
Stance first: Slightly angled, hands at the chin, weight on the balls of the feet – every punch and kick starts here.
Two fixed sessions: Over months, consistency matters more than any single week's frequency.
Technique-focus is low-risk: High injury numbers relate to full-contact competition, not technique-focused training.

The 3 golden technique rules

Factor 1: The guard stays up

Concept: Dropping hands while kicking is the classic beginner mistake – and it opens your head exactly when you have the least balance. Tip: Both hands at the chin, elbows tight, chin down, eyes over the fists – on every punch and every kick.

Factor 2: Hands open, kicks close

Concept: The core principle of every combo: the hand opens the guard, the kick closes it out with reach and power. Tip: Keep chains short (two to four actions) and always finish with an exit: jab-cross-low kick is your mandatory combination.

Factor 3: The standing leg carries the kick

Concept: Power comes from the hip-to-foot kinetic chain – a stable, actively bent standing leg decides both power AND precision. Tip: Standing leg slightly bent and stable, foot turned toward the target, lift the knee sideways, then whip the shin through in an arc.

The 4 basic kicks

Kick	Remember
Roundhouse	The most-used kick – lift the knee sideways, pivot the standing leg, arc the shin into the target.
Front kick	Straight ahead to hold distance – the simplest tool to keep an opponent at range.
Side kick	Sideways with the heel – lower speed, but the highest impact force of the four.
Low kick	Roundhouse aimed low at the thigh – a few hard ones take away an opponent's footing.

Safety & the head

The head is the main risk: Around 58% of competition injuries hit the head – repeated trauma has cognitive consequences.
Dose your contact: Sparring means practising, not winning – light to medium builds skill without taxing the brain.
Check low kicks: Lift the knee, turn the shin into the strike instead of taking it on the calf – needs a stable base.
Dazed means out immediately: Head and mouth guards prevent cuts, not concussions – every one needs a full rest period.

Pro tip: Measure your progress with the mandatory jab-cross-low kick: film it once a month and count how often your guard stays up after the kick. More honest than any sparring gut feeling.