I used to be able to 'turn it off' while I was running - meaning that I could actually stop working and focus on myself for 45 minutes or so.  But the other day a song on my MP3 player just caught me and I started punching it out like Rocky.  I must have played that song for 3 miles!

So here is the routine that came out of that run:

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Punch (song #2 in the kickbox outline - please note that I have switched #2 and #3 so that #2 should now be punches and #3 should be speed work/jumprope.  This allows a more thorough warm up before the first high impact/intensity drill.)

Title: "Boys of Freedom" Dor Dekel
Download/Preview the song:
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· music begins, 'it goes a little something...' - use this time to intro jabs talking about shoulder placement at the beginning and end of the jab.  Shoulders should turn so that lead shoulder is pushing toward the target/opponent and the shoulder girdle is perpendicular to the opponent.

 · 'down, down, jumping...' - use this phrase to intro rear hooks (2 - 4X) - very slow with attention to hip and rear heel movement.  As the rear arm swings around from the back to the front in a circular movement, the rear hip should move forward.  The rear shoulder comes through, finishing in front of the lead shoulder at the point of (imagined) impact.  A hook is an imagined hit to the side of an opponent's face at the cheek bone.

· 'Boys of freedom...' - right handed fighting stance - on tempo rear hooks (8X)
· 'Sound, sound, we'll be...' - 4 count hook combo (8X) - lead jab (2 quick), one rear hook
· 'If you're standing on the ground...' - 32 jabs (build up to shadow box combo)
· 'DANCE' - shadow box combo (8X) - lead jab, rear cross, duck & move* left, lead jab, rear cross, duck & move* right

quick swictch to left handed fighting stance

· 'If you're standing on the ground...' - on tempo rear hooks (8X)
· 'If you're standing on the ground...' combo (8X) - lead jab (2 quick), one rear hook
· 'Boys of freedom...' (low music) - 64 jabs (build up to shadow box combo)
· heavy techno music - shadow box combo (8X) - lead jab, rear cross, duck & move* left, lead jab, rear cross, duck & move* right

*duck & move - imagine ducking a punch - squat low, get the torso low and the head down between the fist while keeping the elbows near the tops of the hips, and move to the left or right.  Fighting stance will NOT switch when you duck and move - if you started in a left handed fighting stance, you will maintain a left handed fighting stance.

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this routine is great for triceps, cardio, and upper body - as well as for teaching kinsthetic awareness.  A lot of the newbies that will be coming in January do not understand that the power from a punch of kick comes from the core, not from the arms or legs.  This song has a lot of hooks, which are great for allowing participants to feel the power from a punch being generated from the hips pushing through and the shoulders rotating.

Hooks also allow us to demonstrate the fact that a punch should end past and not on a target.

Enjoy!  As always - comments are greatly appreciated.