Some weeks ago, I posted a couple of pieces about ‘Old Kickboxers Never Die, they just end up in the can – or the hospital.’ Sadly, Mike Bernardo has proven me wrong. He killed himself on February 14 at the age of 42 after a long battle with depression and anxiety. Continue reading
The merits of various martial codes and their true point of origin will always be up for debate, but as far as codifying stand-up fighting and putting it on the international stage, K1 takes the honours. The glory has not been without incident, however; K1 is now fighting not only for pre-eminence, but also for its survival. JARROD BOYLE examines the history of one of fighting sports’ most sacred, hallowed codes. Continue reading
International Kickboxer Magazine, Vol.17, No.2
The front kick, or push kick is a unique weapon in the skilful kickboxer’s arsenal. It has a smaller contact area than the round kick, which allows as much of the shin as you decide to use. With a push kick, the sole of the foot, its most pronounced areas being the heel and the ball, will focus most or all of the impact. Continue reading
What NOT to do, courtesy of Peter Aerts
International Kickboxer Magazine, Vol.17, No.1
If I landed a shot for every time someone said my height was an advantage, I would never have lost a sparring session. The annals of K1 are littered with tall fighters who have at one time or other, ruled their division or at least made a lot of trouble for everyone else. There are, or course, fighters like Ray Sefo, Gokhan Saki and Chalid Die Faust who, scraping six feet and weighing not much more than 100kgs, also create a lot of trouble of their own. This has everything to do with exploiting the weaknesses of fighters taller than them. In short – it’s one thing to be tall, but quite another thing to take full advantage of it. Continue reading
Theme Park at its Darkest 