In short: Boxing or kickboxing comes down to a single point: in boxing you work only with your hands, in kickboxing legs and kicks are added. Everything else follows from that one decision.
Both classes are offered with us in Aachen, both work without previous experience, and both stay standing. Even so, the first months feel very different. Below are the three differences that count in practice, followed by an honest assessment of when which class would be the wrong one for you.
Difference 1: what do you strike with?
Boxing knows four basic punches: jab, cross, hook and uppercut. That sounds like little and is the real appeal. Because the arsenal is small, it is very much about detail: body mechanics, sense of distance, timing, head movement such as bob and weave, footwork through push stepping and the breathing technique in which you breathe out on the punch.
Kickboxing adds kicks, knee strikes and low kicks. That multiplies the number of possible combinations, and with it the number of distances you have to keep in view. You learn more movements, but each one takes longer to sit cleanly.
Difference 2: what does your body learn?
Boxing trains the upper body, the core and above all the feet. If you can box, you move differently, even outside the hall. That is exactly why boxing training helps in every other discipline: in MMA, in kickboxing, even in ground fighting at the transition from standing to the ground.
Kickboxing additionally demands hips, leg strength and flexibility. If you have never stretched, you will notice it in your hips in the first weeks. It settles, but it is the point where kickboxing is harder than boxing at the start.
Difference 3: when does which group train?
In practice the calendar often decides. In Kickboxing in Aachen there are two separate groups: beginners and intermediate on Tuesdays and Fridays from 19:00 to 20:30, advanced and fighters on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 17:30 to 19:00. So in your first week you will not be standing among competitors.
The boxing training runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 19:00 to 20:30. Both are adult classes from age 16. For teenagers there are their own groups in youth classes: kickboxing on Wednesdays and Fridays, plus youth boxing on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with Thursday as the beginners’ group.
Boxing and kickboxing compared directly
| What it is about | Boxing | Kickboxing |
|---|---|---|
| What you work with | four basic punches: jab, cross, hook, uppercut | plus kicks, knee strikes and low kicks |
| What the body learns | upper body, core and above all footwork | plus hips, leg strength and flexibility |
| The first weeks | easy to follow because the arsenal is small | more movements, but longer per technique |
| Training days | Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays | beginner group Tuesdays and Fridays |
| Starting age | from age 16 | from age 16 |
Training times as of now, Aachen.
When is boxing the better choice?
- You like to work for a long time on a few movements instead of collecting lots of new ones.
- You want faster reflexes and a better sense of distance.
- You want a technical foundation that you can take into other disciplines later.
- Weight loss and fat burning are your goal, and you like short, hard intervals.
Boxing is not for you, on the other hand, if you want to learn kicks or if four basic punches offer too little variety after six weeks.
When is kickboxing the better choice?
- You want to use the whole body and as much variety of movement as possible.
- You are looking for a start that works straight away without previous knowledge and like to train on strike pads and heavy bags.
- You want to build stamina and punching power at the same time.
- You are thinking about moving on towards MMA later. Then kickboxing is the more direct route.
Kickboxing is not for you, on the other hand, if you do not want to train kicks or if you need a starting phase with as little choice of movement as possible to clear your head.
An observation from practice that does not replace a recommendation but is often true: if you are impatient and need a lot of new things, you stay with kickboxing longer. If you have the calm to repeat the same movement a hundred times, you find your way into boxing faster. That has less to do with talent than with temperament.
What do both have in common?
The structure of a session is the same in both classes: warm-up, technique and partner drills, sparring and conditioning, stretching and cool-down. In both, sparring is controlled and does not come at you in the first hour. And both carry the same idea that stands above all our classes: Jeet Kune Do does not tie itself to one style, which is why elements of other disciplines show up in both classes.
If the ground interests you after all, it is covered in the comparison MMA or grappling. And if you are torn between standing martial arts and a no-contact class, LES MILLS BODYCOMBAT is the variant with no body contact at all.
How tightly the rules of competitive boxing are drawn is set out in the competition regulations of the German Boxing Federation. In training this only matters once you head towards competition.
Boxing or kickboxing: try both
You have two free trial classes. That is exactly the right number for this question. Take one boxing session and one kickboxing session, and you decide not from a text but after two evenings at Jülicher Straße 216 in Aachen.
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Open: Monday - Friday 09:00-12:00, Monday - Friday 16:00-21:00, Saturday 12:00-17:00
What to bring and how the evening goes is on the page about the Free trial class. You will find more side-by-side comparisons in the section Comparing martial arts.
Frequently asked questions about boxing and kickboxing
Which is easier to learn, boxing or kickboxing?
Boxing has the smaller toolbox and therefore feels easier to follow in the first weeks. How long it takes until a technique really sits is the same in both sports.
Can I train both at the same time?
Partly. Boxing and the kickboxing beginner group run at the same time on Tuesdays and Fridays. For beginners, boxing on Thursday works without overlap together with the beginner group on Tuesday or Friday.
Which variant helps more with self-defence?
Both train reaction under pressure, and that is exactly the part that transfers. Kickboxing covers more distances, boxing delivers the cleaner hand work at short range. If you value ground situations, you additionally need ground fighting.
From what age can I join one of the two classes?
The adult classes are open from age 16. From 9 to 15 you train in the Samurai group of the youth training, where there are separate boxing and kickboxing sessions.
Do I need my own gloves to start?
No. For the trial class, sportswear, flat shoes or socks and water are enough. Your own gloves are only worth it once you know which class you are staying in.
