Frequently Asked Questions

When is the first lesson?
The first lesson of the academic year will be held on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

Where do we train?
CUKBS trains at 'The Centre at St Paul's' on Hills Road. The Centre is on the south side of the city of Cambridge, on the corner of St Paul's Road and Hills Road (see map below). For Streetmap users, the postcode of the Centre is CB2 1JP.

It is close to the centre of Cambridge and a 10 minute walk from the rail station. The first lesson of the term will take place on Wednesday 10th October, from 17:00-19:00. Subsequent lessons will be at the same time every wednesday evening.

View of St Paul's Church

What should I bring?
Wear loose clothing such as a t-shirt/vest and tracksuit bottoms/shorts that will allow free movement. Bring boxing gloves if you have them and a gum shield if you wish to spar. For footwear, a comfy pair of trainers will do, although you may wish to train bare-foot. Finally bring along a bottle of water because it’s thirsty work!

How much does it cost?
It is £25 per term (for a term card) or £5 per lesson.

Will I get hurt?
There is very little risk of injury as we always warm up thoroughly before carrying out techniques and warm down to prevent muscular strains.

If I have previous martial arts experience, will it not be a bit slow for me?
Not at all! Most of the varsity team will be present during training sessions, so more adept martial artists can still train to their limits.

How long does the course last for?
Our beginners' course lasts four lessons and it is meant to give to the students the very basics of the style: stances, guards, punches and kicks. After that beginners join the rest of the class. Different individuals will progress at different speed but each student is considered individually.

Do you guys actually punch and kick each other?
Kickboxing is a martial art based on real contact of most techniques. The contact is not necessarily at full power but most of the training sessions involve pair training where people try various techniques and combinations on a partner that is blocking them. An important part of the skill is being able to effectively block these techniques.

Can I train more than once a week?
Yes, as we are affiliated with CARISMA, you can ask the instructor about joining the external club. Please have a look at www.carisma.org.uk for more information.

What can I do to properly prepare for a lesson?
It's a good idea to avoid eating or drinking anything except water for an hour or two before the class. The training will teach you how to improve, among other things, flexibility and power: unless you are proficient in fitness or done martial arts for a long time you better wait and learn from us what to do exactly: badly performed exercises may be worse than no exercise at all.

I wear glasses: is it a problem?
It is possible to do much of what we do wearing glasses, but it's not ideal. The only major thing you would have to avoid would be sparring, since there's too much risk to do that with glasses. If doing anything without glasses might create problems we suggest wearing contact lenses.