body. Your muscles need time to develop a “memory” of them, and your reactions as the teacher calls out what to do (“jab, cross, hook, roundhouse”) will be slow at first. By the second or third class, the awkwardness will start to dissipate.
The first thing you’ll learn is the stance — a way of standing that maximizes balance and puts power behind your moves. Your feet are about shoulder-width apart and at a slight angle, one foot set back from the other. Your fists are up around your temples to guard your face. (Don’t hunch your shoulders.) This is the position you’ll return to after every punch and kick.
Different instructors have different takes on the subtleties of positioning, but the basics that you learn from one teacher will hold up when you try someone else’s class. The punches generally taught are the jab, cross, hook, and uppercut; kicks will likely include the front kick, side kick, and roundhouse.
What should I wear?
Sweats, shorts and a T-shirt, an aerobic-dance outfit — whatever keeps you comfortable and cool. Wear well-made athletic shoes that aren’t
