CARISMA Frequently Asked Questions

I have a belt from another club can I wear it at your classes?
Not really: different clubs have different colour for different ranks and even those that use the same colour scheme might have huge differences in the curricula and performance of the same rank. Usually, once you have trained long enough with us to qualify, we'll test you for what we believe is the best compatible rank for you within our ranking system. This will happen on the first available grading session. If you pass that grading you'll earn that rank and carry on from there.

I am unfit: what shall I do before joining?
Nothing, join us on the first available beginners' course. What we do improves your general fitness involving most muscle groups of your body. Our warm up sessions, performed for half an hour at the beginning of every lesson, teaches you a broad range of exercises that gradually will make you stronger, faster, more flexible and more agile.

Can people with previous experience in martial arts join?
Yes. If you have experience in kickboxing or a similar martial art (karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, tang so do, muay tai, wing chun, etc.) you may join at any time, not just at one of the introductory classes. You will probably find that our style has some differences to what you are used to, but you will find it easy to fit in. On the other hand if you have practiced different kind of martial arts (judo, ju jitsu, aikido, tai chi, etc.) or other activitities that are not martial arts (tai bo, kai bo, boxercise, etc.) you should wait for the next beginners' session. Please have a look at our overview and kickboxing pages for more information. If you are unsure please come and watch a class or two: you'll immediately realize whether you are familiar with the techniques and training style. Please also bear in mind that if your experience is in the past and you have not been active during the last months or years, it will take a while to be back in shape.

I would like to join: do I have to book?
There is no need to book: beginners can can just join on the first day of the beginners' course: everybody will be accepted. Experienced people are within reason always welcome: please contact us for details.

Can I have a look at your classes?
Yes, we have an open door policy and anybody is welcome to watch our classes. We encourage anybody to have a look at the way we train and practice to avoid missunderstanding. Please make sure that you mobile phone (or any other electronic device is off before entering the venue and please avoid distrurbing the class in any possible way.

I am a beginner with no experience, when can I start?
Beginners can join on specific dates and must follow a beginners course to qualify: please refer to our joining page for more information.

Do you guys actually punch and kick eachother?
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. Important part of the skill is being able of blocking effectively those techniques.

Is there a minimum age to begin training?
Not really, we accept in principle students of any age even if we suggest a starting point at around 12-13 years of age. The main issue might be the size: because of technical reasons can only accept children taller than 4'6". We are happy to consider each case individually so please contact us.

What would I need to bring with me?
Loose trousers and a teeshirt. Light trainers (e.g. squash or volley ball shoes) if you wish, or you can do it bare-foot.

Do I need to buy full pads kit when I join?
The club does have a supply of gloves for use during the classes, however, members are encouraged to have their own equipment. The club's pads should be considered as a way for new people to try out the training without committing on a full kit from day one. For this reason more recent students will have priority in using the club's equipment.

How much does it cost?
The first lesson is free. After that, please have a look at our fees in our joining page.

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.