Tracy Mallett
The absolute worse kickboxing video available. It is clear the powers-that-be at the Method thought, "Hmm, kickboxing is big, but we do dance, let's cash in by meshing the two." The workout is clearly a dance workout with a kickboxing theme and looks like a dance recital with such a theme. There is no attention to proper form at all. There is a Method drum-style band performing in the background, one with a "guru" look to him. The emphasis on the New Age oriental feel really bugs this Catholic Christian who only wants a good workout, leave your different philosophies at the door thanks. The workout itself was not very challenging either. In case you can't tell, I hated this video after less than 15 minutes.
Tracy is a terrible actress. She looks 42 but is trying very hard to look 19 like the dancers behind her. She has an Australian ? accent and her intro is so forced and badly read I was standing, slack-jawed in shock as I listened. Also, in just the first 15 minutes workout (the tape runs 55 minutes) she said "puhhhfect" so many times that I considered that this is what Eva Gabor of Green Acres would look like if she did an exercise video, dahhhhling.
This is an addendum to my first review of this tape, which I submitted after viewing only the first 15-minute workout. Later I went back and courageously watched the rest of it (I must love self-punishment) and, hard to believe, but it is worse. During the aerobic part, she often says "How are you getting on?" I know it is a Britishism, but she says it in such an air-headed manner (sometimes even with a giggle!) that I almost wonder if she means something else. In the abs section, after telling us we would be doing six roll-ups, she does the first three and says, "That's three, three more to go," and honestly looks so proud of herself that she could do this difficult math problem. Moments later, there is a motion in which, while lying on her back she makes a circular move with her legs in air. She says it is either the Frog or Froglegs (don't make me go back and watch it again to verify) and then says, "I named it myself" and looks so very proud of it! I am blonde and it is presenters like her that give us all a bad name. I also resent having paid $10.96 for this. Stay away from this tape (unless you are looking for comedy!)
Laura B.
brestov@tir.com
10-12-99
Jab, Kick & Burn is a kickboxing workout which consists of three 14-minute kickboxing segments followed by a 10-minute abs-focused cool-down. British instructor Tracey Mallet has a high energy level and Barbie-like good looks; she definitely seems to be having fun during the workouts and encourages you to do the same.
The first kickboxing section was my favorite. After a brief warm-up which includes some slightly dance-y moves, Tracey moves on to some kicking drills. She then continues with some slow and controlled combos which were fun but which didn't raise my hear rate much, but the second half of the workout includes more jumping and increased cardio intensity. Although Tracey's cueing was sometimes a bit off, I was able to follow her in this workout. In the second and third workouts, however, the choreography was much more complex, and I found Tracey's cueing to be less than adequate. She began teaching each new combination slowly at first, but she does a lot of "take-it-from-the-top" instruction, and she frequently fails to cue things like number of repetitions, sequence changes, and left-right. Both workouts contain plenty of kicking: the second workout ends with a series of front kicks, and the third contains a segment which Tracey refers to as "chicometrics": basically, squats with a knee lift or kick and then a jump to the reverse side. There is no cool-down at all to the third kickboxing segment.
The final abs segment begins with Pilates-type movements, including a bent knee roll-up, toe dips, the frog, and crunches; there are then a few seated stretches such as a spine stretch forward. During the three kickboxing segments, there are several live drummers on stage, and Tracey instructs a class of approximately 6-8 others, but in the abs cool-down, Tracey works out alone to softer background music. I would definitely not recommend this video for those new to kickboxing, as there is no instruction on form and many of the moves are difficult to follow. This workout would probably be best suited to those who are familiar with the basics of kickboxing and who prefer complex, dance-y choreography.
Instructor comments:
Tracey is friendly, upbeat, and encouraging but also somewhat over-the-top, especially combined with her Barbie-like appearance. Her cueing started out okay but deteriorated as the complexity of the workout increased.
Beth C (aka toaster)
September 27, 2004
This is a really strange workout. It
reminds me of a deodrant commercial
from a few years ago. It shows a group
of women, obviously dancers, doing a
dance number that has kickbox-y
overtones to it. This really seemed like
a dance- kickbox fusion, which may
explain why there was no attention to
form. There are lots of kicks and
punches done at high tempos. Indeed,
The tempo felt frenetic to me. I
wondered if it was safe. I have a feeling
that katalin zamiar, an exceptional
kickboxing instructor, or keli roberts
would absolutely cringe at this tape.
They may, however, like the music,
which I thought was good. Honestly, one
of the strangest things about this
workout is the set. I don't think its
trying to push any philosphies, as
another reviewer has said, but it is
distracting because there is so much
going on. The floor of the workout
space has a giant yin-yang on it, then
there are bridges and Japanese lanterns
and a garden type of set in the
background. Then there are zen rock
garden type of troughs in the
foreground. At times, I found myself
checking out the set more than
watching the workout, even while I was
trying to do the workout. I wondered if
they were trying to add some eastern
type flourishes to the workout so people
would think it seemed more eastern, as
many people expect a martial arts
inspired workout is. This is not really a
martial arts inspired workout, it is more
a dance workout with martial arts
flourishes. i didn't mind some of the
touches, the bridges were quite nice, I
just thought there were too many of
them. Overall this is a weird workout
lead by a less than notable instructor.
Dance and kickboxing are both great
workouts, and combining them may give
great results. This just isn't the way to
put them together for optimum results
and safety.
Instructor comments:
Thoroughly okay. She's not horrible but
she's not that good either. Cueing is
only okay, but not great. There's no
instruction on form. I don't mind her
accent, but I don't like the smug
expressions she makes and the
occasionally simpering tone she has.
Linda
I love this workout. It's easy enough for me to follow but difficult enough to break a sweat or two. It's not boring, and I don't stare at the clock to see when it's going to end. I don't really care about the count and other kinds of glitches this video has. The ultimate goal is for me to have a great work out. And that I found in this video. I love it!
Instructor comments:
Though her counting is a bit off, I like her as an instructor. She's not intimidating and I found her to be quite encouraging. In the end to me those are the things that always make me want to do the workout.
Gina
11/23/2005
