JANIS SAFFELL: NEW!! Kickbox Strike Zone

Janis Saffell is a well-known fitness guru from South Florida. Her work with CRUNCH Fitness as well as her exercise videos keeps her at the forefront of the fitness trends.

Saffell is most known for her kick boxing work-outs and this video is another in a series from her that makes martial arts and kick-boxing a great way to stay fit, learn a new skill and burn some calories. As always, I highly recommend that you preview the entire video before attempting to do it, just so you know what you are getting into!

KICK-BOX STRIKE ZONE is a fun, nicely paced video for those seeking a more serious, less fluffy video that provides meat along with it's cardio work-out. This video is great for burning calories and getting some muscle carved as well! You will burn a chunk of calories with her cardio workout in the 22 minutes of Kick-box Aerobics.

Saffell nicely demonstrates the moves and they are well done by the group behind her. Some of the moves are more advanced than others however, so be cautious when you attempt these the first few times. The crescent kick is definitely not the easiest kick to master but it does help in the flexibility and range of motion.

Linking her chains of aerobic moves together, she creates a fun and well-paced workout that will keep you going for months as you strive to master the moves. The sculpting segment will kick anyone's butt! Saffell has choreographed a killer workout that is great just as a strength and sculpting segment by itself. If you are into martial arts or you don't have a lot of weight equipment at home to use, then definitely do the sculpting segment on alternate days with weighted gloves! It's enough to get you sweating if you are paying close attention to form!

The TaiChi cool down was really nice. Saffell is really great with her cueing, always letting you know what's coming in plenty of time. (Keeping up with her is another matter entirely!) Janis presents a nicely balanced work out that makes this video a winner in terms of creating a body that is fit, strong and equally balanced on both the right and left sides. Her videos always hold my interest as I try to master the work and it keeps me motivated to see someone with great muscles and who is so very feminine as well!

When I review a video, I look for several things: music, set and editing/video presentation. It's important to have a video that has all of these elements done well. Saffell has collaborated with video guru, Greg Twombley. The video has a nice set that isn't distracting. The music is really nice-- very upbeat and fun to listen to without being too fast. Also the video itself is what one expects from a master of video production like Greg Twombley. Editing is nice and crisp with an eye towards long shots that show the exerciser exactly what they are supposed to do along with key close-ups.

As with all of Saffell's martial arts videos, they are really more for the person who has had some kickboxing or martial arts instruction. The skill level is geared more toward an intermediate person who has had a fair amount of martial arts training.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this video for a beginner, though the kicking and striking drills would be excellent practice for a beginner. The moves in the aerobic section are just too hard for the beginner. The intermediate and advanced exerciser or person with more martial arts background will like the video for the cardio and skill workout that it affords. I like the video overall and would recommend it with the caveat to the beginner!

SCOTT COLE: Tai Chi Training

Scott Cole is another really well known fitness star. From ABS OF STEEL work and his National Aerobics Championship, Cole has been involved in other areas besides just aerobic exercise. His videos and music have been innovative and unique in their presentation and his willingness to challenge himself with new types of aerobic activity.

TAI CHI TRAINING is just such a video. It is one of many out there for Tai Chi but not all have the ability to make it interesting and fun for the person who has never done it before (namely me!)

Cole takes you through a great warm-up after he explains and demonstrates the basic framework of the video. It's simple and pure and he keeps it that way throughout the video. His group is mixed: men and women backing him up so that the video appeals to both sexes. The clothing is loose and comfortable and it's clear you are meant to wear something that you can move in.

The first 30 minutes is a slow routine that is more of the traditional TaiChi called the YANG set. It's known as the "moving meditation" and it really helps you S L O W down to see and feel the move as well as the energy.

The moves appear deceptively simple. Sometimes they are just that. It's just that the coordination of the moves and the timing as well as watching the video and yourself makes it a bit tricky-- or at least it did to me. I have never done Tai Chi before and until I did Saffell's cool down had no experience with it.

What I do like about this video and it will keep me coming back to it is that it's perfect for the days when you want a more serene work-out that is calming and energizing rather than frenetically paced. I found the YANG set rather nice and mellow while still challenging my body to work at a slower pace!

The other half of this video is a more challenging fast set. It is geared more towards a more practical application as well as more use as a martial arts application. (Well, yes of course it is! Itªs a martial arts form but think about it!) This section has more elements to it than the YANG form and it seems a bit harder because it is faster than the previous section.

However this is where Cole really excels! He gives you excellent cueing on what the moves are. Scott's ability to explain and demonstrate just exactly how each move is supposed to look in this segment makes it easier in some ways than the slow section.

The sequences that Cole shows you and how they are strung together look like dance moves and rhythmically they FEEL like dance moves as well. Perhaps not aerobic dance the way we usually know it but in a jazzy, modern dance sort of feel! The "parting horses mane " paired with the "repulsing monkey" make a great forward and back sequence that looks beautiful but also has a practical sense of block and repel to it as well! The moves when completely strung together are a lyrical ballet or jazz dance movement that are both lovely and fun as well practical. Why practical? They are essentially blocking and kicking moves that can be used to help fend off an attacker.

But that's a side benefit to the physical fitness and to the movement's ability to improve your grace and balance. Even the kicks are beautifully done.

Cole has a great ability to demonstrate and explain these movements and repeat them over and over till you feel like you KNOW the move! Then he links it together and then repeats the linked bits of moves till you have nailed the blueprint or what's known as choreography! I like that he takes the time to explain since as a newbie, I don't come close to understanding much less mastering this in the same time frame as I do other martial arts and other aerobic videos. He is friendly and talkative without being distracting. There are times when Scott talks and others when he is focused on the moves-- a good thing to know that silence is sometimes golden!

The music really adds to this video. It is truly an essential element. It's not like some videos where you can substitute in your music for stuff you don't like. This music really matches the workout and it's the core of the entire video. Again Twombley has done a great job with this video and it's editing and presentation makes it easy to follow!

This video is a real winner. With the two pronged approach: mellow and slow versus faster and jazzy, this video would be an all purpose workout I would recommend this video to ALL fitness levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced including those proficient in martial arts and Tai Chi. There are things here someone who is proficient could learn as well!


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