Kick.AI Product Review - Martial Journal

I’m a nerd. There, I said it. I love numbers and data, and use various objective metrics to analyze all aspects of my life. From my diet, to exercise, sleep, work… as the saying goes, there’s an app for that. Which is why I was so intrigued to review the KICK.AI tool, billed as the first martial arts wearable.

KICK.AI – The Background

I first learned of KICK.AI from a news article a few years ago and shortly after interviewed the founder, Jan-Eric Wargelin for Martial Arts Radio, episode 221. It was an interesting conversation, and while he had some great ideas, the unit wasn’t ready. Pre-orders were live, but they weren’t shipping.

And then they were. So I reached out and asked if I could get my hands on one to evaluate. Kindly, the company obliged and I’ve spent the last few weeks playing with it, off and on.

Summary

I wasn’t sure what to expect, other than maybe a first-gen product that needed some work. While there are certainly some aspects to that, overall, this thing is a solid tool and one that might have a place in your life.

First Impressions

Everything, from what was in the box to the box itself, seemed to be of good quality. I received a pack with two sensors, meaning I could use both feet to kick in simulations without changing the strap from one ankle to the next. The software downloaded and worked easily (Android, I have no iOS devices) and I was able to connect quickly. I’d say from first opening the box to throwing my first kick took about 5 minutes.

Kick.AI – First Use

I loaded the software and started going through the different simulations. To be honest, they’re practically games. From testing reaction time to speed, everything is easy to use. Depending on the simulation, you get different prompts, both audio and visual, to indicate when to start or stop. Initially, I used the visual indicators, but as I got more comfortable, I used the audio. I found it was less distracting, and allowed me to focus on what I was doing better.

One of the upsides for this sort of device is your ability to train on your own. If there’s a downside, it’s that you need to hit something. And, unfortunately, you need to hit it hard. I have a stand-up heavy bag at home, but it’s not fully loaded at the bottom because I need to move it at times. Sometimes kicks didn’t register when I made contact, which was frustrating. Over time, I learned to reduce that by retracting my kicks faster. I know, I know…something I should be doing anyway.

I found that just a few minutes of use was a bit tiring, and it really showed in the numbers, both speed and reaction time, so I decided to put it away and use it another time.

Subsequent Use

I used the KICK.AI two more times over the next couple of weeks. I liked that I could see my progress immediately, and get fast feedback on small technique adjustments. The language and the software are definitely marketed towards WT (Olympic) Taekwondo practitioners, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get use from it if you practice another style.

It would not be useful to wear on your wrists – not that the sensors wouldn’t work for it, but the software wouldn’t interpret anything in a useful way.

One of my favorite features is the leaderboard, which allows a competitive person like me to add another reason to continue training. I found that there were plenty of people out there faster than me – but also quite a few slower. And when we compared to people my own age… I was doing quite alright. 🙂

Criticisms

My main criticism might just be some paranoia, but I want to be honest. The ankle straps feel a bit thin. I appreciate the design, and they fit well, but they feel dangerously stretched when I put them on, even over my narrow feet. Now, I’ve put them on and taken them off a half-dozen times, with no rips or damage, but I am very careful for that reason.

Kick.AI Progress Summary Dashboard — Dashboard

Conclusion

I could see this being useful for a few different cases – anyone who wants to train on their own and likes data or the motivation of a leaderboard, anyone involved in competitive WT-style taekwondo sparring, or anyone who wants to test themselves and get real data back on their techniques. I suppose most people will fall into one of those camps.

Kick.AI website