It's hip: the latest edition of reality programme The Contender is devoted to it.

It's effective: When done with average intensity, it can burn around 700 calories in an hour.

It's therapeutic: There's more than just physical work. The kicking and punching seem to release pent-up tension.

We're talking about kickboxing, one of the hottest workouts in Singapore today. Virtually every gym in town offers the workout.

And it's the women who are strapping on gloves and unleashing vicious uppercuts and roundhouse kicks.

But with this surge in popularity comes some injuries - and doubts. So Urban asked kickboxing instructor Remy Mitchell Low to clear the air.

How can injuries be prevented? Some people complain of a sore heel after a kickboxing workout.

Most kicks in kickboxing use the standing leg as an important support and balance mechanism. One often pivots on the ball of the foot (of the leg you are standing on) when extending the other leg for a kick. When you use the wrong technique of pivoting on the heel of the foot instead of the ball, it can cause pain and injury.

Also, when punching the heavy bags, make sure you have warmed up your upper body thoroughly. Otherwise, the heavy impact could injure your shoulders and arms.

As for punching the pads, make sure you are close enough to the person holding the pads. If you are too far away, you can over-extend your arms by reaching for the pads, and that can cause injury too.

Can kickboxing be used for self-defence?

It helps in self-defence in terms of muscle memory and reflex response. Although the workout is done for fitness, kicking and punching the pads train the body to execute these techniques almost as a reflex.

If you are ever in a situation where you have to defend yourself physically, the muscle memory of throwing a punch or kick will automatically take over when the adrenaline starts pumping.

How many calories are burnt in an hour?

An hour of kickboxing, with average intensity, burns in excess of 700 calories. But if you really up the tempo, you can burn more.

What forms of martial arts does kickboxing involve?

It borrows the hand techniques from boxing. The leg techniques are from the traditional martial arts: a mixture of karate and taekwon-do kicks are used.

There are many types of kickboxing. Most people associate the sport with Thai boxing (muay thai), which uses the knees and elbows to strike opponents and the rules are different.

International kickboxing competitions have two categories.

The first is full contact, where kicks are allowed above the waist only and there is a rule that limits the number of kicks per round to eight. Punches are permitted to the head and body. Bouts are held in a boxing ring, with fighters using boxing gloves and leg padding.

The second is leg kick, where kicks are allowed from the thighs down and there is no minimum kick count per round. Punches are permitted to the head and body. Bouts are also held in a boxing ring, with fighters using boxing gloves.

Does kickboxing provide an all-round workout? Which muscles get involved, and is there a cardio burn?

It works on the entire body and you can even tailor each kickboxing training session to work on different parts of the body.

Do many repetitions of the moves at high speed (you should use about half your maximum strength) and you get a good cardio workout as well as improve your speed.

Work with the heavy bags at less than half your maximum strength and you're building power.

Remy Mitchell Low can be contacted at www.fitnesstrainer.com.sg