Hykso and CKO Kickboxing believe they have the power to tap into a new market of 35 million people, one where consumers are currently implementing boxing and kickboxing into their daily fitness lives.
CKO Kickboxing and Hykso, a creator of sports and technology products, recently partnered to integrate wearable technology into fitness kickboxing classes at select CKO locations across the U.S.
As of last week, Hoboken, N.J.-based CKO Kickboxing will integrate Hykso’s strike-tracking glove sensor into targeted locations over the next few months, with plans for a full-scale rollout t0 all 80 CKO franchises in 2017. Rich Rosso, Chief Operating Officer of CKO, said that the company is still weighing its options but as of now, plans to rent the tracking gloves to gym members or even bake it into the membership fee.
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“We’re proud to be the first and only kickboxing franchise that can offer our members such precise tools that help motivate them to get in shape,” said Rosso in a statement. “Our members can now get accurate, up-to-the-second feedback on their workouts when they use the same state-of-the-art sensors created by Hykso and used by the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team.”
Because of its simple functionality, both amateur athletes and recreational consumers along with professional athletes, like UFC’s Cris Cyborg, can leverage the wearable technology to better understand their workouts and calculate various metrics. Hykso’s sensors can track speed, intensity and punch count while also measuring a punches velocity, identifying its type and relaying that information to a mobile application in real time.
According to Hykso Co-Founder and former U.S. boxing star Tommy Duquette, the new technology can not only enhance existing boxing and kickboxing classes but also slightly alter how a trainer conducts a class. With the ability to showcase class participants’ punching metrics on flat screens throughout CKO locations, a trainer can now divide the class up into various teams who compete against each other.
“Live performance feedback fundamentally changes the behavior of individuals in a workout setting, holding them more accountable and driving greater effort,” Duquette said in a statement. “This is especially the case when class participants are simultaneously exposed to the live performance data of others around them.”
Duquette added that with the technology integration and friendly in-class competitions, CKO locations can hopefully foster even deeper ties among members, an additional benefit beyond just the wearable sensors.
“A gym’s holy grail is to develop this sense of community,” he added. “You see that with CrossFit. It’s a real community within the gym. Once you have that, you start strengthening relationships. … It’s huge for gyms. It strengthens bonds and encourages you to work as a team.”