This article appears in the November edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.

Kara Mupo, a two-time NCAA champion player at Northwestern, was named an assistant at Stanford in August following stints at Stony Brook and William & Mary. This past summer, she was the top goal scorer in the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League, leading the New England Command to the inaugural WPLL title.

Mupo trains year-round, incorporating fresh ideas such as kickboxing to enhance her on-field skills. She discovered her love of kickboxing as a freshman at Northwestern, attending 6 a.m. classes.  “I’m 100-percent a gym rat,” Mupo said. “I find if I don’t work out for a day, it’s funny. I say I get that itch.”

Kickboxing

Helps With : Hand-eye coordination, footwork and endurance.

I Do: 10 intervals of one-minute action with one-minute rest.

Step 1: Assume a boxing stance, with your left foot forward and left hand in front of your face to protect your eye and jaw. Your right hand is under your chin in the punching position.

Step 2: Start your boxing hop, transferring your weight from one foot to the other.

Step 3: Throw your jab. For each move, stay an arm’s length away from the bag so your knuckles will meet the bag before your arm fully extends. Make sure your right hand protects your right eye and jaw. Reset. Maintain your hop.

Step 4: Throw a jab, followed by a cross. Once you throw the jab, take your right arm and punch across your body into the bag. Reset. Maintain your hop.

Step 5: Throw a jab, cross and hook. After performing the first two motions, bring your right hand back into the protected position and work a hook with your left hand. Make sure your arm does not drop. Keep it shoulder height so you do not expose your waist. Rotate your core and work the hook.

Step 6: Throw a jab, cross, hook and kick. After the hook, set your feet and hand back in your boxing stance, drop your right arm, pivot your left foot and kick the right side of the bag.

Step 7: Strike the bag with the part of your foot where your shoe and ankle meet, making sure your left hand is protecting your face.