The set is plain, but not distracting and the upbeat instrumental music isn't very loud (it often times gets lost in the background). There are 2 female background exercisers with Violet and one of them demonstrates modified versions. The commercial at the beginning of the DVD is 3:50 minutes long (Liz Gilles and Yoga Zone workout videos). The workout doesn't require a lot of space (enough space is needed for a couple of lateral steps and kicks sideways, forward and backwards).


The DVD is chaptered and the menu consists of:

Play Feature
Chapter Selection
Bonus Footage (5 minute clip of "Fiesta Fitness Mambo Dance" with Giselle de Escobar)
KOCH Vision Online

Intro by Violet (approx. 1 min)

Warm Up (approx. 5 minutes):

Side to side step touches
Inhale arms up and down
Alternating punch chambers
Slow jabs and crosses
Tempo jabs and crosses
Slow hooks
Tempo hooks
Slow upper cuts
Tempo upper cuts
Alternating calf/hip flexor stretches
Inhale arms up and down

Basic Punches (approx. 6 minutes):

Side to to side step touches with arm stretches
Jabs and crosses
Hooks and upper cuts
Combinations of jab-cross-hook-upper cuts
Jab, cross, jab
Jab, cross, hook, upper cuts, jab-cross-jabs and semi jumping jacks
Hooks, upper cuts
Jab, cross, hook, upper cuts
Jab, cross, jab
Side to side step touches
Alternating standing quad stretches
Inhale arms up and down

Basic Kicks (approx. 5.5 minutes):

Alternating front kick chambers
Front kicks (Violet instructs you to lean back)
Stationary squats with arms in guard
Roundhouse kick chambers
Roundhouse kicks with jumping jacks
Stationary squats
Alternating back kick chambers
Back kicks
Stationary squats
Standing quad/hip stretches
Inhale arms up and down

Combinations: Kicks and Punches (approx. 6 minutes):

Roundhouse kick, tap
Roundhouse kick, squat
Jabs
Jab, jab, cross
Roundhouse kick, squat, jab, jab, cross
Step touches

Punches with Weights (Violet doesn’t state how much the bars/dumbbells weigh) (approx. 6.5 minutes):

Underhand grip on body bar for bicep curls
Shoulder stretches
Upright rows with body bar
Slow jab and cross with dumbbells in hands
Slow hooks with dumbbells in hands
Slow uppercuts with dumbbells in hands
Double jabs with dumbbells in hands
Slow hooks with dumbbells in hands
Slow uppercuts with dumbbells in hands
Shoulder stretches
Bicep stretches
Inhale arms up and down

Kicks with Weights (approx. 7 minutes):

Squats with body bar over shoulders
Deadlifts with body bar
Front kick chambers with body bar over thighs
Front kicks with body bar over thighs
Roundhouse kicks with upright body bar
Back kicks with body bar over the heel of kicking foot
Shoulder rolls
Shoulder/arm stretches

Abdominals (approx. 5 minutes):

Supine abdominal crunches (different variations)
Knees to chest stretches
Bicycle crunches

Cool down (approx. 3.5 minutes):

Supine stretches
Side-lying quad stretches
Standing forward bend with alternating heel lifts
Shoulder stretches

I'm disappointed with this workout; it's not what I was expecting (I thought it would have more pure kickboxing and that it was going to be more intense/faster paced). The entire workout did work my core muscles well, and I like Violet as an instructor (she has good form, and she gives good form pointers throughout the workout).

I think people hoping for/expecting a killer kickboxing workout will be disappointed. I think those who are looking for a high energy, fast-paced cardio workout will also be disappointed. IMO, Killer Kicks is a deliberate-paced kickboxing workout that focuses on good form, but is geared towards beginner-intermediate basic kickboxing and muscle toning exercises (of course it depends on how each person defines exercise levels for herself/himself). Violet constantly gives form pointers and she stops a few times during the workout to look at the 2 background exercisers' form. I like Violet's on-screen personality, and she keeps the comments focused on the workout/form pointers (although she does ask quite a few times during the workout if she's the only one who feels the effect of the workout/if anyone is feeling the effects of the workout).

Instructor Comments:
Top trainer and Black Belt Violet Zaki leads this martial arts inspired workout. She has great form and she constantly gives form pointers. Although she is a serious instructor, she has a pleasant on-screen persona and she is very fit!

Leslie (blue_hydrangea)