Training away from dojang

[ralphmcpherson]

Im just curious as to how much time people spend training at home or away from class. My instructor always said you should spend at least 1 hour training at home for each hour spent in class but this seems unrealistic for some people due to family, work, other hobbies etc. Ive trained with people who only do any tkd in class and do nothing away from it and others who use class as in 'instructional forum' and put in the repititions in their own time. How much time do you guys spend working on your tkd outside of normal class time?

 

[Cyriacus]

I Spend 1-2 Hours Practicing every Monday and Wednesday, and 30 Minutes on Friday. Weekends are mostly Fitness Cardio and Stretching. The reason is that on Tuesday and Thursday we have 2 Hour Sessions, but on Monday and Wednesday its only 1 Hour. Fridays go for an indeterminable amount of Time depending on how many People attend (Sparring).

 

[Earl Weiss]

The "Amount" would depend on whether you include, cardio, strength and flexibility work, before you start to punch and kick, or jsut puerely the TKD part.

If you count it all then it's about 4 hoours a week.

If only actual strikeing than about 1 hour a week

 

[dancingalone]

I like the 3:1 rule of thumb. 3 hours of outside practice time for every 1 hour of class time allows one to sufficiently ingrain the lessons taught into consciousness and muscle memory if one practices intelligently with purpose and clarity. This is a necessary ratio during the formative stages of learning if one aspires to be a good teacher eventually.

Personally, these days I teach approximately 20-25 hours a week, and I train another 15 hours a week on my own or with a partner or senior student. Life is good.

 

[Kong Soo Do]

Im just curious as to how much time people spend training at home or away from class. My instructor always said you should spend at least 1 hour training at home for each hour spent in class but this seems unrealistic for some people due to family, work, other hobbies etc. Ive trained with people who only do any tkd in class and do nothing away from it and others who use class as in 'instructional forum' and put in the repititions in their own time. How much time do you guys spend working on your tkd outside of normal class time?

Ralph,

This is an excellent question and in large part separates the hobbiest from the true martial artist. This isn't to disrespect the hobbiest and should not be taken as such. The hobbiest however probably doesn't have the need (or motivaton) to take it to the next level. For example, you mention training one hour at home for every hour in the Dojang. This is doable for the vast majority of people if their serious enough just by turning the TV off. I'll use myself as an example, I work full time (with back-to-back 12 hour shifts), homeschool my son, take care of my spouse, shop, do laundry, take care of the house, teach classes, train for a body building contest and train personally. How? By not wasting my time in front of the 'idiot box'. Oh, I watch occassionally but usually something with some educational value or Sponge Bob with my son People would be suprised what they can accomplish by not spending hour after hour watching TV. That is just my personal opinion.

 

[msmitht]

None. I teach 38 classes per week in tkd and train with 6 of them. I teach 8 bjj classes per week and train with all of them. I take 3 group bjj classes and 1 pl with a kkw 9th dan (retired) per week. Plenty of training for me. When I was a teen I used to do about an hour of bag work per day, every day.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Our dojang has classes Tues, Thurs & Sat. We're there for all of them. I don't consider the beginner class a workout; I'm there to help, not train. So 3-4 hours of training at the school each week.

On my own, I do at least an hour every day.

 

[No man]

I don't spend as much time at the dojang as I'd like; Two to six hours a week, depending on the week. Some day that'll change, but right now I spend one or two hours a day training on my own as often as I can make myself.
Kong Soo Do is spot on about how training on one's own separates the wheat from the chaff. If the only time you work your skills is in class, it shows. There's nothing wrong with that necessarily, because everyone has their priorities in a different order. As far as I'm concerned, training is the best possible thing I could be doing with my time, because each step I take in my training translates in to improvement in every other aspect of my life.
I've gotten everything I've ever put in to my training out of it again, and then some, and I'm only a two-year novice!

 

[Flea]

Before my injury, I trained 90 minutes a week in my regular class, and 1-2 social dances a week (typically one general ballroom and one milonga) at about 3 hours each. And a lot of bike commuting for conditioning. Nowadays it's just those dinky little PT exercises ... but that's not permanent.

 

[RobinTKD]

Personally, these days I teach approximately 20-25 hours a week, and I train another 15 hours a week on my own or with a partner or senior student. Life is good.

That's living the dream!!

I train in the Dojang 6 hours a week, I also train in Judo and Goju-Ryu Karate, 2 hours each, I try to train at home as often as possible, mostly stretching and forms. I also tend to keep a journal, basically documenting what i think could work as a technique/combination etc, and as a 'blog', it helps me to see how I've matured as a martial artist.

 

[dancingalone]

That's living the dream!!

I train in the Dojang 6 hours a week, I also train in Judo and Goju-Ryu Karate, 2 hours each, I try to train at home as often as possible, mostly stretching and forms. I also tend to keep a journal, basically documenting what i think could work as a technique/combination etc, and as a 'blog', it helps me to see how I've matured as a martial artist.

The journal is a great idea. Try to write down all the stray thoughts you have right now about training in judo and goju-ryu. Later on when you have a chance to ask your sensei for clarification it'll be a great resource whether your impressions were right or wrong.

Thanks for the compliment. It's nice when the martial arts have become one's full-time job.

 

[RobinTKD]

The journal is a great idea. Try to write down all the stray thoughts you have right now about training in judo and goju-ryu. Later on when you have a chance to ask your sensei for clarification it'll be a great resource whether your impressions were right or wrong.

Thanks for the compliment. It's nice when the martial arts have become one's full-time job.

Eventually i'll have a website where i'll post some of the better things i've wrote, i'll let you know when its up if you'd like to read it.

Right now, my main thought is on how similar the movements are in goju-ryu and judo. It feels like i'm using my legs and feet in exactly the same way, in judo, to avoid being thrown with an uchi-mata, i'll bend the leg being attacked, and try and counter with a backward throw on my opponent. I find myself doing exactly the same thing against a sweep in goju, except the counter will be with an elbow, backfist or forearm strike. The two Arts really do compliment each other very well. Have you ever trained in Judo? I know you've trained extensively in Okinawan Karate, maybe you could find a school that doesn't rely so much on sport judo.

 

[dancingalone]

Right now, my main thought is on how similar the movements are in goju-ryu and judo. It feels like i'm using my legs and feet in exactly the same way, in judo, to avoid being thrown with an uchi-mata, i'll bend the leg being attacked, and try and counter with a backward throw on my opponent. I find myself doing exactly the same thing against a sweep in goju, except the counter will be with an elbow, backfist or forearm strike. The two Arts really do compliment each other very well. Have you ever trained in Judo? I know you've trained extensively in Okinawan Karate, maybe you could find a school that doesn't rely so much on sport judo.

Yes, I was active in judo for a time, making it to brown belt. I still occasionally horse around with a few of the local judo clubs when I get the itch. I feel judo is a good complement to many of the striking arts like TKD.

And yes, some things in Goju-ryu can be evocative of the kuzushi concept in judo. This pushing hand/kakie video might be of interest to you to see some of the things practiced in Goju-ryu later on.

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Good luck with the training. Sounds like you are having a blast, Robin.

 

[RobinTKD]

Yes, I was active in judo for a time, making it to brown belt. I still occasionally horse around with a few of the local judo clubs when I get the itch. I feel judo is a good complement to many of the striking arts like TKD.

And yes, some things in Goju-ryu can be evocative of the kuzushi concept in judo. This pushing hand/kakie video might be of interest to you to see some of the things practiced in Goju-ryu later on.

Thank you for sharing the video Alex, I can see a lot of the principles I've learned in both Goju and Judo at work there. Also the pushing hands is reminiscent of a training technique I've seen practised a couple of times in Aikido, where they are feeling for the other other persons strength and then trying to upset their balance by taking their own hands away, it's good to watch and quite fun to do, though I wish I could remember it's name...

Good luck with the training. Sounds like you are having a blast, Robin.

I really am, I hope that one day I'll also be able to train full time, I've just finished reading Angry White Pyjamas by Robert Twigger, and it has made me want to now study in the same way.