How often do you train?

How often do you train? Please be honest as this is for posterity.

This poll will lead to my rant.... It seems that training MAs only once or twice a week is a perfectly acceptable amount of training to obtain the conoditioning and skills most people are looking for. I see nothing wrong with this as that is how often I trained for years but I while I did so, I had no intentions what-so-ever to ever compete and I knew that I was no where near full contact NHB level. My gripe is this, after a few years of only training once or twice a week, somone will get thier blackbelt and then think that they somehow are ready to fight in the UFC. When in reality they are just ready to start training to actually fight other trained fighters and when they finally do, it will be for a much much smaller promotional orginization than the UFC. Now I compete in sumbission wrestling tournaments and I can tell you that if I only trained once or twice a week, my first match would only last a minute before I got tapped out. My point here is this, if you want to be anywhere near as good as a professional in any given field, you have to first be considered an amature and to do that would mean that you have competed at an amature level.... and to do that, one would have to do a lot more than just "dabble".

With my rant out of the way, I ask each of you how often do you train (it doesn't even have to be in a dojo - practicing at home for a hour or more at a time counts), what are you looking to get out of your training and do you think that is enough?

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There are many paths at the base of the mountain but all who reach it's peak see the same moon.

I'm looking to become a pro fighter by any means, I'm just trying to learn more about my body and capabilities and see how far I can push myself to find out my potential and to be able to know that I can defend myself when/ if I need to. I dont pick fights and I dont think I ever will, But I want to be comfortable with my abilitly to defend myself.

EVERY day of the week...Even if I dont do anything else, I train iron palm 7 days a week/365 days a year.

Monday: 2+ hours
Tuesday: ~3 hours
Wednesday: 2 hours
Thursday: 2.5 hours
Friday: 1 hour
Saturday: 1 hour
Sunday: 1 hour

It wasnt always like this...

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PlumDragon Herbs: Dit Da Jow and Iron Palm Liniments

"When a handshake passes the elbow, it becomes Judo."

yeah, its a slow decent into the loss of spare time and other activities, so slow sometimes you cant see it happening till its too late..they've got you....and you like it too much to stop!

I train at least 3 times a week at my school (~3 hours at a time) and that includes going to the optional (for my rank) beginners class (the hour before my regular class) to work on my basics and conditioning. I also train Tai Chi 1.5 hours and arnis 1 hour a week at my school. Plus some free time work. I'm also always running over things in my mind and perfecting (well, trying to perfect) some of our more subtle movements throughout the course of a day.

I'm going for a total integration of the MA into my life so it's sort of like I never stop training. My goal is effectiveness (read deadliness in a fight) and that understanding that true martial artists get (if you know what I'm talking about, great, if not then just think about an old master meditating, lol).

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Dragon, Dragon, Dragon

Wisdom, Courage, Honor, Strength, Purity, All Knowledge.

I train All days when I am home in one way or another, Except two which I need to do things for my wife. I'm afraid of her! When I go to work, Pilot, I do taiji in my hotel room and then treadmill or something for cardio.

Everyday, either in class or by myself, from anywhere from one hour to five hours depending on schedule, life, etc.

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Oh THAT'S how that works!

Define 'train'.

I put in three - four hours a day training. BUT only about half is MA. I only do one session a week with my teacher.... You can NEVER train enough, there is no such thing, the concept is flawed from the ground up.

I'm looking to enjoy my training and, currently, get to "the next level" which I can glimpse, and feel, but not reach consistantly. In the tai chi it's being just a little bit looser and having the power and grounding I can touch now consistantly. In the yoga - specifically, in the next few weeks, I plan to get my boat to handstand neat and tidy. The purpose to training is, for me, to challenge the body and through that still the mind ...

"Time enters space, a zone of its own. The only reality is what's happening right then"... That state is all the real freedom available, and most everything I do is directed to remaining in it as much as possible.

IMO every one should train as much or as little as they feel like and fits in with their lifestyle. If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. Life's too short to live in fear of the mythical bogeyman you can defeat if you just train ten times more often.

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

training is for wussies...
I'm a natural


Chief108

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“	Question Authority. Question Society. Question Reality. Question Yourself. Question your conclusions, your judgments, your answers. Question this. If you question everything thoroughly enough, the truth will eventually hit you upside the head and you will know. But here’s a warning: It won’t be what you imagined. It won’t be even close.	”

all hail Martyr Fakka

that being said:
I train "as often as I can"
sometimes it's enough, sometimes not

the last 6 months my instructor wasn't around, which means that my kung fu training wasn't always like it should be
but then again I sparred and trained more with young guys that fight MMA and kyokoshin on a regular basis...
I know I don't train enough to get into the ring (I've a great list with excuses for that.. )
but I do know where I stand with my skills

also I ride the tandem mountainbike and we do pretty well with that

at this moment my instructor is back and I need to learn a *lotta* stuff in a small timespace, so the training nights with him are long and I work every day on (remembering) my new forms...

when he's gone again it's up to me what to do with that new info....
and to test it on my sparring mates...

Chief108

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“	Question Authority. Question Society. Question Reality. Question Yourself. Question your conclusions, your judgments, your answers. Question this. If you question everything thoroughly enough, the truth will eventually hit you upside the head and you will know. But here’s a warning: It won’t be what you imagined. It won’t be even close.	”

all hail Martyr Fakka

I have 2 classes a week in my wing chun class, and 1 chi kung class. Also, I am trained to be an instructor in the youth wing chun class, so I train with them/instruct them 2 times a week. Before those classes, I usually practice a modern wu shu form, the 24 tai chi form, and sometimes a bagua form. I do strength training at least twice a week and go running at least once a week.

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb

I go to Pa Kua three times a week (1 hour lesson).
I get up at 8 AM and do 30' of (fixed? The one that doesn´t move.. lol) bike.
Then situps, crunches, all that. I hate these kind of excercises, I just do them for my back and bacause I know it improves my performance in general. BUT I STILL HATE THEM!
That takes me an hour or so. The rest of the time I practice what I've learnt so far, and stretch in order to open my hips a little more.
Even when I don't feel like doing alll that I still stretch otherwise the next day I loose a little flexibility.
All that takes me 2 hours.
And I also try to walk every chance I get. I take my dog for an hour walk when I'm not very busy (I think she hates me xD).
I do this everyday except for Sundays. On Sundays I just read and watch TV and surf the internet. I relax and do my nails and just hang around the house. I just love Sundays

“	Originally Posted By: Jubei With my rant out of the way, I ask each of you how often do you train (it doesn't even have to be in a dojo - practicing at home for a hour or more at a time counts), what are you looking to get out of your training and do you think that is enough?	”

Submission wrestling: 2 days/week (1.5-2 hrs)
Kung Fu: 3 days/week (1.5 hrs)
This is in class alone, I also do training on my own, but I never keep track of when or for how long. I'll admit, I don't practice as much as I'd like, but I also have a job to maintain.

That being said. Many people do MA for the fun of it, not for UFC competing. There's nothing wrong with not training 24/7. However there is something wrong with an armature having the attitude of being a pro.

What I intend to gain from my training are the abilities to defend myself, and eventually teach others to defend themselves as well, amongst other things. I don't really care about competing, the sport of it doesn't appeal to me. To me it's the difference between hunting for sport, and hunting for food.

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"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."

--Ann Landers