Are long hours necessary to be good?

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

There seems to be a common opinion that to gain any significant and worthwhile skill in martial arts, it is necessary to spend hours training everyday requiring as much time as a regular job.

Does this make sense or is it a kind of misconception? Does it mean that those who for any reason are unable to make martial arts their entire life cannot expect to ever reach a high level of skill?

Luther unleashed · Brown Belt

That's an interesting concept, I will tell you that for me it's actually kind of simple. Into thousand and 14 I was training about 2 to 3 hours A day, and I mean almost every day. Training consisted of training at home and training in the Dojang. Of course with all those hours put in I did gain a significant increase in many parts of my martial arts abilities. Into thousand and 15 I injured my back and have been struggling with severe vertigo, it has greatly affected my ability to train As I did before. I have had to lower my kicks a great deal, and I also have had to ultimately not work on any type of spinning text because I just get too dizzy. Also when coming from the floor to stand up is really an awful feeling as well so it has just been a big impact.

So, here's my opinion on how much one needs to train to be good. I know I will sound a bit repetitive by saying everybody is not the same, but it's true. Some people are more talented than others and it is going to require certain people much more practice to be good then others. For myself, I am very talented in my mental ability to really understand the dynamics whether it be leverage, timing, or anything else, and technuqes. So for me, I can get a lot further by watching before I actually have to do anything then many people. It's just something that I noticed a long time ago. I was also a mechanic for 16 years and I often wonder if it was something with so for me, I can get a lot further by watching before I actually have to do anything then many people. It's just something that I noticed a long time ago. I was also a mechanic for 16 years and I often wonder if it was something with being mechanically inclined that helps me with the technical side of training more. The point is to pick up a particular technique I do not seem to need as many hours of training as the person next to me in many cases so it's impossible to set a time. The signature under all of my posts states The signature under all of my posts states "hard work and dedication are a substitute for talent" hard work and dedication are a substitute for talent ! I heard this used many years ago as a basketball term. For those that cannot pick it up as easily it is much more important to put in more hours.

And to understand this topic completely I think that the students should know their limitations and abilities and what level they need to put in to get any desired particular result.
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tallgeese · Black Belt

Right.

In the final equation, the more hours you spend, the better you'll be at any skill. Now, depending on how effective you want to be this can vary greatly. My kali instructor is very succinct on the subject. Years of study don't matter. It's the hours. You can train 10 years once a day for an hour and not have the skill set a 1 year guy who trains 3 hours a day, every day does.

This is true.

However, very few people have the time and need to train to a highly professional level. Really good skill can be learned in much shorter time frames. Will you ever win a world title? No. Will you have an understanding of the material that is deep? Yes.

Will this allow you to defend yourself? Maybe. And therein lies the rub. Despite all preparation you might still lose. The more hours you spend, the more likely you win, but what are your needs? And restrictions? Those questions will inform you hours on the mat.
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hammer · Green Belt

I would say yes, but as mentioned, natural physical talent and coordination can help to reduce the hours required.

I'm at the low end of the gene pool on the physical talent scale, so I just need to put the hours in.

Beyond hours, I'd say that consistency matters...IMO it's better to train 3 times a week for 2 hours each than 1 day a week for 6 hours. That said, training one day a week beats not training at all.

DWx · Black Belt

Yes and no. It depends on what you mean by good.

Can an average person acheive a decent skill level by training a couple of hours a week? Sure. Will you become a world champion or best in the world? Probably not. However for the average student a few hours a week is enough to develop a skillset and hone their abilities.

Now on the other end of the scale speaking from personal experience, I would say hours do matter if you want to be the best. I have trained and competed on my national team for TKD for the last 8 years. My team, England, typically rank within the top 10 countries in Europe, sometimes just sneaking in to the top 5. Training time is something we frequently talk about and how we, compared to some other countries actually do very well given the number of hours we can afford to put in. The top 5 teams all have significantly more time they set aside for training than we do. They aren't training technique much differently but the shear amount of time they are training has an impact.

Surprisingly though they also aren't training crazy all year round. It really seems to come down to smart training.

To explain: English competitors typically train at our home clubs maybe 3 or 4 times a week, supplement this with individual fitness training, then meet up every 2 weeks for a 3 hour squad session. Some of the teams elsewhere in Europe are fortunate that their competitors can train full time professionally and as you would expectm these guys often medal. What's surprised me though is how the Bulgarian and Russian teams train (frequently end up on the podium). From speaking to their competitors, they all have day jobs and just train in the mornings and evenings like we do. However a month before a Championships, they take time off from work and school to attend a fight camp. These fight camps typically mean 5 or 6 training sessions a day, every day for several weeks. Again the techniques and methods are not very different but yet they consistently out class everyone else, even the professionals who are training all year round.

So yes hours do matter, but using those hours well are also important.
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sensei8 · KF Sensei

Without going into a long post, which I easily could, I'll just say this...

Quality time begets quality results!!

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Drew · Orange Belt

One of the things that stuck out at me in Thailand was how sharp the skills of the experienced teenage fighters was. Their techniques had a technical and aesthetic perfection that you very, very rarely see in the west.

The trainers, by contrast, lacked that polish. They all clearly once had it, but through time, 300 fights, and an earned lack of serious training they just don't have that technical excellence anymore, even though they can typically teach it. What they did have was impressive fight IQ and ring savvy.

In the middle of the two you have the early twenties fighter with all the sharpness of a "young" fighter but with much of the intelligence of the retired ones. They're about 8000 times better at Muay Thai than their western counterparts, and that's because they've spent around 8 years training 2 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the evening, six days a week with short breaks after tough fights. That's burning the candle at both ends, and the progress really shows.

There's no substitute for effort over time, and skills degrade the longer you don't train them.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

At first the idea that more time spent training translates to greater skill seems to make sense. It also makes sense that someone who does it professionally must be better than a person whose living does not depend on training.

To say that it is the only way to train and that anything less is not effective sounds more like an excuse. The "long hours=greater skill" idea is to simplistic because it fails to consider training methods. To be effective, training must be focussed on specific goals for improvement. In addition, there are plenty of highly skilled martial arts practicionners who do not make a living from martial arts, are not professional athletes or have ever served in the military.

yamesu · Black Belt

I've met naturals who are good with tonnes of time spent training. I've met naturals who are just as good without as much time too.

I've also met and trained with hopeless people who have spent years training, and are not good....

I think its an individual case by case.
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