Like everyone else I try to balance my karate training,work,family,entertainment,etc..So how much should one train to become good at self defense? I realize that it is the quality that matters and not the quantity,so how much quality time? How much time do you spend now practicing your art?

Sanchin,

This is a good question. When I was younger I used to practice all the time...meaning 6-7 days a week sometimes...not all the times. From 2-4 hours at a time. As I got older, I just couldn't manage this with my other responsibilities...and now my wife. So, I make a choice to do this instead of that and try to do the best I can at whatever I am doing at that time. I am not a professional martial artist and need to earn a living in other areas outside of MAs...so this necessitates certain considerations.

So I practice the best I can when I can, but try to maintain at least 3-4 classes a week. This is in addition to lifting 3 times a week and running at least 3 days on opposing days from the lifting.

I think one should aspire at least to a three day a week program. Less than this and you risk not allowing your body to develop with the technique and losing what muscle tone and endurance you had gained.

Regards,

-B

I think there's nothing wrong with training everyday even if it's just 15 minutes. Think about it, you can do alot in 15 minutes or you can focus on one technique and that's a decent amount of time to train one technique, if you did it every day that would give you efficiency in that technique.
e.g. if you did 10 min of a combination like "jab, right, kick" over and over everyday for a week or two and then you got jumped, chances are the first thing you would do is "jab, right, kick"

or in 15 min you could do one kata over and over to improve it or learn something new from it.

my point is people can do more with the little time they have than feel guilty about not training. But at the same time with all your going through right now I think you deserve to relax and unwind a bit.

SANCHIN31 you have character I can't compare with, your dedication to the martial arts really impresses me, even while fighting cancer your still striveing towards self perfection, karate is a persuite of excellence and you are what karate is all about.

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my point is people can do more with the little time they have than feel guilty about not training. But at the same time with all your going through right now I think you deserve to relax and unwind a bit.

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No doubt,I will. I'm not concerned with training right now,but I will try to stay active.After I get through this I'll worry about that.

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SANCHIN31 you have character I can't compare with, your dedication to the martial arts really impresses me, even while fighting cancer your still striving towards self perfection, karate is a pursuit of excellence and you are what karate is all about.

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Wow! What a compliment! Thankyou very much.

The few minutes everyday is a good idea for a really busy person.

Well since I don't have a family and a full time job and other responsibilities like that yet. All I really want to do is train. I wish there was some sort of class that worked out for a good 4 hours each day.

That would be sweet, but when I start supporting myself more and am out of this crummy city, I hope I can still train at least in three classes a week. With, ofcourse, the weight lifting and cardio exercise

right now, I'm only doing 2 x 2hr classes a week. I bike or run when I feel like it. Starting Sept I'm doing 3 x 2 hr classes of Shorin and a few hours/wk on my own to keep up on Goju kata. Since moving, I'll be able to train a bit at home now too. my goal is to gradually get back up to about 10 hrs total a week.

Ok I am a young guy and I don't have a job so I train a lot. I only have college 2 days a week so that helps too. I train 5-7 days a week. On mondays, wednesdays, and fridays I train for 4 hours.

The dojo I practise is keen to maintain the family, work then karate ethic, with which I agree.

However i do train 3 x 2 hour sessions in the dojo, and 2 1 hour sessions (strength, endurance,makiwara mainly) at home each week. This feels right and is comftorable without being to extreme.

i am starting a study of shiatsu each week and will drop a dojo session for the duration of the course.

Balance is a new word to me and something that i think is vitaly important if you view training as a long term progress.

You only have college 2 days a week. I wish I had college only 2 days a week, but nooooo instead I have to have 27 hours of class a week. I mean seriously, who goes to school to be an engineer (:P).. social suicide!

Right now I train (in TKD) 3 x 1hr classes a week and (in kickboxing) 4 x 1hr classes a week. At home I practice for about an hour a night (including my warm up and calistenics) and on weekends for 3hrs sometimes more or less depends on the weather and my mood :P. So that totals about 15hrs give or take a few hours a week.

When I go back to Toronto for school I train in tkd 7 to 9 1 hr classes a week depending on midterms, labs, projects, exams, assignments class time etc. and I trian in BJJ 1 2hr class and 1 3hr class. At home I may practice for an hour or so a night. Sometimes not at all because of school. So that totals about 19 hrs/week give or take a few hours a week.

It's official... I'm obsessed.

Like most I have to juggle committments of work, family etc.
At the moment I train Karate 2 x 1 1/2 hrs a week because my instructor has ruptured his achillies tendon and has had to cancel some sessions. Soon as he is well I will start training another 2 x 1/2 hrs a week on top. Along side this I have just added an extra 2 hrs of Jujutsu a week as well as teaching 2hrs a week. Home training is as and when I can fit it in even if it is 10 minutes on the bag or makiwara, or even a quick kata in my garden while I'm supposed to be hanging out the washing.