If you are new to the martial arts, you may wonder how many times a week you should train. You are not alone. This is a question that many martial arts students ask when they begin their practice.

There is no set answer to this question. Much of it will depend on the type of martial arts you are practicing. Competitive martials arts such as mixed martial arts require as much training as possible. Competitors will spend a majority of their time working on their craft but they also will spend time on things like strength training.

One mistake that many new students make is that they are (understandably) so excited about their practice that they start out training too hard and too often, which may cause burnout. Most martial arts experts will suggest that the casual martial arts enthusiast train about three times a week for approximately two hours at a time. Of course, these are only general guidelines. Once a student gets a better feel for what the martial arts involves they can increase their training times in relation to any specific goals they are looking to meet.

While the number of days and hours spent training can vary, it is important to remain consistent in your practice. It also is important to continue to increase the time you spend training. For example, if you begin training twice a week, that number should increase over time. If it doesn’t, you will begin to struggle to keep up with others in your class. And once you begin to fall behind, it is very easy to become frustrated and quit.

When you begin your practice, it may be hard to imagine training five or more days a week. However, once you understand the benefits of consistent training in the martial arts it will become clear why people continue to put more time into their practice. These benefits include a sense of calm, humility, improved physical fitness, increased focus, self-confidence and an overwhelming sense of camaraderie with fellow students.

How much you train will depend on what your goals are and your commitment to those goals. Your instructor also will be able to help you chart your path.