How many times should I attend my dojang?

[sleepykid156]

I go to my dojang twice a week and practice on my own when ever i get the time. as a highschool junior i dont have much time since SAT(-.-) prep is eating up most of my time. But when i read some of the articles and ppl say that they go to their dojang 4-5 times a week i really start to question my dedication toward this MA.

Thoughts, advices, opinions are welcomed

[cesarekim]

SAT => good school => career => money => kumdo

You can do as much kumdo as your FREE time allows. Kumdo is something that will wait for you. Going to college is something that needs to be done before you can do other things. Useless piece of paper, perhaps, but required ticket to get most jobs...

My 10 won....

[June]

I find that going once a week makes your Kumdo worse. Twice a week you pretty much just stay in place with where you are and make very small progress but just as easily get worse.

The minimum should be 3 times a week. That way the things you've learned stay with you until the next practice and you can try to implement them at the next practice.

Anything more is just icing on the cake.

I agree about the useless piece of paper.

[Bruce W Sims]

Fact is that using the term "should" means that you are making your behavior depend on what OTHER people think and feel. I think the proper question you need to be asking is "how often do I need to go to the dochang to be successful in meeting my goals?" For myself I would like to go to train every day but its simply not feasible given my responsibilities. Sometimes the only training I can fit in is what I make time for in my own daily schedule. At first glance that does not seem like much, but I know in my heart that I am making the most time that I can in order to meet my MA goals. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Shawn Dormishev]

I go 4 days a week for kumdo and 2 to tkd.( I think its up to you) the people that come once a week are slow to get stuff down.They rush things trying to keep up. 2 times is the limit But you need to train on your own time..training means you need to have some basics down. kumdo will not go away if you have school or work it will be there when you are done. have fun and train hard when you can.

[Bruce W Sims]

In just a few words, Shawn, you have made an incredibly important point!

Way too many people think they can get everything out of the time they spend in class. I make a great issue of telling my students that the class is just a time to get some guidance from me. The rest of the time they need to be working on things at home. Its a lot like doing "homework" in any other school, right? A person can't think that they are going to get all of the conditioning, practice, form-work and so forth just by using class time at the dochang. And if you look at other sports, none of those activities do this. For instance, Baseball players don't limit themselves just to game-time. Golfers hit buckets of balls and practice their putting for hours between actually rounds of golf. And what about basketball players? How many hours do they spend shooting baskets and playing pick-up games down at the park?

If you want to be at all good at something it needs to be something that you are sincerely interested in and are willing to make time for in your life. Too many folks dibble and dabble around with MA because of the novelty, and then wonder why they are not improving. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[cesarekim]

From an MA point of view, I agree with all of your posts. From a parental point of view, I would like to reiterate:

STUDY FIRST. SCHOOL IS YOUR JOB.

Kumdo is something that should come in second in life unless you are planning to make it your career and feed your family with it.

Before people jump on me, please be aware that I practice a minimum of 3 times a week in the dojang and practice on my on on basics every day. This week, due to seminars, I had the opportunity to train for a total of 28 hours with 2 8dan... I still made it to work.

[johnkichu]

From an MA point of view, I agree with all of your posts. From a parental point of view, I would like to reiterate:

STUDY FIRST. SCHOOL IS YOUR JOB.

Kumdo is something that should come in second in life unless you are planning to make it your career and feed your family with it.

Before people jump on me, please be aware that I practice a minimum of 3 times a week in the dojang and practice on my on on basics every day. This week, due to seminars, I had the opportunity to train for a total of 28 hours with 2 8dan... I still made it to work.

Ceasare is right. The fact that questions like this even get asked is a bit incredible.

[The Rose Knight]

All excellent answers!

I monitor my sixteen year old son's free time in relation to his grades and workload. When he's in need of extra study time, I make him take it out of other areas first; video games, goofing off with friends, and tv time. Kumdo and Taekwondo are always last to be chopped, but if school is suffering because of them, or his workload from school and his part time coffee house job don't allow him to attend, then school takes priority one.

Sleepykid, you will be faced with this question your entire life; professional, personal, and familial obligations will replace school in competing for your free time. The key is to keep the big picture in mind; when things are busy, don't focus on the fact that you had to miss class; focus on the fact that you will be able to put in more time in class once things settle down.

I find that life's obligations tend to be cyclical. During the summer, I'm in class five times a week. During the winter, three, but occasionally four and sometimes two. But since I'm in it for the long haul, I don't let myself get down over the times that I can't attend as frequently.

Daniel

[omgitzkumdo]

hey, sleepykid156, is that you young?

[b8amack]

Cesare's right on the money. Study first, kumdo's definitely second banana. Third, if you have a part time job. SATs are pretty important.

[samuelp1994]

i go to kumdo everyday for 2 classes.. :P but then again im just a sophmore..

WA represent!

[CESAREKIM]

Are you in Marsten Sensei's dojo?