Krav Maga, just like any other kind of martial arts, requires regular training and practice in order to sharpen your self-defense skills.
Like an athlete that doesn’t train hard enough, they won’t be able to perform at 100% efficiency and somebody else will take home the gold medal, leaving them to wonder why.
Unlike a sport event with Krav Maga, you may regret not having done your best when you find yourself in a critical situation.
But how often should you practice Krav Maga?
In this post we'll cover:
Your Goals Define the Training Required to Achieve Them
First you must ask yourself what your training goals are, then you can rough draft a plan on how to achieve them.
Evaluate your self-defense needs so you can choose what kind of Krav Maga training you will undertake.
- How effective do you want to be in using Krav Maga? Are you planning to take on 20 guys like Ip-Man with his Wing Chun in the movies?
- Or do you just want to be good enough to take down muggers?
- Or maybe you just want to train in Krav Maga to be fit and physically active?
Your goals define the training required to achieve them.
Are you looking for new avenues in martial arts, or physical fitness but don’t want to give up too much of your free time?
Then you’re probably that typical light recreational Kravist.
If you hope to become the most lethal Kravist and push your limits both physically and mentally, then going to the KM gym once-a-week for training won’t get you there, well, maybe in a thousand years or so.
Based on what I’ve personally witnessed in Krav Maga schools and gyms, I found that KM members can be categorized into these 3 types of Kravist:
The Light Recreational Kravist
The goals of a light recreational kravist include:
- Light training sessions in Krav Maga most likely once, or maybe twice a week
- The training will not last for more than 3 hours at a time
- They will be balanced with other activities or lifestyle demands (but may shift depending on the Kravists wants and needs)
- Physical fitness
Being a light recreational kravist could help you either acquire new skills faster, or just improve your overall physical fitness.
Training once a week should help you achieve this goal and also will not cost too much.
The Recreational Kravist
The goals that a recreational kravist wants to achieve include:
- Learn some self-defense techniques
- Improve on his Krav Maga skills a little further, so that he won’t be considered a novice
- Fitness is also among his aims
- Be able to defend himself against a single opponent when attacked while in the streets at the very least, and/or make a counter-attack and get away fast with self-preservation in mind
This option is good for people who don’t have a lot of time to devote to Krav Maga training, but are still able to set and achieve certain short term goals.
A higher level of time/commitment is required in order for you to achieve your goals faster.
The recommended training frequency for recreational kravists is twice a week with at least 16 hours. Not bad considering the benefits that come with it!
You can expect a much faster pace in your training progress when compared to once-weekly training.
Training 2 times a week is a great bargain for most people; you have the advantage of learning more martial arts skills in a relatively short time frame.
If you train twice a week, then that means you should be able to train 3 or more sessions and not have to pay any more money for it, but you’ll have to set your priorities straight as it may take up more of your free time than you allow.
I highly recommend a twice a week training for anyone who wants to be a recreational kravist as it’s the sweet spot in getting what you want without having to do too much effort.
You can track your progress each month and see how far you’ve improved in your training.
It’s better than the once a week training, but it won’t impact on your free time as much.
The Serious Recreational Kravist
The goals that a serious recreational kravist hopes to achieve are the following:
- His main recreational and fitness pursuit is purely Krav Maga
- He wants to be a Krav Maga master whether that means going through the belt system training or just develop his own self-defense technique
- He is training for the streets and not for show, he wants to be absolutely confident with his skills and be able to take on multiple aggressors at a time – and survive
- His situational awareness is off the charts and he can dispose of any threat with finesse
- He is a lethal fighter and a wise warrior
- His Krav Maga training transcends through his personal life and he is able to help not just himself, but others as well and not just in self-defense but in other aspects of their lives
You should train at least 3 times a week if you are to become a serious recreational kravist and you may also want to attend camps and KM seminars too!
You will achieve a high level of skill in approximately 10+ months’ time and your progress will be significantly faster than the other types of kravists.
You’ll most likely train in a prestigious Krav Maga school where most of the students have outstanding performance in the arts both in the gym and on the streets, and you may also want to supplement your training with additional fitness routine in the gym and/or regular personalized workout sessions.
This self-defense style becomes an important part of your life as you focus on your training in order to get better.
There is also no need to commit to a single training goal throughout your Krav Maga career because there will be changes in your life that will be factored into your training that will also force you to change your training priorities, as do we all.
It’s just your starting point. Despite the fact that you would want to dedicate more time to training, changes in work patterns, relocation, and time spent with family and friends will affect your schedule.
This should not worry you as we train to adapt to any situation – including the ones that will prevent us from training more.
What’s important is that you remain consistent with whatever time you have on your hands.
And now let’s consider the other side of the coin when deciding on the frequency of your training in Krav Maga. The cost.
Krav Maga Training Cost – Not Just Financial
People easily get confuse on this part of the equation, well, I don’t blame them if they think all I’m talking about is the financial cost, because you would need to pay certain fees to get admitted into the gym in order to train.
Truth be told, the financial cost of training varies between Krav Maga schools and their location.
However, the financial cost is not what will take its toll on you – the “sweat equity” will.
And I give this warning to anyone who wishes to train in Krav Maga, once you start training, no matter the frequency of your training, you will pay with every single drop of sweat and breath you take.
Financial Cost
Your expenditures in terms of enrolling in a Krav Maga gym, workout outfit, additional training equipment (the ones that the KM school can’t provide for you), and Krav Maga camps and seminars may cost between $60 – $180 a month on average.
The reality of the matter is that it doesn’t cost much to train in Krav Maga, when compared to the important self-defense skills you’ll learn that can save your life.
You may need to shift your focus on your goals and motivation levels for training instead, as the cost should not even be an issue.
You can of course, especially as a light recreational type, start your training online with one of these resources and see if you can work in the time to go to the gym once or twice a week, once you get the feel for it.
Sweat Equity
To train in Krav Maga means to be prepared for a military-style training regimen that’s tough, physically intensive, and in some cases, even grueling.
Every KM class/lesson is hard and that’s the way it should be, or you may want to train somewhere else if you can’t handle the demanding way of life of a kravist.
If it doesn’t get you out of your comfort zone and challenge you to push beyond your limits, then it’s not Krav Maga, because that’s the only way to grow physically and mentally.
That’s what sweat equity means!
Conclusion
Now that you know what you can achieve at the different levels of Krav Maga. It should be easier for you to set clear goals for your training based on your individual circumstances.
The bottom line is – Once you’ve set goals stick to them, most people don’t that’s why most people fail to arrive at their desired outcome.
Don’t be most people be the best.
Life will always throw challenges. Finding solutions and alternatives to them is what will make you great.
Like the famous quote goes “A YEAR FROM NOW YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU STARTED TODAY”