How Much Do You Train?
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October 15, 2007, 9:55 am
Filed under: Questions
Filed under: Questions
I usually train four days a week. That’s two days of teaching/training with the college capoeira club, and two days of training with my mestre.
Last week, though, I didn’t train at all (which sucks). The college club couldn’t meet because of scheduling problems and a holiday, and I didn’t train with my group because of the same holiday and then I came down with a nasty bug for a couple of days.
You guys have been giving some great feedback lately, so let’s continue the trend. How many days a week do you train? Once, twice, more than three? Do you train whenever you have a free minute and some room to ginga? How much training is too much? Can there be such a thing?
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The Capoeira Blog 
well in my opinion i dont think there is such thing as too much train reason being well i train 4 days a week this teacher trainin all 4 days and after class on my own time i wish i could train seven days a week but 4 is all i can do at least for now an i feel that any one doing capoeira no matter wat style should train as much as u can even with those 5-10 mins that you have free just cause it will give that extra edge,control,an ability to progress on your game so my opinion the more the better just dont hurt yourelf in the process.
Comment by Luis aka Dois Vinte October 15, 2007 @ 10:52 pmI can only do twice a week right now, but when I find really helpful is if I can just ‘meditate’ and think about all the elements, I’ve found it really useful for the berimbau, but also for the moves, I can develop a sense of, “I’m going to do this now” and do it; instead of waiting for the right footing.
Hope it helps others,
Comment by Fragil October 16, 2007 @ 9:40 am-Fragil
There is such a thing as too much, like in all things. Too much of a good thing is still TOO MUCH, and capoeira is no exception. I know because I fall prey to this all the time. You train and train, I’ve trained everyday for 2 weeks before. At the end, I feel like I should play amazing but my body is so worn that I play awful and freak out. So, I must learn balance. And I’m doing much better.. The current routine is 5 days training with basics and excersice by myself 6 days, 1 day off physical training but singing and scheming.. When I’m not moving I’m thinking about it, I dream of bandas and martelo do chao’s… What about you Faisca? I hope you’re not sick anymore homie..
Comment by Pixador October 16, 2007 @ 7:32 pmBah I wish I could train more right now…
Monday I give classes. Then I get to train with my Mestre Wednesday and Saturday. Right now I have so much to do at work, kinda being doing overtime each day and even working on week-ends.
But actually, we all need the break from Capoeira even if we don’t want it. The body does needs the break sometimes. We are not like the guys in Brasil who just do Capoeira each day, the whole day. We have many other things who take influence.
Still I need to train more haha!
Comment by Maritaca October 17, 2007 @ 2:53 amI agree that there is such thing as “too much capoeira.” There is a point where your body just needs to rest. Even after going 4 days straight, not even a full week, I feel tired when the stretch is done.
And for some people (myself included) capoeira is only a part of our lives. As much as it affects our entire life, we can’t devote our entire life to practicing capoeira. At least I can’t, I have other obligations.
It’s also good to maybe take a break when you’ve hit one of the roadblocks in capoeira, and you’re getting frustrated. Take a break, relax, reflect on what’s going right and what’s going wrong, and then get back into it when you’re all fresh.
And luckily, I’m getting over my cold. So I’m back in action!
Comment by faisca October 17, 2007 @ 9:48 amMy two cents.
Comment by Leopardo October 18, 2007 @ 3:34 pmI honestly don’t think more than 4 days a week of physical training will do you any good ( regardless of the sport or activity it is ). It may be fine for a few years even- but your body will begin to injure and fall apart eventually.
You need a chance to recover and heal and digest what you have taken in.
Personally, 3 days a week is ideal for me and I try to hit up a roda at the end of a class here and there. We have a roda at the end of every class so that’s 3 days a week of training, 4 rodas a week.
2 days a week IMO is really only enough to maintain, not really grow. But, life is life and work, family, money, etc, sometimes mean that we can’t do exactly what we want all the time.
That said- I’ve never missed more than a week of capoeira in 5 years.
Well said, Leopardo. They say that your body should ideally have 48 hours to heal and build muscle or whatever it needs to do after you work out. 7 days a week of capoeira might sound like a great idea, but it will probably only hurt you in the long run.
Comment by faisca October 22, 2007 @ 10:14 amI wish I had time and my capoeira class was close by. I use to do three days a week, but got exausted from the commute back and forth. Right now I’m doing one day a week, hoping to do two. I think the key is to also train on your own. My mestranda always says that class is for learning new things, and we got to practice on owr own to internalize them.
Comment by Petr October 25, 2007 @ 6:34 pmWell, I’m an advocate of everyday training. Hear me out. I don’t mean serious weight training or anything. I mean fundamentals and conditioning.
I like to set up a fifteen minute or half-hour routine that I can do daily in addition to technique training.
Maybe a few squats, then a few push-ups of some kind, bridge walking, V-crunches, and the rest. I like to alternate these to focus on different areas of the body and excercise one or two muscle groups while another couple are recovering. The ginga I try to do daily for as long as I need. It doesn’t really tire me out, but its fundamental to Capoeira.
I also like to practice things I’m bad with. Martelos, saltos, and the like I need much more work with to become comfortable.
What I’m saying is that it’s best to do everyday, just take it easy. You’ll find that it can put you into better shape for your other classes and you’ll be less tired after.
After my first couple of classes, the backlash was so bad I wanted to stay in bed all day. Now, I’m much more able to handle the strain.
Muito axe!
Comment by Mike Saudino October 29, 2007 @ 5:15 pmMike, you make some good points about training every day. If you do want to train everyday, this is the way to do it. Don’t kill yourself every day, you’ll only end up really hurting yourself. If you take it easy you’ll end up seeing some good results.
Comment by faisca October 30, 2007 @ 11:25 amI’m only a beginner.. but i’ve made it a point to practise all the basics everyday. 50 of all the basic kicks (meia lua de frente, armada, quiexada, bencao, etc) each day.
I’ve done this for a few months.. and i’ve noticed that it has improved all my kicks dramatically
‘I do not fear the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once. I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times’
But i stress the fact you need a good warm-up, without it you can pull muscles (i should know)
and all that takes only about half an hour, maybe 45 mins, each day.
For more full-on training, i do that on a saturday, where i can just work on all the more advanced stuff, do lots of strength exercises, go to the pool, etc.
‘Practise daily the basic fundamentals’
=]
Comment by Tocador November 9, 2007 @ 7:30 amwhenever i get a chance.
Comment by cai cai November 12, 2008 @ 9:47 pmi;ve done up to 3 times a day.
i mosrlty go for 5 days a week.
just remember to train hard.
i train 6, sometimes 7 days a week.
Comment by Terremoto January 27, 2009 @ 6:13 ammon-fri is a regular class of an hour n a half or more wit my instructor. about 20 minute warmup n 45 minutes or so of various sequences and the last 30-20 minutes of class we end wit a small roda.
saturday is more a relaxed class were we practice what we feel we need to improve on and just talk ‘capoeira’ and practice music and also do a roda at the end.
and about maybe 2 sundays of the month theres a street roda which i go to.
so i pretty much i stay training, either playing or playing berimbau and singing songs.
also any chance i get i throw some kicks and esquivas, analyze my ginga, and pretty much think on how to improve
capoeira é minha vida!