Is It Ever Ok To Take Breaks In Training?

 

     There has never been a consensus of opinion when it comes to the topic of taking breaks in your training. For as many people as you can find that say taking breaks in one's training is never a good idea, you can find as many people that say the exact opposite.  I would say from my personal experience as both a student and instructor that I fall somewhere in the middle.

     I think we've all come to a point in our training, whether it be exceeding personal or professional demands where we have asked ourselves the following. "Is it ever ok for me to take a break from my training, if so how long?" What I've found from my 25 plus years of training and teaching experience is that breaks can actually be beneficial if done the right way. 

     I did want to clary an important point when it comes to taking breaks, one that is often overlooked, yet extremely critical. First and foremost, before we can even start to think of taking breaks we first ensure we have established solid training habits. Are we coming to class consistently, is missing class more the exception than the rule, are we making the most of our training time? If the answer to those questions is yes then I think it's perfectly ok to take time away here and there. If on the other hand, your one who struggles to maintain any semblance of consistent training then taking breaks is more problematic. 

     The way I explain it to my students is that each time they come to class it's like putting money in the bank. The more often they come to class the more money or credit they've built up. That money is there for them to draw from on a rainy day or as a splurge, just be careful when and how you use it! Basically, there are 2 different ways in which you can use your breaks. You can either spread it out over time, taking a day or two here or there or you can save it up and take a longer break all at once. I had one family whose kids rarely missed training during the school year but once summertime came around they would take a week or 2 off, come back and train for a few weeks and then go on vacation again. 

     Breaks can be a tremendously beneficial training tool if used properly. They can impact and influence our growth, enjoyment, and longevity of our training.