hey how long are your MA classes?

Question

i think mine are too short? at my school each clas is only 40 minutes long and tha tincludes stretching. we get into something and i finally think maybe i understand, then we move on. and i'm like whoa i just got that and now its over? well i dont know mayb ei'm just slow lolol. but do you think that classes are too short?

Answer 1

The classes I lead are all minimally an hour long, but most are 90 minutes long and at least twice weekly with opportunities for additional training and instruction time available.

There is a trend however for many schools to reduce their classes to 45 minutes to help them shuttle the maximum number of people through their doors - which helps with the bottom line for many places. They normally mitigate this by offering the shorter duration classes more frequently, say four or five times a week.

The bigger concern is that you don't feel you're learning during your time in class. You should definately discuss this concern with your instructor/s to see if they have a recommendation or a solution. They may offer additional class time, counsel you that everything is normal for your rank and things will change in time, or offer you some 1 on 1 instruction to help you out.

In the end, the decision must be yours - but give them a chance to recognize your concerns and try to address them first.

Good luck!

Ken C
9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do
8th Dan TaeKwon-Do
7th Dan YongChul-Do

Answer 2

Forty minutes for most students other than young children is to short for the reason that you referenced in your question. Just as you start to understand and get something down it's time to move onto something else or end class and it does not give you time to get some repetition in practicing the technique and committing it to memory. For many students there is no substitute for repetition. Unfortunately this is the way that some schools and instructors have gone so that they can move more students through their doors in a shorter period of time and offer more classes.

I doubt that your instructor will change his schedule or make the classes longer but you can ask if he/she would consider making one or two an hour to help overcome this problem for you and others. Another alternative is to see if you and a few others can work on some of those techniques off to the side or in a separate area after the class. This may not be able to be done during a class with young children since they are distracted so easily.

Answer 3

This has been a good thoughtful debate for as long as I can remember .

For myself The class durations are age specific based on the attention span.

-It is my recommended that 4-6 year olds take a 30 minute class and 7-12 year olds take a 45 minute class.

-Adults can take 60-90 minutes classes. Classes that are too long become boring and unproductive. It is more important what kind quality learning vs. quantity

Instructors :
* are knowledgeable about content and able to provide better in-depth explanations to students,
* cover the entire curriculum, including higher-order skills and concepts,
* assess each students learning frequently and through multiple means, and
* engage in deep instruction - they go beyond the normal Martial arts curriculum to help students gain insights into the system and what needs to be retained.

Humbly answered,
Devin Willis

Answer 4

I teach an for an hour, then the students receive an additional 30 minutes "free time" to focus on whatever they wish.

40 minutes is too low. How much do they charge? If it's $5 / £5 or over, I would become suspicious as to your instructor's true intentions.

Answer 5

I practice and hour a day, twice a day.

Classes generally run one hour, but this is not written in stone anywhere.. It is up to the student if they want to come in an hour early to stretch and warm up. It is also up to you if you want to pair up with someone and practice what was just demonstrated for an additional hour following the demo. You have to be proactive sometimes, and that is part of what you are learning.

There is no "set" time limit though. Some teachers only come out to demonstrate the technique, then allow a senior student to be the one who corrects your technique while you are practicing.

Answer 6

Yeah, kinda short. I teach classes that range from 30 minutes (for 4-5 year old pre-schoolers) to 90 minutes for teens and adults. Some of them still think its too short, but that's all I can offer at this time.

Answer 7

Formal classes run 2 hours, but the dojo is opened 1 hour before the class and stays open 1 hour after the class so a student can get 4 hours in if they choose.

Answer 8

About 2 hours 4 days a week.

Answer 9

yo that sucks , ur teacher obviously is not very passionate about teaching his students. at my class cesar gracies sport center. classes are from 6pm to 10:30 at night! and other instructors there just keep whooping you until you get the technique right. thats how it should be done change your school if you belive you arent getting what you are paying for.

Answer 10

2- 2hour classes through the week and an extended 5 hour class Saturday afternoon.

If you have the option you may wish to seek out a better school, one more inclined to teaching its students than collecting their money.