Training Hours: How do you allocate?

[DanceMentor]

I see a lot of people talk about how much they "practice", but often I wonder if people are missing some important allocations to their schedule, so I would love to get some idea how much time people spend on the following:

1. Aerobic activity (non-dancing) such as running, swimming, or aerobics classes
2. Stretching
3. Weight training to improve core strength or muscle tone.
4. Studying the syllabus including reviewing a book or a video
5. Costume preparation and grooming including tanning and makeup
6. Mental training (e.g. sports psychology, an often overlooked but important part of training)
7. Taking Private Lessons
8. Taking Group Lessons
9. Practicing alone or with the partner
10. Teaching
11. Competing or Performing

Obviously, dancers will have different goals, and a teacher, competitor, and student would all use their time differently. So which of the above do you spend time on each week?

For me, I would say in order currently from most to least it is something like this:
9, 10, 7, 2, 1, 3, 6, 11, 4, 3, 8

[dancika1992]

i am currently in a school where i do half a day of school and half a day of dance.
so im dancing 24 hours a week with just my sports training which only includes ballet,contemporary,muscle training,stretching and jazz
as for ballroom which would be what im focusing on, im at my studio 3 times a week (not as much as id want to be there however ) and im training there 8 hours a week. i take 6 private lessons and a couple of group classes a week.

so i pretty much cover all those aspects in the hours that i train a week.
its a neat system for me, considering i dislike school but love dance :)

[fascination]

we do have some similar threads...but what the heck...I don't think I could order these as you have b/c they vary from week to week, but on average I;

* workout about 9 hours a week(varying btwn cardio, toning and core)

*take 8 privates a week

*currently no groups but probably will change to 2-4 a month soon and then parties about 3x a month

*I tan about 3-4 times a week for about a month prior to a comp

*I spot re-stone, wash and mend each of my costumes immediately after every comp and re-stock my make-up kit... also will highlight my hair and get a manicure and pedicure the week week before each comp

*I read, knit and sing to get centered for comps and have periodically read and incorporated various psych training concepts into my practice

*I practice about 8 hours a week

*I don't have the syllabi...that is on my to-do list

*I will probably do 7-10 comps this year with number of heats being btwn 50 at the min and 100 at the max for each comp

[liz]

we do have some similar threads...but what the heck...I don't think I could order these as you have b/c they vary from week to week, but on average I;

* workout about 9 hours a week(varying btwn cardio, toning and core)

*take 8 privates a week

*currently no groups but probably will change to 2-4 a month soon and then parties about 3x a month

*I tan about 3-4 times a week for about a month prior to a comp

*I spot re-stone, wash and mend each of my costumes immediately after every comp and re-stock my make-up kit... also will highlight my hair and get a manicure and pedicure the week week before each comp

*I read, knit and sing to get centered for comps and have periodically read and incorporated various psych training concepts into my practice

*I practice about 8 hours a week

*I don't have the syllabi...that is on my to-do list

*I will probably do 7-10 comps this year with number of heats being btwn 50 at the min and 100 at the max for each comp
Gosh, when I stop and think about it, I put ALOT of time into dance.Will have to figure out the hours.back in abit:car:

[Ravenmoon]

I find that if I focus too much on practicing just ballroom, I start loosing myself focus, so I try to vary my schedule. Generally it goes something like this:

8 hours of cardio, toning, stretching per week

8-10 hours of practice per week (some with my partner, some without)

Take one private lesson every other week (about 8-10 per semester); 2 group lessons per week

Costume prep (makeup, hair, clothes, etc) is usually only a week before comp to make sure everything is in order and then after comp so that everything is clean.

About 4-5 comps per year

I don't study syllabus too much; a little here and there

To mentally prepare myself, I normally have some soothing music on my iPod and stretch or dance some ballet basics to calm and focus myself.

[Stillharbor]

I spend most of my time in group classes. I have so many dances that I'm learning that the only way to keep up with them is to take as many group classes as I can.

Private lessons are 2-3 times a week. Maybe more if I'm getting ready to a comp.

Several of the group classes are stretch classes, but I'm really bad about not doing enough core strengthening exercises.

I need to spend more time on hair and makeup, but I'm not really sure how to go about that. I watch vids on youtube, but without things like hairdryers/curlers/chi there's not much you can do. :oops: Geuss that should be me New Years resolution...

[Chiron]

Cardio - 4-5 hours in the pool, 1 hour pounding the pavement
Stretching - Before and after cardio, weights, and dancing
Weight training - 2-3 hours
Studying the syllabus - Here and there when I'm bored ~1 hour
Costume prep - Only before comp
Mental prep - Constantly to a low grade 3 weeks before comp, Intense 3 hours before I'm on the floor
Private Lessons - 1 hour
Taking Group Lessons - 1 hour
Practicing - 10 hours

I've been debating trying to do some dedicated stretching time in the morning or before I go to bed. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[elisedance]

Great question DM. As best I can figure:

1. Aerobic activity (non-dancing) such as running, swimming, or aerobics classes
Currently 0 other than dance itself. this has to change :rolleyes:

2. Stretching
15 minutes per session
3. Weight training to improve core strength or muscle tone.
0
4. Studying the syllabus including reviewing a book or a video
1 hr/wk
5. Costume preparation and grooming including tanning and makeup
3 hrs per comp; plus 2 hrs every 2-3 months
6. Mental training (e.g. sports psychology, an often overlooked but important part of training)
currently 0 hrs but this will go up to 2hrs/mo I think
7. Taking Private Lessons
3 hrs/wk
8. Taking Group Lessons
0 hrs
9. Practicing alone or with the partner
5-8 hrs/wk
10. Teaching
0 hrs
11. Competing or Performing
Average 1 comp/month; 2-4 multidance events, 5-10 single dance events

Note that this is a mix of AM and pro-am. Seems like a bit of background info might have been useful for each person too - types and styles of dance, AM vs pro/am etc

[QPO]

Gosh. reading all that, we all definately need to win the Lottery, would make life less stressful :-)

DP & I have all this ahead of us. We are meeting up with our Pro this week to plan our attack for our 1st comp in April. But financially I would not be able to have that many private lessons. So will have to come up with a strategy that will best suit our budget.

thankfully at our level we dont need costumes yet not sure what level that starts at. I am hoping to get all the information soo. I love to be prepared makes things much less stressful :-)

[DanceMentor]

Gosh. reading all that, we all definately need to win the Lottery, would make life less stressful :-)

DP & I have all this ahead of us. We are meeting up with our Pro this week to plan our attack for our 1st comp in April. But financially I would not be able to have that many private lessons. So will have to come up with a strategy that will best suit our budget.

thankfully at our level we dont need costumes yet not sure what level that starts at. I am hoping to get all the information soo. I love to be prepared makes things much less stressful :-)

I have danced in your shoes! I just recommend thinking about all the things you can do that move you in the right direction including:
Eating right, exercising, stretching, visualizing, practicing on your own, and learning all you can
The more you get good at moving toward the goal, the more you will find that is possible. I've seen this happen to people over and over. Don't give up, and best wishes for your first competition. I hope will be the first of many great experiences to come.

[fascination]

Gosh. reading all that, we all definately need to win the Lottery, would make life less stressful :-)

DP & I have all this ahead of us. We are meeting up with our Pro this week to plan our attack for our 1st comp in April. But financially I would not be able to have that many private lessons. So will have to come up with a strategy that will best suit our budget.

thankfully at our level we dont need costumes yet not sure what level that starts at. I am hoping to get all the information soo. I love to be prepared makes things much less stressful :-)
I agree with DM and I would add that that is one thing that one has to be aware of when reading the forum...while it is a wonderful help and tool providing lots of info...if, upon reading it you feel intimidated by a lack of resources comparitively speaking, it is really important to focus upon what you CAN do...all of us have certain limits and deficiencies, but the thing to do is focus upon your strenghts and advantages as well as ways to minimize your disadvantages...and then practice like crazy...good luck

[DanceMentor]

I agree with DM and I would add that that is one thing that one has to be aware of when reading the forum...while it is a wonderful help and tool providing lots of info...if, upon reading it you feel intimidated by a lack of resources comparitively speaking, it is really important to focus upon what you CAN do...all of us have certain limits and deficiencies, but the thing to do is focus upon your strenghts and advantages as well as ways to minimize your disadvantages...and then practice like crazy...good luck

Absolutely!!!

There was a time when I...
1. Lived in the back of a dance studio
2. Made about $200 per week
3. Had a car worth about $300 and it was dented in the front where it looked like it was always smiling, and the turn signals didn't work, unless the break pedal was depressed.

One thing that I COULD do at that time was start a forum about dancing. :)
(actually I think I started it a little after that, but not much)

[fascination]

for which we are all grateful

[latingal]

1. Aerobic activity (non-dancing) such as running, swimming, or aerobics classes - 0
2. Stretching - at least 20 minutes a day
3. Weight training to improve core strength or muscle tone. - 0
4. Studying the syllabus including reviewing a book or a video - at least 2 hours a week
5. Costume preparation and grooming including tanning and makeup - about 40 hours a year
6. Mental training (e.g. sports psychology, an often overlooked but important part of training) - at least 2 hours a week
7. Taking Private Lessons - 5 hours a week
8. Taking Group Lessons - 1 hour a week
9. Practicing alone or with the partner - at least 12 hours a week
10. Teaching - 0
11. Competing or Performing - 5 to 8 comps a year

[fascination]

I will similarly say that a few years back when I was dancing with my FP, our studio closed and we started dancing out of his living room...it was very very small...and I remind folks that I love smooth best...and I had very big goals...if I had focused upon my minimal access to a big floor I would have created an even bigger obstacle for myself...instead of dancing the routines we spent alot of time really understanding each pattern...now that I am with NP, he is a good distance away and a good deal more costly so I can't take as many lessons or avail myself of alot of things that go with that, but it has forced a practice habit that has become an asset...so, QPO, go get em