How many training sessions should my daughter or son do each week?

The short answer is: As many as the coach recommends

However, there is no one right answer to this question. The basic training principle of individualisation tells us that every athlete is unique. Eight sessions per week for one athlete may be ideal, for another it may be not enough, for yet another it may be excessive. In addition, each sport has unique demands. There are, however, a few guidelines.

  1. Most sports are built around skills and techniques. No matter how many sessions are done, how many kilometres are covered, how much weight is lifted, the most important aspect of many sports is good technique.

  2. The body will respond to the stresses and loads placed upon it, providing it is given enough time and the right conditions to recover and adapt. In other words, the more training, the more emphasis on rest and recovery.

  3. More training sessions are the last option. This last guideline is perhaps the most important. Too many coaches, when faced with the situation of athletes not improving, add training sessions to solve the problem, believing that more work means better athletes.



Before adding extra training sessions to the athlete's programme, coaches should ask themselves these questions:

  1. Is their sport technique as good as it could be?
  2. Are their competition skills as good as they could be?
  3. Is their diet as good as it could be?
  4. Is their attitude to training as good as it could be?
  5. Are they completing the work they are doing now as good as they could?
  6. Do they get to training on time?
  7. Do they perform all drills and skills 100% correctly?

If all answers to ALL these questions is YES, then consider adding another session to the programme. If the answer to any of these questions is NO, correct the problem before adding more work.