There is a long tradition of commonly held beliefs on the length of training in all forms of exercise and in the duration of education sessions. Most are confirmed by research of the past and the present. With this in mind, what is the best length for children in Karate classes that combine the physical and mental?
Karate classes for children are 45 minutes in the best case scenario and for adults around 1 hour. There are many studies showing aerobic activity over 1 hour and learning sessions over 50 minutes has diminishing returns and increased chances of injury.
If this is the case, and it is backed by research, why do some martial arts classes and school classes last up to an hour and a half? Is it that some mistakenly think longer is better or that ‘sticking it out’ in longer sessions build mental and physical toughness?
Maybe so, but research and experience tells us that if you want the best return on the time invested, it is better to stay within the body’s limits for mental and physical performance. That is 45 minutes for kids and under an hour for adults.