Self-directed training

These notes combine advice from 19 reviewed passages across 13 workouts.

Overview

Self-directed training means training yourself. It is the common path among street-workout athletes, many of whom train themselves and are exceptionally strong. The approach works best after you have built a foundation of movement knowledge and proper technique. [3] [7] [15]

With that knowledge, creating your own program becomes straightforward, because you know which muscles need which work at home. People who train themselves tend to keep going, and skilled practitioners often skip competitions and focus on developing themselves further. [1] [2] [4]

Why self-directed training matters

Self-direction is also a matter of autonomy. When someone else constantly trains you, you may never learn to train yourself. Coercive control over a child athlete’s training and eating can undermine autonomy and persist into adulthood. [3] [5]

The motive for self-training matters. Training for your own improvement, asking how you can do a movement better rather than only for display, is a common pattern, and most b-boys work this way. Challenge and competition can keep you training yourself continuously, and this drive is connected to passion. [10] [11]

Every master leaves something untaught, so you need to discover some things yourself. Getting stronger entirely alone, without a leader, is a little difficult. Establish your foundation first and then build on it. [9] [12] [18]

Build the foundation first

The foundation has to be complete. Knowing only part of the basics is like knowing only eight or ten letters of the alphabet: you cannot write a good novel. Learn the full set of fundamentals well, and then you can combine them into whatever work you want. [16]

Correcting faulty form is part of building the foundation. Fix the form problems in your current exercises, learn the training basics, and then progress on your own. Work done without proper technique may not develop you much. [15] [17]

Training alone: practical methods

Record every movement in a short video and review it. Observing yourself this way helps you learn from your own mistakes. [6]

When you train alone, use a wall as a marker. Place your hands and head, move backward, and try to touch the wall. If you do not notice how far you have gone, your form or arm angle can deteriorate. [14]

Solo training can use a different emphasis than coached training. When you train by yourself, do one set and try for a maximum, for example fifteen seconds. Coached work can focus on form and lines, while your own work can focus on reps, numbers, and weights. The two approaches can be combined. [13]

Coach’s claim

After one or two days of rest, try newly discussed work in your own workout. You will understand it better and feel it. [19]

Coach’s claim

Extreme assisted stretching is unnecessary for adult students without competition or Olympic goals. Doing it correctly and healthily on your own takes two or three times longer, but you will still eventually open up, and there is no deadline. [8]

Coach’s experience

In his own training, he loved the man who trained him, but for most of his later life he trained himself. He developed most of his movements by recording them and seeing his own mistakes. He also trained movements for himself, asking how he could do them better, rather than for display. [4] [6] [11]

Related pages

• Skill prerequisites: Prerequisite for

Sources

1. 2024-02-19, 2819.7-2830.8s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:000991-000995

2. 2024-02-26, 3450.2-3458.6s

Workout: workout:2024-02-26

Passage: passage:2024-02-26:001151-001153

3. 2024-06-22, 4838.7-4854.0s

Workout: workout:2024-06-22

Passage: passage:2024-06-22:001778-001785

4. 2024-06-22, 4857.6-4870.5s

Workout: workout:2024-06-22

Passage: passage:2024-06-22:001788-001792

5. 2024-06-22, 4882.9-4905.5s

Workout: workout:2024-06-22

Passage: passage:2024-06-22:001795-001803

6. 2024-06-27, 253.0-263.0s

Workout: workout:2024-06-27

Passage: passage:2024-06-27:000094-000098

7. 2024-06-30, 4709.7-4712.5s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001729-001729

8. 2024-07-09, 4101.6-4130.2s

Workout: workout:2024-07-09

Passage: passage:2024-07-09:001604-001614

9. 2024-09-05, 5388.2-5397.5s

Workout: workout:2024-09-05

Passage: passage:2024-09-05:002016-002019

10. 2024-12-03, 4099.4-4106.0s

Workout: workout:2024-12-03

Passage: passage:2024-12-03:001385-001386

11. 2024-12-03, 4436.7-4450.8s

Workout: workout:2024-12-03

Passage: passage:2024-12-03:001503-001511

12. 2024-12-27, 696.4-705.5s

Workout: workout:2024-12-27

Passage: passage:2024-12-27:000137-000141

13. 2024-12-29, 3018.0-3059.3s

Workout: workout:2024-12-29

Passage: passage:2024-12-29:001063-001076

14. 2025-01-02, 2453.8-2507.7s

Workout: workout:2025-01-02

Passage: passage:2025-01-02:000687-000714

15. 2025-01-22, 205.5-212.7s

Workout: workout:2025-01-22

Passage: passage:2025-01-22:000077-000080

16. 2025-01-22, 235.6-266.8s

Workout: workout:2025-01-22

Passage: passage:2025-01-22:000091-000101

17. 2025-01-22, 317.9-332.4s

Workout: workout:2025-01-22

Passage: passage:2025-01-22:000122-000126

18. 2025-01-22, 375.3-384.1s

Workout: workout:2025-01-22

Passage: passage:2025-01-22:000145-000150

19. 2025-02-06, 4519.7-4524.9s

Workout: workout:2025-02-06

Passage: passage:2025-02-06:001540-001541