This short training tips video is for people who cannot train with me personally. It looks at the next best thing to personal training.

Most students live a long way from a good instructor, or have work and family that make regular classes hard. This write-up is for them, and for anyone wondering whether training at a distance can really work.

What Personal Training Gives You

Training with a coach in person has clear advantages. They can see your mistakes and correct them straight away. They can feel your technique when you apply it to them. They set the pace, push you when needed and keep you on track.

The aim of any distance option is to keep as much of that as possible.

What Makes Distance Training Work

Distance training works when it is structured, not random. Watching a scattered collection of clips rarely makes anyone better. What helps is:

  • A clear order of lessons, each building on the last
  • Principles explained, not just techniques shown
  • Detailed breakdowns you can watch as many times as you need
  • A training partner to practise with at home
  • Honest self-assessment, such as filming yourself and comparing

Common Mistakes

The biggest mistake is jumping around. People skip ahead to the advanced material, miss the foundations and then wonder why nothing works. The second is watching without practising. Knowing a technique in your head is not the same as being able to do it. The third is never checking yourself, so small mistakes grow into habits.

How To Get The Most From It

Set regular training times, even if they are short. Follow lessons in order. Practise each one with a partner, slowly and with control, before moving on. Film yourself every few weeks and compare it with the lesson. Note your questions and look for the answers in the material. Then, when you can, add some time with an instructor in person to check your progress.

Take It Further

If you want direct feedback from me without living nearby, look at Private Mentoring. If you can travel, my Training Camps are the closest thing to training with me day to day.