Private Coaching vs Group Classes: Which Is Right for You?

Group classes are typically held in a gym with anywhere from 15 to 40 (or sometimes even more) students training under a single instructor, whereas private training is one-on-one with the instructor, or a small group of friends / family training together. These two formats have a number of differences to worth considering.

individual attention

In a group class, one instructor has to divide their attention among everyone in the room. With private coaching, the session is built around the trainee. That’s a major part of what you’re paying for. If budget is the deciding factor, a group class may make more sense, and everyone has to make that judgement for themselves. A group class will generally cost less simply because the instructor’s time is being split among many people.

Likewise, in a group class students will be holding mitts / pads for other students as much as they will be training on them, and in private training the coach will be holding mitts themselves and directing the training face to face.

socializing

Group classes can be a good option if part of your goal is to socialize and meet people. With private training, we get to know our trainees very well with all the one-on-one time spent, and that’s different from training in a larger group where you’re regularly meeting and working with different people. If meeting many new people and finding a new community is an important part of training for you, then a group class may be the best option.

sparring partners

Another difference is in variety of sparring partners. Training in a group can give you opportunities to spar and drill with different opponents. Different people can present different styles, movements and challenges.

The other side of that coin is that a lot of injuries come from sparring with students who don’t yet have good control. Sparring should help you improve, not become a contest over who can hit harder. Having a variety of training partners can be helpful, but the quality and control of those partners is important to watch out for.

Accordingly, private training should compensate for this difference in training styles.

How we create variety

At FightFit, each trainee has at least two trainers involved: a managing trainer and a primary trainer. This is part of our system which ensures we have multiple eyes on every trainee’s progress and keeps us incorporating different angles of improvement and challenge. We intentionally use different styles and goals in drilling and sparring to simulate different types of opponents. This lets us turn one-on-one training into a more thorough training experience.

which should you choose?

A group class may be the better fit if you’re on a budget, you want to meet many new people, or you want get experience with holding pads and sparring with a larger variety of students.

Private training may make more sense if you’re looking for individual attention, training focused specifically on you and a more direct connection with the coach.

Some people opt to do both, as they may want aspects of each. The important question is which environment gives you what you’re looking for right now.

At FightFit, we specialize in private one-on-one boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA training across Los Angeles and incorporate customized conditioning. We come to you with all the equipment needed and build the training around your goals and experience level. If private training sounds like what you’re looking for, you can start with a $100 intro session and check it out!

– Matt, owner of FightFit Personal Trainers, Los Angeles

Do you have other questions? Email info@fightfitpersonaltrainers.com