What Is a “Training Montage” and Why Is It Used in So Many Movies?

In a movie, we often see this kind of situation: the protagonist needs to go through a period of training to become stronger, so in terms of editing, a series of rapidly switching shots is used to convey days or even months of training within just a few minutes. This editing technique is what we call a training montage.

The training montage is now a mature editing method in commercial cinema. A montage like this begins with the protagonist’s preparations and ends when they achieve a certain goal. The most famous example is probably the sequence in the movie Rocky. The most common type of training montage focuses on physical training—boxing, for instance—subjects that are inherently exciting. The emphasis is on the process of progressing toward the goal, often expressed through repeated shots. In terms of form, the editing usually breaks down the action of one scene and intercuts it in parallel with other scenes. As time passes, the results of the training gradually emerge. And of course, it’s always accompanied by an exhilarating, inspirational piece of music.

This kind of montage usually ends with some sort of victory for the protagonist, confirming that they are fully prepared for the upcoming challenge. For example, Rocky ends with a slow-motion shot of the protagonist raising his arms in triumph.

In a sense, these training montages are also one of the hallmarks of some classic 1980s action films. They often helped popularize a particular song or score. For instance, the band Goat released a single of the same name in 2021 as a tribute to this kind of training montage.

Let’s look at some variations of the training montage, such as the mentor–student montage—this type no longer focuses solely on the transformation of a single character. As time passes, we can feel the evolving relationship between teacher and student. It not only shows character growth within a limited runtime, but also strengthens the emotional bond between the two characters. Another variation is the more dramatically charged hero-and-villain training montage. Sometimes, before the final showdown of a film, it’s not just the hero who is intensifying their training, but also their opponent. Using a training montage at this point, comparing and contrasting how both sides prepare, is undoubtedly an excellent way to build up to a climactic confrontation.

We can take Creed II as an example. The film uses a training montage to highlight the differences between the characters. The sequence makes extensive use of parallel editing—constantly cutting between multiple scenes—which allows the audience to directly compare the progress of the two fighters. The editing logic of this training montage is actually very clear. At first, the early part emphasizes the differences between them: the antagonist Viktor remains in a dominant position, while Creed is clearly at a disadvantage. Then Creed begins to intensify his training; he grows stronger and stronger, and the sequence ends with his training success, showing that he is ready for the decisive battle.

In film, segment montages are an indispensable editing technique. Typically, around one-third or two-thirds into the story, a montage is used to rapidly cut through material, compressing time and plot. These kinds of segment montages are essentially variations of the training montage, and they appear frequently even in non-sports films. A typical example is The Social Network. Although it’s about a hacker, in essence that sequence is also a training montage. Its accompanying track “In Motion” was very well-known at the time. Likewise, in the film Parasite, the filmmakers rely heavily on parallel editing and music in similar montage sequences.