Typically, National Guard members are required to attend one drill weekend each month and one annual training period (usually 2 weeks in the summer) each year. Weekend drills usually consist of one Saturday and Sunday each month, but occasionally include reporting for duty on Friday night. Initially, all non-prior service personnel are required to attend initial entry training (IET), also known as Basic Training. After Basic Training, soldiers go to their Advanced Individual Training (AIT) which teaches them the special skills they will need for their job in the Guard. These schools can usually be scheduled to accommodate civilian job or school constraints.

Training time is precious to Army National Guard soldiers. That's why the Guard uses many unique training methods. From "real-life" training exercises, like rotations at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, to high-tech simulation training and distributed learning, the Army National Guard employs innovative training methods to give its members access to high quality training.