take off as long as u feel u need off,, if your fully recoverd in 6 weeks go for it...if u need 6 month off then so be it.. if youve got competative aspirations stay on as much as u can,, british lads tend to do shorter courses with a small amount of time inbetween, the american trend seems to be long drawn out courses with a little more time inbetween, both add up to the same thing tho