We have a fairly young stable of grapplers at our dojo right now. Most of our experienced players have faded into the woodwork. The handful of seasoned practitioners we have do their best to teach and mentor the next generation, but unfortunately, we are far outnumbered by the newer students, thirsting for knowledge.
With a large class of students, it’s sometimes difficult, if not impossible, to give the necessary individual attention to every student. For this reason, every effort is made to pair juniors with seniors. These more experienced students are expected to help mentor the junior students along.
This brings us to the topic at hand. What is expected of students in terms of being a good training partner? Since we can’t learn Jiu-Jitsu in a vacuum, sitting at home watching videos and reading books, we have to rely on our fellow students to further our training. And vice versa, our fellow students are relying on us to help them learn as well. This is a pretty awesome responsibility when you think about it. When you’re learning Jiu-Jitsu, you can’t be in it for yourself. It just doesn’t work that way.
Below is a link to a great article, detailing the important aspects of being a good training partner. I encourage all of you to take the time to read through it, as it makes some excellent points.
What Makes a Good Training Partner?
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4 comments:
can't learn jiu jitsu sitting at home watching videos? the whole reason i can tap royce gracie with both of my hands tied in my belt is because i am a master of youtube-jitsu!
okay, i read the article now. this is a very good read. i think that if there's anything a new student should learn in regard to training etiquette, it is the stuff mentioned here. i love the concept of progressive resistance. we should discuss this often in class. i think we hinder our progress when we think we can transition from simple practicing new moves to going 100% only a few minutes later!
i think a good principle for the older students to live by is, when doing the 50% rolling, to let the new students get the tap out if they are that close. it is easy to get out of sub attempts from new students. but being interested in their progress to the point of letting them finish in those moments of after class open mat is a sign of maturity. the newer student will grow so much more when they are allowed to get the feeling of applying a submission, even when the advanced student is letting them get to that point to help them experience the intension of the art. we don't progress if we aren't allowed to APPLY what we're learning in the semi-real matches. in shorter words, older students should let newer students experience success for the sake of their developing knowledge of how to apply technique in real situations.
Very good read indeed and a subject I have been pondering lately. Being new myself, I can relate to how a new practitioner learns, but a lot of that is individualized. I can't get better if the guys around me aren't getting better. It's a collaborative effort that is ongoing each and every practice. Although I think that each individual is ultimately responsible for their own growth, it's critical that we continue to foster a team approach to getting better. I myself am learning how to better help the newer guys. I am also trying to improve myself so it's a challenge at times.
Andy
I'm glad to hear your comments on this subject and am in agreement. It's a good reminder for me to revisit the subect during class times.
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