Teamwork in Martial Arts
Did you know that our level of success is martial arts is directly related to the quality of our training partners?. Learning how teamwork in martial arts is key to achieving your lifelong goals. Regardless of what martial arts you practice overtime we will all reach a stage in our training where the motivation starts to lag. One way of the best ways of overcoming this is to have consistent training partner/s. No matter what rank you are, an amateur or even a professional athletes. Everybody needs that extra push or guidance to help keep them motivated.
One thing you can do is find a fellow practitioner who is on the same level and has the same ambitions as you. However, you need a training partner who is also willing to push you and bounce feedback off each other and visa versa. This will also help for you to achieve more than you could on your own, which is the real value of a training partner/s. So let’s dive in on how to be a great training partner.
TRAIN SAFELY
Being a good training partner can be a great challenge. Knowing what to do, but also what you need in order to do it. Understanding when and how to push, how much resistance you should give, or how hard to go. Knowing when and how to give feedback, and to who. But also realise the appropriate time to be serious and when you can joke around.
These are some of the most challenging aspects we face when training with other practitioners, but also these times are the most rewarding. Additionally they also reveal a lot about who what are strengths are, but also our weaknesses.
DON’T HAVE A EGO
There is nothing worse than having a training partner with a bad ego. As this will greatly impact you and you’re your partner being able to get the most out of your training. No one is going to want to train with someone who thinks that they are better than everyone else.
GRAPPLING ARTS
Let’s say you train in the grappling arts, we all know that tapping is an important aspect of your training in order to prevent serious injuries. If you’re have just started training for the first time, it’s better to be cautious, even if this means tapping a little early. You may even come across some practitioners who push the boundaries of safety, or worse downright refuses to tap. These types of practitioner are some of the worst training partners. Because they are all about feeding their own egos rather than improving their BJJ game plan.
How can you help your training partners if you can’t provide them fair and honest feedback on their technical skills. By this I don’t mean you have to tap early, or stop trying to master your escapes. I simply means that you need to understand when you’ve been trapped. Learn from this mistake, don’t risk an injury to yourself just because you’re trying to prove a point. Even the most experienced BJJ practitioners tap at some point in their training. So leave your ego at the door.
MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION
It’s also important never apply excessive joint pressure when you’re training. As this could cause a serious injury to your partner. Even though getting your partner to tap out is the ultimate goal. Sometimes in training it can be more beneficial to let the tap go. This allows your partner to practice how to defend and you practice on your counters. Remember martial arts training is about growing your skills and not about winning.
STRIKING ARTS
As a striker Ego usually comes into play when you start sparring. The goal of sparring is to take all the skills you’ve learnt in training, then learn how to apply them under duress, adapting as you go. It’s in important to keep in mind that when you spar you WILL get hit and likely get a hit a lot, especially in the beginning. This is where the importance of learning to have self control is important skill. You need to control your level of contact to the appropriate level of skill for you and your partner.
Just because you appear to be getting hit more often than your training partner, doesn’t give you the right to go harder. Situations like this are likely to escalate and then sparring turns into fight,leaving you open to injuries. Instead If you’re getting hit, think about focussing on your defence rather than escalating your offence. Once your offence skills improves, you’ll have a better chance on landing your own strikes.
Think about like this, If you go into sparring with the right attitude it will always be fun. However If your only goal is to only win, but never improve sparring becomes painful. Keep your Ego in check and get the most out of your sparring sessions.
PASS ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TEAMWORK IN MARTIAL ARTS)
Whenever we share our technical and conceptual knowledge with our training partners, we are helping them to improve. And when they improve, we improve. Therefore, we should be proud to demonstrate our favourite technique or teach them methods to improve a certain skillset to all our training partners.
If you land a execute a great technique or you come up with a new move in bunkai. Then your partner asks “What was that” why not break down the movements step by step as you show them, rather than just telling them. By sharing your knowledge this way, they may even develop a counter. Which could then lead you get better at landing the technique or even help you build a system to counter those moves. This generates growth where you have more success due to great skill and not because you catch someone with something they don’t know. But more about bouncing your ideas off each other to improve as a whole.
STAYING FOCUSED
When you remain focused during your training sessions, you not only benefits your training partners but also yourself. Unfortunately, at times this can be difficult to do, especially for the younger practitioners. Or if you are learning a high number of different or complicated techniques. However, it’s important to bear in mind that a lack of focus can negatively impact you and your training partners in several ways. If you fail to pay close attention to your sensei as they demonstrate a new technique, you become ineffective and be unable to replicate the same results. This creates a snowball effect that eventually lowers your overall skill. Stay focused, be skilfull!
DEDICATION
Teamwork in martial arts is about training with someone who is just as dedicated to their goals as you are. Knowing that your Training Partner is dedicated to achieving their dreams and wants to give it their all at every opportunity. Will also help motivate you to remain just as focused and dedicated to achieving your dreams. Dedication to your martial arts also shows a level of commitment and accountability that you or your training partners will be there for you. Which let’s face it, can be extremely beneficial at those moments that you don’t feel like it. Remaining dedicated keeps you motivated, your training partners motivated. Because you realise just as much as they rely on you, you can rely on them. This is powerful in the dojo as will not only develop great skill but lifelong friends as well.
RESPECT
Time is of the essence. And therefore, you don’t want to waste it. If you say you’re going to turn up for a class because you wanted to go over a new kata. Then make sure you turn up at the set time. As they say “Martial Arts begins and ends with respect “. You want to respect your partner’s needs, train in a way that makes sure they get the most out of their training while at the same time getting the most out of yours. By remaining polite, considerate, and understanding of your training partners needs you’re being respectful. Which in the long run is what is going to help both of you achieve your goals faster.
BE GOAL ORIENTED
One of the best things you can do is surround yourself on a daily basis with people who are Goal-oriented. Not just in martial arts, but in the business world, but also our family and friends. Ambition is a great quality a person can have when it comes to self improvement. When we are constantly surrounded by people who is driven to succeed. It helps guide us to step outside of our comfort zones both inside and outside of the dojo .
Training with someone who is “okay” with doing the bare minimum through in their martial arts classes, creates a very mediocre and uninspiring lesson. We know that success is not all about winning but about working hard towards your next grading, your next kumite or kata competition. Or simply working towards improving your joint locks, takedowns or improving your slow kicks. Setting yourself a goal with your martial arts training, will help give you direction. Remember, just like in life as we get older, our goals are constantly changing. Our job is to learn how to adapt to these challenges as we go move along this journey. Be Goal-oriented, remain focused and watch how far you can go. Teamwork in martial arts will make all the difference.
WORK HARD
What this means is putting in the time and energy. Not arriving late to training and missing the warmup. Getting up and pushing on when you’re tired. Being a hard worker means making the effort when it matters the most. Never giving up when things get difficult. It means pushing yourself when you think you’ve got nothing left. You will soon find out that hard work is not only an amazing trait for your training partner but also it’s a great trait for you as well. If you keep pushing ahead when things get difficult in martial arts. You will build a natural response that will benefit in all aspects of your life. Hard work builds success, but Hard work alone won’t do it, you need to train hard and train smart. The more effort you put in, the more success you will have.
TEAMWORK IN MARTIAL ARTS IS MOTIVATING OTHERS
Regardless if your a fellow practitioner or an instructor it’s important to train with people who motivates you to push beyond your limits. In order for you to achieve your personal best. This is something that ever martial artists should strive for. A Instructor job to ensure that its practitioners do everything they possibly can to accomplish their health, fitness and martial arts goals.
But sometimes it helps to have that extra motivational push. A little motivation goes a long way. Especially in those moments when someone might be feeling down, stressed, or uncertain about themselves. A great training partner recognises when to push your buttons and when to back off. If you’re exhausted after a long day at work or school. A good training partner will give you with that extra boost of energy, you need by keeping you focused on the task at hand. They will not only motivate you to train harder but will inspire you to do better. Both of these action’s are essential if you want to achieve results in your honing in on your craft or health. Be motivational reminds you why you’re training in the first place. Whilst also emphasising how teamwork in martial arts helps each other to power through when it matters.
BE CONSIDERATE (TEAMWORK IN MARTIAL ARTS)
Always be considerate to your training partners, instructors or competitors. Regardless of mood you may be in. Everyone in your or other dojo’s are all working towards the same goals of improving their technical abilities and character as well. Remember that even though you’re there to achieve your goals you can’t do it without the help of the people around you.
Greet and be respectful to all your fellow practitioners when you enter or exit the dojo or combined gradings. You may think they’re helping you because it’s their job. But in reality they’re doing it because passionate about the art and want to achieve your goals. You will probably heard that martial artist refer to their dojo as a 2nd “family”. Every practitioner is a valuable member to that community where we are there to help and support each other’s journey.
Being considerate is one of the best trait to keep someone moving forward. Often you don’t realise what someone has been through, just to get to where they are today. Make sure you appreciate their efforts. Because in the end that will make you appreciate and a valuable member of this amazing community.
BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF
Don’t worry if you’re not on the same level as your partner. If you’re brand new and get paired with a senior student, don’t worry that you’re somehow “holding them back.” Chances are, they welcome the chance to brush up on their basics, and will be more than happy to give you pointers. And don’t be embarrassed if you make mistakes – remember, they’ve been there, too!
ACCOMODATE YOUR TRAINING PARTNERS LEVEL
Teamwork in martial arts is guiding your partners. If they’re ahead of you, be prepared to push yourself, even if it means failing once or twice. You’ll learn from the experience. And if you’re the advanced one, keep in mind that you may need to go a little more slowly for your training partner. The moves you can fly through with your eyes closed are still new to them. Focus, instead, on perfecting your technique.
DON’T GO ALL-OUT IN RESISTING YOUR TRAINING PARTNERS TECHNIQUES
If you’re learning a new escape and your partner is practicing the move, don’t grab onto their arm for dear life. Then start cranking like you’re about to win the world championships. Let’s face it no one will just let them do this willingly in a real match.! They also wouldn’t do this to someone who knows exactly what’s coming. Also they have just seen the entirety of the move demonstrated step-by-step. Also, at this moment it’s about learning the technique – getting a sense of how the movements work and what to do. If you lock up, over-power them, or get away every time they try the move, they won’t get to learn the technical aspects.
RESIST A LITTLE
Don’t be a dead fish. Move and resist a little, and give them the feeling that they’re working with a live human rather than a sack of potatoes. It like when you are asked to practice a groin kick, it’s very easy when you practice on a bag. But a whole lot harder when you have a moving target trying to attack you. Rather than just standing there letting it happen.
DON’T OVERWHELM YOUR PARTNER
Don’t over-coach your partner if you’re on compatible levels (and especially if you’re on a lower level). If they are struggling take the initiative to break it down into more manageable steps.
LEARN HOW TO ACCEPT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
No one wants to hear you’re not doing something correctly, but keep this in mind: the person offering the critique is doing this has a genuine desire to see you succeed. Instead of letting you continue to do something the wrong way, they cared about you – and they believed in your ability to grow – enough to correct you. This is why teamwork in martial arts.
ASK FOR HELP IF YOUR STRUGGLING
No one’s going to judge you for not knowing a move, and even black belts struggle when learning new techniques. Remember they know what it feels like to be in your shoes.
DON’T GET AGGRESSIVE
When it comes time to sparring in striking or grappling, never treat your training partner as your personal punching bag or grappling dummy. If you are more advanced than your partner, AWESOME – you’ve trained hard!
But guess what? None of this entitles you to crush or punch the living daylights out of your partner. If you want to go all-out, go against someone your own size/strength/skill level.
BE A GOOD BAG HOLDER
If you train in a striking art such as karate, make sure you pay attention to how your partner holds mitts/pads, and take pointers. It is an important skill to have, so make this learning a priority. There is nothing more annoying than being paired with an experienced martial artist and still doesn’t know how to hold the pads correctly. Plus, it’s can cause serious injuries if not done properly.
GUYS IF YOUR TRAINING WITH A US, DON’T ACT LIKE WE CAN’T HANDLE THIS
When I started karate there was a-lot more training guys than women. I immediately noticed they were holding back so much. That it was impacting not only their training but also effecting mine. As I already had previous experience I started to push them to go harder. I could tell that they were happy and respected me more, because they knew they didn’t have to hold back. This greatly enhanced my skills and knowledge.
On the odd occasion I would come across a guy in grading who had an ego. Like he had to prove he was stronger. This would be the only time I would connect a body shot (not full power) but just a warning shot to back down. Which they would always do. It was important for us to respect each other equally.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON TEAMWORK IN MARTIAL ARTS
At the end of the day, whether you’re training in striking or grappling you’re going to be a training partner. Try and be the best training partner you can by following my simple guide. If everyone practitioner followed these guidelines, you’ll end up with a dojo full of awesome training partners.
Making your training sessions more fun to turn up too and you’ll see their training has moved to another level. You’ll be smashing your goals in no time because you’re helping everyone else reach theirs. As they say “Success breeds success.” The most important thing is that you are getting the absolute most out each and every your training session. Because the reality is, if your training partner isn’t getting the best out of their training and then you’re not likely getting the best out of yours. So if you want to be the best you can, start by being the best training partner you can be.
https://notkarate.com/2019/02/02/how-not-to-be-a-bad-training-partner/