How Much Are You Really Helping Your Partner? (Part 1)

 

 

Having a training partner in pretty much any form of Martial Arts training is probably a must a some point BUT, only if they are going to partner correctly.

 

It is a VERY common case that people who begin a martial arts training do so because they may feel the need to have to defend themselves, therefore it may be safe to say that these people are not going to be the most aggressive.

I’ll come back this in just a moment.

 

 

Why do we need a partner?

So we can tell if the moves we learn are correct or not and will actually work.

 

Very well, but this is where the ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ element may become an issue.

 

If you are partnered with someone who is not of the attacking mind, there is every chance that this person does not want to hurt you.

Now as admirable as this is, NOT going for the strike is actually MORE dangerous.

 

I am not suggesting that in class training (where you are still trying to give yourself a chance to learn) that your partner is required to try and knock you out!

Just that the strike (for want of a better word) is actually on target.

 

A great percentage of the time, especially in a class environment, we see people (nice people of course) punching out of range or bending off target, in order to HELP their partner.

 

Let’s take a look at this when taken from the safety of the classroom into the reality of the street:

Scenario 1 (You – The defender);

A guy walks up to you in a bar and starts to be aggressive, BUT unlike in class, this guy is inches away from you and at a range you have NEVER experienced before.

Needless to say, this does not end well for you.

Scenario 2 (You – The attacker);

You find yourself in a situation where you know you will need to throw the first punch, BUT when you do, you’re out of range and at best give a gentle glancing blow.

Why should you be in range?

You never were in the classroom!

So for both of these reasons, BE IN RANGE

 

And as for bending your attack off target at the last moment?

All this will do is give your training partner a false sense of security that what he is training in class is working, when it probably is not.

 

Even in the safety of a classroom the dangers of this can be seen.

 

If two people have been avoiding contact while training and two others have been going for it, there is always the possibility of a sudden reality check for the avoiders when we call for a partner change.

I’m sure you can imagine what happens next!

 

Please join us for Part 2 of this blog for solutions to these problems.