There are many ways to train alone: Running, hitting a bag, shadowboxing…all of these aspects of training are important and necessary to become proficient in martial arts. However, there is one type of training that is both essential and impossible to simulate alone. That necessary piece of education must involve a training partner.
There is a point at which we must move beyond the shadowboxing and bag hitting and learn things that only working with a partner can teach us. Timing, distance, counterattacks, and fakes to name a few. A good training partner is crucial. Communication and cooperation between partners facilitates the learning process for both individuals.
Eventually, further down the path of studying martial arts, there comes a time when we must begin to test ourselves and discover the limits of our skills and our hearts. This is when the bond between partners becomes almost sacred…when you think about it, a good training partner is doing you an incredible service. He or she is allowing you to test yourself against him or her, permitting you to take your measure, and vice versa. Therefore respect, gratitude, and trust must all be present in the partners’ relationship.
The bond between training partners is very special. A partner is there for both your triumphs and your failures; he or she supports and motivates your growth. When you don’t feel like training you know you can’t let your partner down, so you rise to the occasion. And the relationship works both ways…none of us can do it alone. There is no “iron sharpens iron” without the second piece of iron after all!
A good training partner isn’t always easy to find; good fighters are everywhere but good people are rare. We are so fortunate to have such amazing people at Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach. It doesn’t matter which class you take, (Muay Thai, BJJ, MMA, Kali, Krav Maga) all of the students are determined to be good training partners for each other. We are all individually at different stages in our martial arts journeys, but everyone supports and motivates one another to continually try and improve. Being a good partner and supporting another person’s growth is an important distinction between a true martial artist and a regular fighter, and Elite is a school that is full of martial artists.
