Being a good training partner

In martial arts being a good training partner is essential. Specifically, arts that require a partner, like judo, jiu-jitsu, and others.

It is natural for a person to want to practice the specific offensive and defensive moves that are being shown. It can be boring to allow someone else to do the movement on you. But a good training partner not only endures, but looks to learn while being used as a training aid. This is in addition to the common courtesy one should show when training a new move.

The Obstinate:
Some people come into training with an axe to grind. They wish to prove the move ineffective - either in general, or on themselves specifically. This person is invariably a newer student. People who have studied for a while understand that nobody is immune.

The main problem with this type is that they will intentionally sabotage their training partner's attempt to perform the movement. The issue here is that their own selfishness prevents their partner from learning what they have paid to learn.

Not only that, but an obstinate training partner also prevents himself from learning. This is a person who will often give up too soon, saying they just cannot learn a move.

The Distracted:
This student is far more common in children's classes. They have a lot on their mind... or not. But one thing is for sure: the class is NOT on their mind.

In children, this situation is common for a child who is overly-medicated. Usually the medication is prescribed for ADD/ADHD. It is the opinion of the Usagi Dojo that ADD/ADHD do not exist, but are simply code words for a problem occurring in children the root cause of which lies in parenting, nutrition, and exercise. Nevertheless, Ritalin and similar medications cause a person to "zone-out" and lose focus. Kind of ironic since one of the "symptoms" of "ADD/ADHD" is lack of focus.

When seen in adults, this student rarely stays in class more than a month or so. This is the person that leaves, and usually has a mild complaint about the instructor, the setting, the location, or some other trivial matter.

The "Other Art" guy:
This person studied another art, and they feel that gives them some edge in this art. Sometimes (albeit rarely) this is true. More often, though, it is simply the way this person wants to be. They try to make your art fit to theirs.

If the truth were known, this person really wishes they were doing their old art. But for some reason, they aren't any more.

Summary:
There are many other types of poor training partners, but these are the main ones. If you see any of these symptoms in yourself, try to lose the baggage first; before class. You'll learn a lot more, and you'll enjoy class more.

If you notice another student with one of these issues, try to help as best you can. Rotate training partners so you can limit the amount of damage the person can do to any one of the more serious students.