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I’ve been taking classes for over a year now. During this time I’ve usually partnered with the same 3 people. Each one of us usually don’t hold back and help each other when we screw up.
Am I missing something by not partnering with different people?
Re: Partnering Up
I usually work with the same 5 people. I try to work with others outside of this group but I guess there’s that comfort level working with the same people.
I don’t feel like I’m missing something working with the same people… Like you, we help each other out and can be aggressive during drills.
Re: Partnering Up
I am at about the same time in. I have a regular rotation of people I “normally” work out with. I also like it. You get to know each others limits so that you can safely push them. I feel better going really hard against someone I know than someone I just met.
However, you also learn your partner. You learn their patterns more. They can be more predictable.
I don’t know if your instructors break it up sometimes. Ours do definitely have us change partners to get a more varied experience when say working inside defenses or 360s. I wonder if yours also do this. I think this shows these differences in patterns. It is beneficial to my overall learning.
I think it doesn’t matter nearly as much to change partners for 90% of a class or lesson if you are getting the varied experiences with defneses from various styles, punching heights, speed and such that you get from person to person.
But I also think the question comes to mind of why you ask. Do you think there is something you are missing? Change to somebody completely random the next time.
Amongst anything else, it will put you out of a comfort zone, which is a key part of training. I know I have been a little anxious when I have been in a class that I don’t really recognize someone I regularly workout with and kind of scan the room wondering who will lower themselves to my level 🙂
Dave
Re: Partnering Up
I have been doing KM for about 2 years and I switch constantly. I work with the same people when I can, but usually me and another person work with new people or people who are visiting, at the instructors request.
It’s good to have different people, I think. I don’t want to get use to the same thing over and over. We have acouple of people that push more than others and then we have people that are lucky to have a pulse for class.
Re: Partnering Up
Well, my experience with partners has been well documented on my blog by now, so I won’t bore everyone with repeated info. But I had to overcome some issues with hitting women (holding bags, of course). Once I got over that, my partnering wolrd opened up quiet a bit more than in the beginning. I know there are a few people I can let loose on, but for the most part I work technique, nice and slow, with the smaller folks in my class. I actually like working with women more now because it gives them a chance to let loose on a huge guy that can take a hit and/or kick to his vital parts. HA! So, my advice is to give everyone a chance. Different body types and such really make you switch your game up every now and then. That’s my two cents…
Re: Partnering Up
Haha! I’d say there are definitely advantages to both sides – sticking w/ the same partners, and trying out new ones.
Personally, I like having the same 1 or 2 partners if at all possible. I am not exactly an itsy bitsy, tentative girl and there’s nothing more frustrating than being with a partner who you have to go 10% with. Yes, it’s a great opportunity to work on form, but it’s just so much more satisfying when you have a regular partner who you know will take everything you dish out, and give it right back.
However, at the same time, I personally love it when the instructors mix us up a little bit so that I can partner with the big, strong, tough guys (who normally shy away from working with women). 🙂 Nickolas, I think I’d love you. Lol! 🙂
When we’re partnered w/ another woman (especially one much weaker than ourselves), it’s easy to fall into a dangerous false sense of security, thinking, “Oh yeah, I’m good, check out how easily I just broke her choke” … whereas when you’re partnered with a man much stronger and bigger than ourselves, it gives us a good solid reality check, and makes us work much more in line with the way we’d have to work in the event of a true attack/rape attempt on us by a man.
ANYWAY … I liked what Dave said: I think it doesn’t matter nearly as much to change partners for 90% of a class or lesson if you are getting the varied experiences with defneses from various styles, punching heights, speed and such that you get from person to person.
So switch it up from time to time, and realize that not only are you improving by being with a partner whose responses you’re unfamiliar with, you could also be helping someone else out tremendously with their skills. 🙂
Re: Partnering Up
Well I can speak from experience when I say Erica your no slouch and I’ve never had any problems with you as a partner, instructor or assistant. (side note she always has the best class music)
I for one like to swap people every few minutes literally just to feel different energy and not become complacent.Re: Partnering Up
quote DKatman:But I also think the question comes to mind of why you ask. Do you think there is something you are missing? Change to somebody completely random the next time.Amongst anything else, it will put you out of a comfort zone, which is a key part of training. I know I have been a little anxious when I have been in a class that I don’t really recognize someone I regularly workout with and kind of scan the room wondering who will lower themselves to my level 🙂
Dave
I’ve been avoiding responding to krav questions of late unless personally involved. However Dave kind of calls you on this and rightfully so. I thought the same thing on my initial read of your question. I just didn’t want to be accused of being insensitive. Deep down I think you know the answer to this question, plus the pro’s and con’s
I’m automatically leery of people who say how hard they go with their selective clique. Usually what you end up finding is a group of bangers with little form and less control. Though aggression, followed with speed, suprise and violence of action can overcome a lot of thing, Fast ends up being slow and smooth is fast. Speed and just banging hides a lot of structual errors. Working at various levels helps us learn different things
One of the things I found so interesting working in the Fight Intro I did was having to deal with everyone in the room. Sean kept switching often. I really appreciated that he took the initiative to not let anyone get comfortable with any partner. By the time that happened we’d allready were on our third switch.:OhMy:Everyone works at different speeds and angles. There were people in the room I trusted and those I didn’t, but I think I honestly can say I got something different out of each evolution. One guy wanted to work slow… I found easy clean body openings I didn’t see at faster speeds. Another swung really hard with the focus mitts on a blocking excerise, I noticed he stopped swinging for fences when I attacked with the block. Things like this too numerous to mention
Its natural for us to form cliques and gravitate to where we’re comfortable. However with the expectation to grow the comfort zone is the last place we want to be. Nothing new never happens there. As David mentions not knowing what to expect from our partners tends to make us pay attention. It gets the stomach fluttering a bit.
What an ego we have when we deem another to be inferior training partners and the rationlizations we spew out..Its a girl, I’m too powerful, they can’t take it, their too short/tall/slow/weak/new/uncordinated/spastic/inexpirienced of course all followed by the ‘their ruining my training” line…er whine. Because everyone comes in different shapes, sizes and toughness as well as personalities each offers a different lesson to an open mind. Sometimes our lesson is to recieve, other times to give. Most times the deepest lessons come from our giving. Meaning we learn more by contributing to the growth of the room. Sometimes the person we’re avoiding is the mirrior we need to be looking into for insight.
Control is an under rated commodity to many it seems, yet it is control that keeps us from making mistakes as well as making our efforts effortless. We can only master control by dealing with many variables of chaos in training, including inner frustrations, such as a training partner whose making us look bad…maybe?
Now training partners with attitudes is another subject entirelyrofl2
Re: Partnering Up
I like working with new people and really think its important to see how other people react to the technique with different body types or skill levels. Some we learn from others we help.
Tonight I was rolling with a guy who had far superior ground skills to mine we were equally size matched but he knew my ground game was comparatively week. He really took the time to help talk me through some of the more complicated escapes. And because I’m a fairly strong guy I could muscle my way through techniques where my skills lacked. However rolling with Arthur was a different story, he’s got over 100 lbs on me and a strong BJJ background. Not to mention being freakishly strong. I couldn’t muscle him around I was forced to think my way out like putting together puzzle pieces to finally escape his crushing size.
I think a person does themselves a disservice if they don’t push their boundaries with training partners who they can learn from. And at the same time there’s a certain satisfaction that comes from helping someone at a lower skill level.
As a side note watching 150lb Christian roll with 345lb Arthur is an entertaining spectacle.
Re: Partnering Up
I usually work with the same few people. I find that when you work with the same person for a while you get to know each other strengths and weaknesses. You know that if that elbow is comming for your nose, they will stop it in time. Training with the same people allows you to go harder IMO. On the other hand, every so often, espically with ground work, I like to mix it up. I normally find the biggest guy and work with him because it makes me stronger, unless we are doing technical work, then I like to find the best ground guy and work with him.
Re: Partnering Up
Thanks for the responses. The reason why I asked is that I’ve found that I usually screw up more when I’m partnering with some one I’m not used to.
Re: Partnering Up
quote MadDogMean:Thanks for the responses. The reason why I asked is that I’ve found that I usually screw up more when I’m partnering with some one I’m not used to.So are you gonna interview and audition perspective attackers? You know so you don’t screw up or look bad in the process. :dunno: I’m teasing of course.
I read Darren and John’s book a bit yesterday. I really liked the part where they related Krav to business or life. One of the questions they said krav forced us to look at is “What is the real danger?” Seems like you identified the danger. We got to be willing to look bad in order to look good most times.
Re: Partnering Up
I like to work with different people. It’s nice to work with someone you really like and have gotten used to, but that’s not what will happen in a street fight. You’ll likely be very uncomfortable fighting a stranger in the street, so why not be uncomfortable on occasion in the gym as well, training with someone you are not used to and who does things differently than what you’d expect.
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