A good training partner

Training jiu jitsu is very different to other martial arts like muay thai or boxing where you can hit heavy bags or shadow box. But of course you still need a good training partner to hold the pads and be a safe sparring partner. Having a good pad holder is hard to find and a good sparring partner is even harder to find.

In jiu jitsu you really need to have a training partner otherwise you can't drill a lot of the techniques. Doing solo drills will only do so much but it won't help you learn a technique.

To help your training partner learn jiu jitsu quickly and properly you really need to be a good training partner. It's not particular difficult but does take some time and awareness to be a good training partner.

So here are some tips to be a good training partner.

1 - Don’t be a tube man

You need to have a strong structure and have a good base that will allow your training partner to get through the whole sequence of technique. Having a good base means you are not just toppling over when a bit of force is applied on you.

Just stay still and react as you should so the sequence can be completed.

2 - Don’t be a rock 

Continuing from the last point, don't be so firm so your partner can't go through the motion don't apply resistance. If you are suppose to have your posture broken for the sequence then allow it to happen. If you need to give them an arm to complete the sequence allow it to happen.

Your partner just needs to get through the motion to understand the technique.

3 - Don't tap too early

This is an interesting one. If you are learning how to do a submission and it's a choke. Don't tap too earlier or don't tap if the choke isn't on.

Obviously if the submission is hurting a lot you should tap but tell them it's not strangling you. But it's hurting you. You should probably figure out why it's not choking but hurting you.

It you tap to a choke that isn't working you're pretty much lying to your partner and they will think that it's working.

4 - Don't speed through the techniques

Don't just speed through the sequence and doing it at high reps. The purpose is to do the moves and to understand the mechanics and the application. If you're familiar with the technique already, you can workshop on what you can link it with or how you can add it to your game.

You shouldn't be doing techniques just for high reps. There are time and place for it. Not for learning the mechanics.

5 - Don't throw people when drilling takedown

Drilling takedown is something that will need repetitions regardless of what I mentioned in point 4. Something that requires high level of athleticism needs to be drilled many times to get it right.

At times you will need to execute the takedown at higher intensity but of course not all the time. Maybe once every ten rep? really its up to you and your partner so you don't constantly get thrown at max intensity and get injured.

We all want to improve quickly and to do that is to be good training partners and show each other how to be good training partners.