Respect and value your training partners

I have wanted to write a short blog for a while on valuing and respecting your training partners in martial arts practice. Neither of the martial arts that I have been mainly involved in (Aikido and Systema) are competition martial arts. They are what are termed traditional martial arts. Based on battlefield skills. When you train the prevailing attitude is not one of beating or being better than your training partner, it is one of helping each other to improve. There is no competition in these arts as there is no such thing as second place. On a battlefield second place for the collective is defeat and second place for the individual is death.

Some people in the martial arts world see training as a chance to assert themselves over others and to prove themselves. In rare cases this can lead to injury of the body or spirit in others and themselves. My question to you is this. Imagine a day when you are standing side by side with each of your training partners at dawn on a battlefield. You don’t know exactly when this day will come but it could well be very soon. You know that in the moments to follow those people that you have been training with for the past days, months or years could be the one that you rely on to think and act in an instant as your shield brother or sister to protect you. And you them. They are your left and right arms. Your eyes and ears. Would you want them carrying injuries and impairments? Would you want their spirit broken and defeated? Absolutely not. You would want them strong and fit in body, mentally together and emotionally sound.

As Vladimir Vasiliev says, ‘In Systema it is simple: everything that strengthens and builds is correct and everything that destroys is wrong.’ Everything that you do with your training partners should be geared around strengthening and building them. Physically, mentally and psychologically. This doesn’t take great strength. This takes great sensitivity. To know when they are nearing their edge to take them to it, go with them and then jump and soar together. The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, had the same attitude. He felt that competition had no place in pursuit of the highest level of mastery, mastery of the self.

This is especially true of fears and apprehensions. Systema largely concerns itself with the gradual removal of fears. Physical, mental and emotional. Whatever drill we are doing should have this at the heart of it. You should observe closely the reactions of your partner and understand whether the level of the drill is putting more fear in, or successfully unlocking and removing their fears.  You adjust the level accordingly.

It is highly unlikely that most of you will have to stand side by side with your training partner and have each others backs. But the atmosphere in your club and your relationships with your training partners will be improved immeasurably if you can train in this spirit. The spirit of warrior. Training sincerely, secure in the knowledge that when you stand on that misty battlefield you know that the people either side of you are strong in body mind and spirit, ready to save your life, and you thiers.

Train well, enjoyably and push each others limits. But have the sensitivity to know when to pull back. In my opinion, deliberate injury and ego have no place in training.

Systema Course in Bristol – suitable for all levels
I will be covering this aspect of training across a range of health and combat exercises and drills at a Systema seminar in Bristol on Sunday Jan 26th. You can find out more and book here for the cheapest offer. This will be the grand opening of a new Systema School in Bristol under Karl Durrant. All support for him in this new endeavor will be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Matt.