Often, I’ll tell my students, “Change partners!” during class. Why? Because it’s good for all of us. This article lists seven benefits of changing and working with different partners.

I’ve meant to post about the importance of changing and working with different martial arts partners in class for a while, but it’s time. Recently, Andrea Harkins wrote a terrific post titled “15 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Martial Art.” Number 6 on her list of mistakes is “working with the same partner all the time.” Andrea nailed it in her short exposition on why repeatedly training with the same partner is a bad idea. I’m going to expand on this.

Modern Arnis and many martial arts rely heavily on partner-based drills. However, working with the same partner over and over is not beneficial for several reasons.

Working with the same comrade is detrimental because being in a predictable comfort zone prevents you from stretching your horizons and considering different possibilities.

The more partners you work with, the more prepared you will be if that moment ever comes. Incidentally, this is one of the downsides of breakout groups, which limits the number of partners you can work with.

Here are the reasons why changing and working with different martial arts partners is beneficial for you:

(1) Broaden your knowledge base: You become familiar with a wider range of movement regarding timing, speed, and rhythm. People move differently, and not all have the same speed, strength, or timing. The more partners you work with, the deeper your knowledge base becomes.

(2) Antidote to “going through the motions:” Changing partners is an excellent antidote to “going through the motions” with a familiar partner.  I have seen partners who are too familiar with each other start and socializing instead of focusing on the technique. The result is that they are going through the motions. This is not beneficial to either partner. To me, that’s worse than doing nothing.

(3) Different sizes: By sticking with the same training buddy, they deny themselves the opportunity to train with different-sized people.

A range of possible partners differ in height, weight, reach, and strength. If you’re working with a 5’6″ partner all the time, how are you going to handle a person who is 6’4″? If you don’t take advantage of the opportunity to work with different partners, you will likely not know how to adjust various techniques for different-sized partners.

(4) Puzzles: Some partners may unintentionally present puzzles you must figure out. Training stiff partners who muscle their way through techniques is a good example. Often, they are not aware that they are not relaxed. While an instructor or a senior partner may point this out to them, figuring out how to deal with it is sometimes beneficial.

How do you find the path of least resistance when encountering this type of energy? This is a great opportunity to figure out how to work with it, find openings, and use it against it. If you work with the same partner, you get used to their compliance or energy. Needless to say, this is not exactly beneficial.

(5) Different variations of the same technique: Even though they practice the same techniques, you may see slightly different versions of the same technique. You may say, “Hmmm, I like this variation; let’s experiment with this.”

You may learn different things from different martial arts partners. Sometimes, they inspire you: “Oh, I just thought of something!”  Don’t deny yourself this opportunity.

(6) Experienced partner: Working with an experienced partner may present different challenges than working with a beginner. The experienced partner may present you with changes in the timing or speed of a technique that might throw you off. Thus, this is an opportunity to learn the deeper nuances of a technique you thought you knew. Or the experienced player may correct you on one or several aspects of a technique. Take advantage of the other person’s experience.

(7) Beginner student: Working with a beginner presents different opportunities. First and foremost is the opportunity to teach. This is where you begin to acquire teaching skills through trial and error or with guidance from an instructor. When you teach the beginner, you are also teaching yourself. I can tell you from experience that I have learned much more from teaching than being a student. The beginner student will get to know you and like you much more than that!

Insisting the students to change and work with different people also improves relationships in the class as the students get to know each other. It also helps to expand their knowledge base and understanding of the concepts and techniques of the martial arts they are studying. In addition, by seeing the different attributes that different folks bring to the table, they can also see which attributes need to improve.

Over to you, what other benefits of changing and working with different martial arts partners can you think of?

Additional Reading