5 Shares

Why it is so important to have training partners

As we saw in the article Online learning and martial arts: is it possible?, in every kind of serious martial training, is crucial:

The solo training (every day)
The training with partners (periodically, not necessarily every day)

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

Is it possible to practice Kung Fu alone?

In the particular case of 6 Dragons Kung Fu:

If on one side it must be stressed that without the 2 mentioned components, it is impossible to reach a complete martial preparation (read Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons)
On the other side, it must be said that our courses have been designed to be very flexible; in fact, if we are not directly interested in real combat applications (or not immediately), we can safely follow the path from white to black belt even alone (read How to start practicing from scratch)

A note by Master Kongling – In the second case, the crucial aspect to understand is that: without fighting, we cannot learn to fight (we will never stop repeating it). Kung Fu can be addressed in many ways (for wellness, health, self-improvement, etc.) and we are not presenting more or less complex / effective paths (this depends on us): we are simply describing a rational distinction between 2 different roads. The only certainty is that, in both cases, individual daily training is the essential part of the mosaic (no matter how long, without it, yes, we remain in the field of amateurs, read also How to train with perseverance).

Training partners and martial goals

After having understood and chosen what our general direction is (read also Kung Fu training for beginners’ fast improvement), it is now necessary to choose a more specific goal:

Wellness and health – If our objective is wellness / health / happiness, there is no problem, to gain incredibly good psychophysical benefits we can train individually without difficulties
Martial growth – If we want to learn everything (including and especially combat), we need at least 1 partner (to see periodically); his / her support is fundamental to understand how to effectively apply the theory to the practice
Competitions – If we want to learn to fight for sports competitions or for complex self-defense scenarios, we surely need to deeply test our skills against the biggest possible number of different and prepared opponents (again, periodically)

A note by Master Kongling – It is no secret that for those who have never practiced, this decision is generally not easy at all to take but we do not have to worry about it: the path we choose does not immediately exclude the others, we can start alone and gradually understand what we are truly looking for.

How to find a training partner

Finally, let’s look at some useful ideas to find partners with whom to share our workout:

Visit gyms – Let’s search for sports courses / gyms (not necessarily directly about martial arts); the best training partners are there, so let’s try to create social relations with them; once we find the right ones, let’s not forget to share our contacts (especially with those with whom we feel good, possibly avoiding damages to the course organizers)
Attend private lessons – Private lessons with instructors / masters are a very good choice; this strategy offers the highest quality level, in fact, we can train each time with different / experienced practitioners from all the possible styles / disciplines; unfortunately, this is not a cheap solution and probably it will limit our decisional autonomy (a person who teaches rarely will do what we want, even if we pay him / her; to do not get fooled let’s be clear and assertive before starting)
Write / search an announcement – Publishing a free ad we could ask for martial arts training (or sparring) partners; we can search for specific or generic public websites, newspapers, social networks, message boards, martial arts forums (etc.); if we want we can also offer a small revenue but it is important to specify the technical requirements and above all correctness / respect (read also Dojo (guan): rules, respect and etiquette)
Ask friends and relatives – Asking relatives (brothers, cousins, etc.) or friends (acquaintances, students, colleagues, etc.) can appear simple but it is not; this option is the most obvious but it is not easy to involve random people in activities that require a constant presence and especially physical contact; let’s keep in mind that this solution can generate a lot of frustration (missed lessons, lack of discipline and in the worst cases even quarrels)
Leafleting and business cards – Printing specific business cards or flyers we can communicate our availability to joint mutual training (a lot of people are searching exactly the same thing); even if this may appear expensive, we would certainly spend less than for private lessons with experts
Propose ourselves as trainers – If our level is not too low we could choose a person who seems most suitable for us, even on the street (or in a pub, etc.) and offer him / her free lessons

A note by Master Kongling – The last tip is to try to mix together all the mentioned strategies.

Final notes

Let’s conclude with a few ideas and reflections:

The ideal solution would be to find a reliable person that is at our level or slightly higher but let’s not delude ourselves, that takes time, in the meantime let’s be satisfied with what we can find and let’s insist on our solo training
It is of vital importance not to connect our workout to a specific person; the practice of martial arts must be based on our self-discipline; the others may or may not be there but we still have to train
if we are good organizers, let’s try to put together a training group of motivated people (social networks are ideal for organizing periodic appointments and maintaining contacts); a great way to prevent the group from dissolving (just after the initial enthusiasm) is to agree at the end of the workouts to go out altogether (eg. to eat)
Kung Fu can become a lasting moment of fantastic sharing with people who share our same passion (in these contexts it is not uncommon to find solid friendships, a person to live with, etc.)
In any case, let’s pay particular attention to whom we approach; it is important to have (even informally) all the basic information (names, phone numbers and possibly addresses); for the first meetings we have also to avoid places we do not know and to remain alone; if there is something that does not convince us, let it go
…

In the next article of this series, we will see what are the characteristics of a perfect training partner and some ideas about the place to train (read The most suitable places to train).

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – The right exercises to share to build real martial skills
DIY training tools for martial arts – How to build (temporary) replacement for a training partner

In-depth articles

4 Tips to effectively apply any fighting technique – The 4 key points to understand how to execute a technique correctly
The best way to study technique: 10 tips – 10 useful advice about how to learn faster

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Have you already found a training partner?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

Twitter Facebook

How to master 6 Dragons Kung Fu?

Are you searching for:

Daily training exercises?
Synthetic theory and concepts?
A step by step path from white to black belt?
A path (clear, consequential and gradual) designed to build real martial skills?
A direct contact with Master Kongling?

Go to our Patreon page and choose a training plan: starting from the Practitioner level, you will gain access to all this and much more.

Inside each Premium Lesson, you will receive the same teaching (practices, tips, concepts, small secrets and corrections) reserved to the live students of Master Kongling.

Important - Once a certain number of registrations are reached, no other participants can be accepted. For more information write to: [email protected].