Are you a good training partner?

Our club (Sudbury BJJ) has a great team atmosphere. For many of us, the club has become a big part of our social circle. I`m lucky to be a part of it and very thankful to having alot of great training partners.

With that being said, every now and again, I think it`s a good idea to take a step back and ask yourself...am I a good training partner? Do people avoid eye contact when its time to partner up or do you get snapped up quick to roll? There`s alot that goes into being a good partner, but here are what I believe are the main points to be conscious of.

Check your ego at the door

When you roll, do you pay attention to the flow or are you stiff and trying to muscle your way into a better position? Do you crank your submissions with everything you`ve got until you feel the tap or do you ease up when you know you`ve got your partner in a bad position? Even white belts know when they`ve got an arm trapped and the submission is there. There`s no real need (in training) to try and pop the elbow. Your partners are there to help you learn and improve your game. Use good judgement and you`ll keep moving forward.

Hygene

I think everyone at the club has heard my position on this at one point or another. Rule number one...wash your gi. I cringe when I hear guys say they only wash their gi once a week because they don`t stink. The thing to remember is that your sweat dries into your gi and becomes mouldy. There`s the argument that washing the gi after every use will shorten it`s life. Today`s Jiu Jitsu gi`s are very well made. Hang to dry and it`ll last you a long time.

I once had a high school gym teacher ask us why we were putting on deodorant before gym class. I was surprised by this and explained to him that deodorant (or preferably anti-persperant)shouldn't be used to mask odor after it`s a problem, but to prevent it before it happens. Ok...I`m getting off track here, but you get the point. It rarely happens, but from time to time, I get the impression that some guys might think, "well, I`m going to sweat anyways, so I`ll just shower after class." Come to class as clean as possible. Grappling has us in pretty tight quarters with one another...sweat up a storm on the mat, but again, be conscious of it.

While we`re on the topic, if you`re a guy with a hairy chest, wear a t-shirt under your gi. Nobody wants to have their face mushed into your chest hair during randori. (it`ll also keep it from ending up on the mat which them somehow always ends up in my mouth...don`t ask, I`m still trying to figure that out myself)

I don`t want to rant too much on the topic, but it`s something that everyone should think about every now and again. The team at Sudbury BJJ is always pretty good about this stuff, so I do consider myself among the lucky when it comes to that, but every once in a while, these things seem to slip through the cracks.

So I`ll ask the question again. Are you a good training partner?

Stay healthy my friends!