Week 7 - The Good Training Partner

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A surprisingly good week on the scales.  This morning I had hoped to be under 110kg,  Instead I saw 108.7!  Why bother with the 109s when you can just bypass them altogether....The difference, 1.8kg for the goodies.  That's the biggest lost since the carbohydrate balancing, water based loss of week 1.  With that in mind, if I can even stay under 109kg next week, I think I need to be well satisfied.

Total weight lost so far is now 10.7kg.  My image for the post this week is a chart representing that loss over time.  There are 3 lines on the graph.  The blue line is a representation of if I were to lose 1kg per week.  The red line is similarly, a 1kg loss, but based on the previous week's result as a starting point.  The final green line is the actual loss.  There is no way that I should or could maintain a 1kg per week weight loss goal, but, it will be interesting to see how far down the track the lines cross.

So to the title of this post.  It's a topic that I have been wrestling with (bad pun I know) for months if I am honest.  It's the balance between giving and receiving in my martial arts training.  I love the philosophy at Synergy where I train.  "Your training partner's safety is your responsibility".  It's more than that too.  It's about looking out that you measure your intensity and concentrate on your technique so as not to injure them for sure.  In addition to that though, I really believe that you are responsible for nurturing their development at the same time.

So what does that mean?  In my mind it means that sometimes you need to put your own learning and development to one side in favour of helping your training partner with theirs.  I can honestly say that being part of someone's progression for me can be as rewarding as breaking through any given barrier myself.  So what am I struggling with?  Inexperience and enthusiasm.

My coach (I know he might be watching this) says that one of the key things is that I recognise the need to be a good training partner and it's great that I have.  What I am finding difficult though is knowing what I need to do when.  Do I go flat out and compete in the activity?  Or do I hold back enough to guide my partner through?  Obviously this is not when we are drilling and just learning or revising techniques.  It is when we are moving more into a live (training) situation to practice what we have learned.  I really struggle with it and feel like I need someone to tell me each and every time just what I should do in this regard.  Happy to do it either way.....just make it easier to know which one damn it!

Loving every minute of my training time and this aspect doesn't detract from that much.  I know in time that because I am aware of it, I can develop this part of my martial arts.  For now, I am working really hard to balance my enthusiasm, inexperience and intensity to get the most out of every session for those that I train with at least as much as I do myself.