Good training partners are hard to find.

I often repeat this line about training partners and that when you've got a good training partner look after him! Trying to find people on a similar wavelength to you and at a skill level that complements your own and you are both willing to exchange ideas and try new stuff at full tilt without letting the ego get in the way is very very difficult indeed. So when you find one take care not to break them. Even though this is an individual endeavor to some extent no-one can make real progress alone. Books, youtube and dvds are great but at some point you need to try and see if it actually works and then workshop any difficulties you inevitably encounter. Entries, set ups and recounters etc. So to get a someone whose feedback you trust and is willing to highlight your weaknesses and then set about eliminating them is what good training is all about. Thats when you make real progress together. I guess that's one of the reasons I opened a club down here is to develop a bunch of training partners with different games, body types and personalities to help me get better as a grappler and martial artist. So its exciting to have a bunch of new blue belts on the mat after three years and see that dream start to come to fruition. And I hope that by having a group of guys grading together that they keep each other honest as a group and make the next step forward together. On the other hand, one of the downsides to teaching, is that I dont get to go Chadstone as much as I would like to work on my own game against more experienced grapplers. Time just doesn't permit. But I always remark when people ask me about this, that Jason keeps me honest in terms of my own development. I am grateful to have such a good training partner. Hard to find.