The next level of self defense: finding a training partner
Practicing what you’ve learning is a key element of gaining knowledge. One of the most common issues that people tend to have once they’ve completed their self defense training is finding training buddy. So, in this article we’ll look at where to find a training partner for self defense.
The purpose here is to teach you how to keep up with your training so your self defense skills keep on getting better. And a big part of keeping up with your training includes finding a good training partner.
The problem is, scouting for a good partner, who is just as serious about training as you are, can be considered a skill set of its own.
I’ll explain everything you must do in order to find the right partner who understands exactly how important training in self defense is.
You are on a journey, and by the end of it you’ll know that you are as secure as you can possibly be.
What you need is a good workout buddy. Or perhaps, even a good team that is on the same path that you are, that is willing to help you along the way.
What you should want from a training partner
You want a self defense training partner who is just as dedicated as you are.
You don’t want someone who will stand you up when you are already dressed up and ready to hit the training facility. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to make sure that you have the right training partner.
Don’t be so desperate to spar with someone that you’re willing to put up with an unmotivated partner. Don’t just grab someone off the street and invite them to your training place.
Instead, you should vet out your self-defense partner to make sure they are just as eager to learn how to defend themselves as you are.
In order to determine if your partner is right for you, you should consider what your goals are. And, you should communicate with your partner to ensure that your goals are at least similar enough that your relationship can be mutually beneficial.
You should also learn how to be a good partner.
You should expect whatever you put into your relationship to be equal to what you put in. If you’re dead serious about learning how to defend yourself this sentiment should be reflected onto your partner and vice versa.
Why joining a self defense community is beneficial
There are many reasons why joining a community may be beneficial.
It’s always a good idea to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who can identify with your goals. It helps keep you motivated, and hold you accountable.
But also, being a part of a team means you have a variety of different types of training partners. Also, while training with different sorts of people, you’re certain to learn something that you don’t already know.
You’re also going to deal with different personalities which could be very effective for learning purposes.
Different personalities equal different ways of attacking and coming at you with different perspectives. This will teach you how to deal with different sorts of people when out in the real world.
One of your fighting partners may be the sneaky silent type. Training with him might teach you to be more aware of the people around you. You’ll also learn and how to detect subtle indicators of possible threats.
You might have a partner playing the role of an attacker who is more aggressive and direct. You might also have a partner who is really good at defusing hostile situations. He’ll will teach you the best ways to avoid a violent encounter before it even occurs.
These are just some of the benefits of having a variety of training partners for self defense.
But you’ll notice over time the very unique perks of having different personalities helping you learn a variety of tactics. All of which have a good chance of saving your skin at some point in your life.
Here’s an example of a self defense partner with energy:
Self defense training partners of various sizes
Probably the most obvious benefit of having a variety of training partners would be the different shapes in sizes of people you’ll train with. This is a perfect representation of the variety of people you will encounter in the real world.
Sometimes the person who wants to harm you is much larger than you.
If this is the case, you’ll realize that some of the things you learned about self defense while training with people your size, might not apply to someone who outweighs you and outreaches you.
You can see here how training with a larger attacker can make things really different.
Training with people with varying body shapes and sizes will give you an entirely new perspective personal protection. You might not have known exactly how defenseless you were until you spar with someone who can easily outmuscle you.
And having this information will potentially save your life, because you will discover clever ways to overcome your physical disadvantages.
Finding good training partners
It is important to know exactly where to find training partners. Your first option should always be to ask friends and family. It shouldn’t take you too much effort to explain the importance of self defense to a friend or family member who trusts your judgment.
Both you and them will feel more comfortable about training with someone who isn’t a stranger.
Also, take advantage of referrals from mutual acquaintances. The chances that you know someone who knows someone who is interested in martial arts, or even self defense specifically, are pretty high.
Simply put out the word to people you already know. Tell them that you are interested in finding a training partner and eventually someone will get back to you.
If you happen to be subscribed to some sort of fighter’s gym, you shouldn’t have too much of a hard time making acquaintance with other members who are at the gym to improve their fighting skills.
Learning how to fight in general is not so far from learning to fight for the purpose of learning self defense.
So, if you were to ask someone in a fighting gym if they want to spar, and perhaps run through a few self defense scenarios, there’s a good chance that your interests will align.
Reach like-minded self defense practitioners with the Internet
Thanks to the power of the internet, finding a community of like-minded individuals has never been easier. Simply go online and search for groups of people who already have in person meetups near your location.
You’ll never know what you’re missing out on if you don’t ask and find out. You might go on a self defense Facebook page and discover that there is already a community of people who practice self defense tactics in your area.
Worst case scenario, you might have to create your own Facebook group. This will help you find people in your area who want to practice self defense with you.
Some specific places online to find people to meet up with (besides Facebook) would be sites like meetup.com. You can connect with people based on your location for various sorts of gatherings.
You can find a group of people to hang out with, or you can create your own group. There are also the site named exercisefriends.com. It’s specifically designed to help people who want to link up to stay active and work out.
Classified ads can also be a good way to find training partners. You’d be surprised what you can find there.
When meeting up with people you met online, use some discernment about the sort of people you meet up with. If they come off as sketchy, be careful.
Be cautious also if they want you to meet them in a secluded area where there are likely to be no witnesses to a potential crime. It would be wise to just avoid the meetup.
It would be ironic if you become a victim of a violent crime while you were looking for a training partner. So, just be careful out there and only meet people in public areas.
The importance of solo training
Sometimes the best training partner is staring at you in the mirror. Just like how professional boxers shadow box, you too need to learn how to train solo for self defense.
There could be many reasons why you would need to develop effective solo training regiments. In today’s day in age, meeting up with people in public could prove to be an obstacle.
But even in a perfect world, you would still find yourself in situations where solo training is a necessity.
The lack of a good partner should never be a valid excuse for not training. Say something comes up with your sparring partner, and they are unable to meet up with you.
You’re not just going to miss out on an entire day of training, are you?
What happens if your partner’s schedule conflicts with yours on certain days, but you still want to train? What if you want to practice certain moves that are too dangerous to test out on a human being?
You’re not only going to want to develop a good shadow boxing training regiment, but you’re also going to want to get yourself a training dummy. The dummy won’t complain if you rough it up a bit.
A good choice for a training dummy would be the classic Bob dummy. Not only is this freestanding punching dummy very durable, it also looks like the torso of a human.
It literally has a flesh like texture!
Training with a dummy that is similar enough to a human torso will give you a much better training experience than a normal punching bag.
Check this out, so you can learn all about training with a Bob Dummy (Ad).
What’s important is that you keep training for self defense
The one thing you should never compromise on is your personal safety. Although we have laws in place to protect us, and police officers to enforce those laws, ultimately it is you who is responsible for your own safety.
It is you who has the most to lose while you sit idly waiting for the police to save you. You must take the initiative to secure your life. And, perhaps even the lives of those you care about the most.
Don’t let finding a partner block you from training. If you haven’t found one yet, always stay in a mission to find a training partner for self defense.
Do not allow shyness prevent you from finding a good training partner. Also, do not allow the lack of a good training partner stop you from keeping up with your solo training.
To sum it all up
We hope you find what we have available to you at Code Red Defense enlightening.
You are now in the minority of people who are actually aware of how vulnerable you are when you do not prepare for violent encounters.
You now understand that those who do not prepare for danger while out in public are like soldiers who do not have a plan of attack when storming an enemy.
But just because you have access to the Code Red Defense training, this does not mean your journey is over. In martial arts, earning your blackbelt is only the beginning.
Having a black belt simply means you have mastered the basics. But once that is done you must continue your training for many years in order to call yourself a true master of martial arts.
In comparison, once you have completed the Code Red Defense library of training courses, you can say that you have mastered the principles concepts of self defense.
And with that, you are now on the path to obtaining all of the skills you need. You’ll know how to protect yourself against those who wish you harm.
But your self defense training is not yet complete. You must keep up with your training in order to stay in shape, both physically and mentally.
If you do not continue to train in self defense, everything you have accomplished so far will become undone.
You can do just that by subscribing to the Code Red Defense newsletter.
Stay safe out there.
Patrick Viana
Code Red Defense