The White Belt, Your Best Training Partner

When you practice against higher belts of your school whatever style it is, you can learn some very valuable lessons. With all the knowledge they have gained through there years of training most of the time they cant wait to offer it all to you, and you should always act like a sponge and soak it all in, as this is one of the best ways to gain valuable lessons apart from dirctly from your coach. Personally though i think you learn a great deal more from the white belt. The beginner who knows nothing. Now im sure a lot of you are looking at this screen, slanting both your eyebrows and are thinking that im crazy. But picture this example. You are practising a straight forward hip throw on a black belt. Somone who has been thrown countless times. You get your feet into position, bend at the knees, load him on your hips and toss them on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Easy you think, then you try it on a white belt who hasent been thrown ever. So you get in position, bend at you knees then TRY and load him/her on you back. You feel a struggle as your partner resists with all his might knowing that if his feet leave the floor his doomed. You then think WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, you then try bending your knees a tad more then BOOM! Youve loaded your opponent up and slammed him down faster and harder then you ever could with the black belt, plus you leant that the more you bend your knees the better chance that you will throw. You didnt learn this with the black belt. Why? The answer is because the experienced ones go with the flow. They go easy whaen sparring. They allow you to practice wrist locks without flinching. The beginners dont because they dont know how, they struggle, there sloppy, they have no timing or control when sparring. But you know what... neither does anyone on the street!

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