Many athletes prefer training with training partners rather than getting trained by a coach. Training partners are like each other’s coaches and help each other get better during their practice sessions. Also in many cases, amateur athletes or club players may not have access to professional coaches. In such a scenario, working with a partner can have immense benefits. In this blog, we discuss the benefits of having a sparring partner and criteria’s for choosing an ideal one.
Why train with a partner?
Imagine you are seated near your
boarding gate waiting for your flight to get announced. As soon as the flight
is announced, you notice a long que at the gate. Looking at the que, you decide
to leave your comfortable seat and stand in the long que to board the aircraft.
Does this sound familiar?
The passengers near the gate are never
going to miss their flight. Ever wondered then why are they in such a hurry to
board the aircraft?
We as humans are naturally
competitive. We thrive for competition as it is one of our survival instincts. That’s
the reason many professional athletes only prefer other athletes to train with.
They seem to get their best in training when coupled with a sparring partner. It
also simulates match like situations. Take a simple test to see how we improve
when we are made to do the same workout with a partner. Try running alone, and
then try running with someone of the same running caliber as yours. You will notice
a distinct improvement in your speed. When I do court sprints alone, I clock on
an average 1.10 minutes. But when running with a partner my time improves to
1.05 minutes. I obviously tend to push myself as I do not want to finish last. So
having a sparring partner is very important as it helps in developing a spirit
of healthy competition. This helps in faster skill improvement and better
experience of competitive scenarios.
How to choose your training partner?
There are a few factors to be considered before you choose your training partner.
- Partners should compliment each other.
It is very important that training partners are equally competitive. A big difference in competitive levels of
partners would not work. An ideal situation would be when both partners have
different sets of skill sets which they bring to the training session and make
the session even more interesting for each other. The players with different
strengths in their skills and fitness levels would make the spirit of
competition fiercer and help them prepare better for match like scenarios. In
squash, players of contrasting playing styles often train together as they can learn so much from each other’s game play.
In this kind of a setup, players often try to capitalize on their own strengths
and try and exploit the weaknesses of the partner- which is actually what they
would do in a match.
- Help each other succeed.
Training with a partner is like any
other partnership. For the partnership to be successful, both partners have to
ensure that the other reaches his goal. The vision of one partner should be to
realize the goal of another and vice versa. If my partner is losing,
demotivated, feeling low, depressed- it is my duty to lift his spirits and get
him back at his best. The partners
share a very sacred relationship. Professional athletes spend hour’s together training and consider each
other as family. The bond which training partners share makes a big difference
of the result they produce out of training with each other. Training partners
should be fiercely competitive inside the practice session, but best of friends
outside. If you have a partner who shares this kind of a bond with you, tie up
and get started!!
- Should have great mutual respect for each other.
Training partners should look up to
each other, inspire each other and have tremendous mutual respect for each
other. They should have admiration for each other, their attitude, their hunger
for success, their discipline in training etc. If I doubt my partner’s skills,
chances are that I won’t be able to learn much from him. They should have
mutual respect not only in terms of being athletes but also as good human
beings. Professional athletes usually have great respect for each other’s
journey thus far. Training partners should also have similar ambition (goals
may be different). It is very important that they keep their egos aside during
their training.
Final words......
Training partners can be very useful in improving, motivation and pushing each other’s limits. It also makes training and improving more of a fun activity. Some athletes thrive in a more informal setup rather than a more formal coaching kind of a setup. Having a good training partner can actually be a blessing. Working with a partner is useful not only in sports, but also in fitness workouts. Doing your workout with a partner is always better than doing it alone. So find yourself a training partner, discuss your goals, decide on the training/ workout schedule and make your training enjoyable and rewarding.
Amit Gajria
Certified Squash Coach,
Mumbai, India.
Nice one Amit Sir
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