How much do you trust your partners in the dojo?

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[Peter Boylan]

In the dojo we have to trust our partners with our health and safety. How much do you trust them, and why? My blog post about this is at http://budobum.blogspot.com/2013/08/trust-in-dojo.html

[Janet Rosen]

Lovely post.
What I have always found interesting is that when you remove talking and social status and the other things that people tend to gauge another's "trustworthiness" and you just have in-the-body to go by, you can develop a deep level of trust and appreciation for a person who you otherwise know virtually nothing about.
Via meeting people on the mat over the years, there are people around the world I count as friends and would literally trust my life with OFF as well as on the mat yet have significant world-view differences with - because we trust each other, we respect each other and can agree to disagree.

[Rob Watson]

Sweat forms bonds that words can never approach.

[Cady Goldfield]

Sweat forms bonds that words can never approach.

So very true, and well said.

[OwlMatt]

I really liked this, but wouldn't this thread be better suited to the External Aikido Blog Posts forum?

[Peter Boylan]

I considered the external blogs area, but that seems to be dominated by a guy who numbers his posts and is working to drive people away from the section. I thought this area would generate a more interesting discussion thread.

[Cady Goldfield]

I considered the external blogs area, but that seems to be dominated by a guy who numbers his posts and is working to drive people away from the section. I thought this area would generate a more interesting discussion thread.

"Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven" :eek:
I don't believe there is any intention of driving people away; more that the poster is simply unaware of the effect this approach is having.

[Xanth]

I trust my partners only as far as I can throw them. :)

[ChrisMikk]

I trust one of my instructors in the Yoshinkan Kenshusei Program completely because his throws are always spot-on and strong, and yet he also has concern for our physical wellbeing tries to avoid having get injured.

Another instructor is very good but I am concerned that he is slightly sadistic.

Payet-sensei has never thrown me. I have seen him throw other people very hard when they weren't expecting it. BUT, he has so much control, I would let him do anything and assume he would adjust his throw to my level of ukemi.

The other students I don't trust so much because of their lack of consistent performance.

[Basia Halliop]

Lovely post.
What I have always found interesting is that when you remove talking and social status and the other things that people tend to gauge another's "trustworthiness" and you just have in-the-body to go by, you can develop a deep level of trust and appreciation for a person who you otherwise know virtually nothing about.
Via meeting people on the mat over the years, there are people around the world I count as friends and would literally trust my life with OFF as well as on the mat yet have significant world-view differences with - because we trust each other, we respect each other and can agree to disagree.

The way I often think of this is 'actions speak louder than words'. You can have long conversations with people and still only know who they want you to think they are, or even if they're honest, who they think they are. In the case of trustworthiness, someone may tell you they're trustworthy, but those are the kinds of words that are meaningless. On the mat you can see for yourself who's trustworthy (and who's NOT!). You also get to know people a different way -- again, you see more how they actually act and react to things.

[IvLabush]

IMHO trust derives from few skills. One it's ukemi to make sure that training partner can take technique without serious injuries. Another one is a skill to create "aggressive attack" that include not only physical but mental skills also. Border line of trust lies down near by skill to control "aggressive attack". If one create full speed and full mental attack mostly "all than one can" and able to stop attack to prevent some damage it must be the best training partner. Usually it's more qualified student. Sometimes anyway we receive attacks and shows our good ukemi :)

[Michael Hackett]

"The truth always comes out on the mat."
Rafael Martinez sensei

[lbb]

Trust depends on (at a minimum) intentions and capabilities: the intention to train safely, and the capability of doing so. I've been blindsided twice in training by someone whose intentions were good, but whose capabilities were less than what they needed to be. Either time, it could have ended very badly.