Take care of your training partner

This might turn into a bit of a rant...just giving you all fair warning!

Being a white belt, I know that when I first started training, I wanted to learn all the fancy break-your-opponent's-arm-off stuff. That got smacked out of me really quickly when I attempted an arm bar on a blue belt approximately five minutes after learning it, and somehow wound up in his mount with my arm wrapped around my neck. There was another time where someone tried to sweep me from standing guard, using a sweep he was unfamiliar with, and I ended up with a neck injury. (I don't hold a grudge for that one, because I also agreed to let him try it.) My point is, it's TRAINING. You're not winning any medals or stripes for breaking someone's limbs in the class setting. Learn the basics first and master those, then you might want to consider trying some kind of submission. When you do learn these, go slowly with your partner and don't try to rip their limbs out of their sockets. We're told time and again that your body remembers the flow of the sequence, not how fast you do it.

That being said, even the basics can cause some pain if done incorrectly or if you go too hard. It's tempting when drilling mount, side control etc. to just squash the hell out of your partner and hold them down for the entire drill. But what exactly does that accomplish, other than to boost your own ego? If you know that you can hold someone down for a length of time and they are suffocating or struggling to get out, why not let up a bit and allow them to work the escape? It benefits your partner, and it benefits you because you learn that self control. I'm not saying that you should just let them escape, but make it a fun challenge instead of a "holy crap, I can't get out, I feel like I don't know anything" situation for your partner.

We've all been there - getting our faces ground into the mat or someone's chest or shoulder. It sucks, and you can't breathe or your face hurts. Think about what it's like for the guy or girl on the bottom. When that panic mode hits, it's hard to remember even the most basic defenses. Guide them through it. Talk to them. Ask them stuff like, "What do you want to do to defend the high mount? How can you prevent me from taking the mount when I'm in your side control? What do you want to establish before you start to shrimp away?" Your partner, especially if they are new, will take away this lesson and pass it on to others.

That's it, I suppose...keep each other safe and have fun!