Etiquette when you are doing better than your rolling partner?

[skribs]

You need 3 kinds of sparring partners.

You need the people who aren’t on your level yet so that you can build your offense, your ability to control the other person, and work on repping out techniques that you just aren’t good enough yet to get on the more experienced people.

You need people who are way better than you so that you can work on defense and survival and have all your technical flaws exposed.

And you want some partners who are around your level so that you can get a little motivational rivalry and have a technical arms race. Last week you learned a slick trick that let you arm bar Joe 3 times in a row. But now this week he’s learned the counter, so every time you try the arm bar you get your guard passed. So next week you figure out a counter to his counter. But the next week after that you discover that he’s been working on his cardio and he just tires you out. And so on.

Of course, this is a gross oversimplification. You want sparring partners with all kinds of skill levels, physical attributes, body types, movement styles, training backgrounds, etc. But it helps you understand the benefits you get from training with people who are worse than you, better than you, and around your level.

So definitely take advantage of the opportunity to roll with the new guys that you can dominate. But also get in rounds with guys who can kick your butt. And with the guys who are around your own level.

So far it's been about 5%, 75%, and 20% (respectively).

Hence my thinking for a few months I should skew towards group 1, then find a better balance after that.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

So far it's been about 5%, 75%, and 20% (respectively).

Hence my thinking for a few months I should skew towards group 1, then find a better balance after that.

That’s pretty normal for someone who is a relative beginner at the art like yourself. As you get more experienced, the percentages of your available partners start to naturally shift.

 

[skribs]

That’s pretty normal for someone who is a relative beginner at the art like yourself. As you get more experienced, the percentages of your available partners start to naturally shift.

Is it wrong to artificially shift them for a few months?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Is it wrong to artificially shift them for a few months?

Nah. It’ll all balance out in the long term.

 

[Rich Parsons]

So far it's been about 5%, 75%, and 20% (respectively).

Hence my thinking for a few months I should skew towards group 1, then find a better balance after that.

While I see a point of being able to practice, trying to only practice with those lesson than oneself leads to a few issues.
1) I would not be pushed to get better than I am today, other than by just reps.
2) It could be perceived as you are just there for your ego, and looking to only tap others.
This could lead to some of the seniors seeing this, and then giving one the third group, so they can all tap oneself and let oneself know where they are at.
.
I only mention this as perceptions are hard to over come sometimes in clubs.

Best wishes and good luck