learning from/with an MA "friend"

[Octavius]

Here's a question for you folks. Let's say you have a friend who also trains in the martial arts (doesn't matter what style) and you two decide to learn from each other. Essentially you teach your art to him and he teaches his art to you. Assume that everyone is qualified, good, polite, nice, etc. How is the relationship set up? What I mean is, off the training floor, you are friends and buds. But on the training floor, one day when you teach your thing, you are his teachers, and another day when he teaches his thing, he is your teacher. And what I mean is a sort of a long term thing, not just a "get together and tussle and trade techniqeus" kind of thing. Has anyone experienced this? Have you found the intrusion of ego a problem (by either party)? What about when you/he frustrates him/you during training for whatever reason - how has this played out outside of training? Or vice verce? I know that in the past old masters used to train each other and with each other - just wondering how the players of today are doing it.

[TkdWarrior]

this is cross training
why think about teacher/student relationship...
think like this..
u both study in diffferent school but in same class...
u r solving his maths probs n he is solving ur sciences ;) sharing work load r we?? :D
this is better in my opinion without getting into Ego Thingie..
-TkdWarrior-

[Kristoffer]

If you are friends why be so formal. Just see it as regular training. Learning from friends is very good just because of the fact that you DON'T have the same formality as to your sifu.

[red5angel]

It sounds like you are trying to establish some sort o fpecking order or "wu de" for your relationship, and I dont think that is necessary. I train with people at home all the time, most of them know a little more then I do, and yet things dont change whether we are training or not, other then when they have a suggestion or a comment I pay attentiona dn we usually end up discussing it some.

[Octavius]

Thanks for your replies. I myself am not doing this type of training mainly becasue most of my MA friends are from my school so no need. And I don't really have the time to just get together with other MA friends for fun, unfortunately (life and work gets in the way...). I was just curious as to how other people do this. One of my friends who lives in Washington does this with a 2 buddies who trains in JMA, and one is really nonchalant about it, but the other is a little bit more formal "when in training" and we were discussing this difference.