Partner work and empathy

13th of June 2019

1. The first thing to learn when playing and working with a partner is how to stay safe and away from injury and how to keep the partner safe and away from harm. Injuries happen while playing, but playing also shall include being able to continue to play, which you cannot when you or your partner is injured. That's a no brainer, but it has to be exercised through the right set-up and mindset. The most dangerous playing partners are beginners. ⠀

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2. The second thing to learn or to exercise is flexible expectations (Erwartungsbeweglichket). You come with expectations into playing, a particular mood, a personal history in how to play etc. And your partner(s) is doing the same. So you need to be flexible and adapt to your partner(s), so you can play well together. Think about a conversation where someone is continuously shouting and not letting the other person speak, while the other is whispering and waiting for the other one to finish. This is not a conversation. But this inflexibility in approaches is happening all the time. ⠀

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Both point 1 and point 2 means practicing empathy. ⠀

Joseph Bartz