I really don't understand why so many people hate it when other students try to help them. Personally, I rely on it and it is one of the best things about training in a gym, as opposed to training by yourself. I can attempt to be using clean technique but, as we all do, we can fall into bad habits without realising it. I rely on my training partner to tell me when these bad habits start creeping in. Newbs may not always know what is good or bad but it is important to me that they be allowed to comment on what they see. Similarly, experienced coaches/fighters may want me doing something which they personally prefer. I don't fob it off that they don't understand what I am attempting to do. I do what they want, show them that I can do it, and then comment on what I was trying to do and ask if I wasn't doing that. Often newbs and experienced coaches alike, will accept this and be more open to my own preferred techniques, even when it conflicts with what they prefer.
I found that when I first started instructing, most of my training partners who previously felt safe enough to comment on my form/technique, suddenly stopped commenting. Bad habits started creeping in because I didn't have that constant feedback. They felt too intimidated or unqualified to critique my form; as if an instructor no longer needs to grow or stop themselves from stagnating. After about a year, I felt that I had to go and train somewhere else, where people would feel comfortable enough to critique me. Now I just train and invite my partners, newb and coach alike, to critique what I am doing. If I am struggling with a particular aspect of my form, I often ask them to pay particular attention to that and pull me up if I start slipping away from it. Every training partner has benefits, even if just their enthusiasm, but I can't access those benefits if I am too arrogant to at least consider what they say.
