Guidelines
Hygiene
Stay home if you are sick
No one wants unnecessary time spent off the mats. If you feel any signs of sickness, stay home to avoid spreading it to your training partners.
Do not wear shoes on the mats
To ensure that we do not carry dirt and bacteria from outside onto the mats, please remove your shoes before getting on them.
Do not walk barefoot off the mats
Especially not to the bathroom! Please bring your own slippers.
Wash your gear every day
To avoid bacteria and odour, please wash all of your gear after every training session.
Keep your nails trimmed
Long nails (fingers and toes) can be hazardous for your training partners — please make sure they are trimmed before class.
Remove jewellery and piercings
They might get stuck somewhere, or injure your training partners.
Put on some deodorant
No one likes a smelly training partner. Please put on some deodorant or antiperspirant before class.
No training with wounds and rashes
To avoid spreading (or receiving) any unwanted bacteria, immediately stop training if you notice a wound or rash on your body.
Safety
Do not injure your training partners
No one wants to take an unwanted break, so please put the safety of yourself and your training partners above all.
Some moves are not allowed
To minimise injuries, we don't allow certain moves: for example slamming, standing jumping guard, scissor takedowns, neck cranks, and heel hooks in the gi.
Communicate with your partner
Do you want a flow roll or a competition round? Are leg locks off limits or do you want to practice them exclusively? Talk to your partner so you are on the same page.
When crowded, start seated
To avoid stepping on each other, please leave the wrestling practice for when the mats are less full.
Watch your surroundings
When the mats are particularly crowded, keep an eye out for each other to avoid bumping into and potentially injuring your peers.
Be conscious of size difference
Size makes a big difference in jiu-jitsu. When rolling with someone smaller than you, make sure to use technique rather than strength, and control your weight.
Do not rush submissions
Training is not competition — if you catch a submission, slow down and give your partner time to tap (it's better to control submissions than to yank them anyway).
Tap early and at any time
If someone catches you in a submission, tap and move along. Your health and safety are more important than your ego.
If you want, sit out a round
Need to catch your breath? No shame in taking a break if you need to.
If someone gets injured, let us know
Our students' safety is of utmost importance to us: if someone gets injured, please let us know so we can help you.
Training
Bow when entering and leaving the mats
One of the few traditions we keep from judo is showing respect for the space where training happens. You could almost say it's sacred, even if it's not. But it's where the magic happens.
Match your partner's intensity
Not every round is a competition round (but some most certainly are!) — please adjust your intensity to the skill, size, age, and energy levels of your training partners.
Turn down anyone, for any reason
If you do not want to roll with someone, you are allowed to say no for whatever reason you want without being questioned.
Ask questions before, during, and after class
We are all here to learn and there are no stupid questions (seriously!).
Ask your partner before filming
Filming your rolls is a great learning tool — just make sure to get your partner's okay first.
Cross-train as much as you want
We believe in openness and exploration and encourage all of our members to visit other gyms (and we love to have visitors as well!).
Please don't call your coaches sensei
Stop it, it's creepy!
Have fun!
For most of us, jiu-jitsu is a hobby. Strive to improve, but always have fun in the process.
Gear
Wear whatever patches you want
We don't care where you trained before — we are happy that you are here.
Wear shorts in no-gi
We don't have a uniform requirement, but even for us, men in only spats can feel a little daunting. Please wear shorts over your spats (men).