BJJ

- Dojo Rules and Etiquette - 2018

Professor Marcel Leteri – Assistant Coach Laura Tang

Before you get on the mats
1. Do not walk outside of the mats with bare feet. If you have to go outside, or the toilets especially,
wear sandals or shoes. Remember that we constantly have our faces against the mats so keeping
it clean is especially important to prevent the spread of skin conditions and other diseases.

2. NEVER wear shoes on the mat. Always remove shoes before entering the mat area.

3. Maintain good hygiene (i.e: shower, brush teeth regularly, keep feet and hands clean).

4. Keep finger and toe nails short and clean.

5. Always wear a full Gi at BJJ classes, with your belt properly tied. (The tag is on the left when
your belt is tied properly)

6. Always wear your Gi top, rashguard, T-shirt, or a tank top while in public areas of the gym.

7. Keep uniforms neat, clean, and odor free. Wash your Gi and rashguard after every class that you
spar.

8. No jewellery may be worn on the mat. Piercings, rings, bracelets or any accessory that can harm
yourself or others must be removed before class.

9. If you are late for class, wait outside of the mat area and ask permission from the instructor to
enter.

On the Mats
1. Always show respect to your instructors, training partners, and fellow human beings.

2. Respect in training means many things, among them: do not seek to harm fellow students
physically, mentally or emotionally. Any form of bullying is unacceptable.

3. It also means that you must train seriously for you and your partner to improve his or her skills,
conditioning, and fighting spirit.

4. Be aware of your size and strength. If you’re bigger than your partner, try to move around and
use your technique rather than relying on your strength and weight.

5. As soon as you get on the mats, look for the instructor (highest rank) and shake his hand. You
will then shake the hands of and greet your fellow teammates in order of the rank (Black ->
Brown -> Purple -> Blue -> White) If there is more than one black belt on the mat, you will look
for the Instructor first.

6. Do not use profanity or shout loudly on the mats.

7. Do not talk while the instructor or assistant coach is talking.

8. Keep coaching of your fellow students to a minimum. Trust your instructor to teach them.

9. Do not take it upon yourself to ‘teach’ a fellow student. If you’ve noticed them struggling alone
for a while, direct them to the instructor or assistant coach, where they can help them
personally, or designate a senior student to help.

10. Stand, sit with your legs crossed, or kneel during classes and practices. No lounging.

11. If you need to leave the mats during class or leave earlier ask the instructor before doing so.

12. Do not leave the mat area without telling the instructor or assistant coach. This is for safety
reasons.

13. Water breaks are taken together as a team. Do not leave the mats to get water during drilling or
sparring without first asking the instructor.

14. If the instructor has not told you to stop, then continue doing the drill he has given. You can
NEVER drill a technique too many times.

15. Never drill a different technique of your choosing when one has been assigned. Again, you can
NEVER drill a technique too many times.

16. Do not fight the technique or do specific training during drilling time. Drilling is drilling.

17. If the class has been split into beginners and advanced, drill the technique that you were
assigned. Do not stop to watch, switch techniques by yourself or ask someone else to show you
the other technique. Trust your instructor to know your level.

18. If at any point during the drilling you need help, do not just sit there and watch the students
around you. Approach the instructor or assistant coach, if they’re both with someone else, stay
close and watch them. You might be having the same problem as someone else. Do not approach
fellow students.

19. Respect rank. Do not try to ‘teach’ someone who is of a higher rank than you. Trust in their skill
level, and trust that your instructor will notice if they’re making a mistake.

20. Do not coach, talk towards people sparring or engage in parallel conversations. Coaching or
motivating students is the sole task of the instructor and assistant coach.

21. Be aware of what is going on around you while on the mats. Do not sit, stop, or lie down in a
place where accidents can happen.

22. Respect rank. Do not ask the instructor or someone of a higher rank to spar unless given the
choice by the instructor. If they want to spar with you, they will ask you.

23. Be aware of who is around you while sparring to be safe and avoid crashing.

24. Respect rank. If you’re rolling too close to someone who is a higher rank than you, it doesn’t
matter if you were there first, you will move. They shouldn’t have to ask you to or crash.

25. Try not to keep stopping the roll to ask questions. If you have questions, remember them and
ask about it after the roll. Most rounds are only 5 mins.

26. Respect the health of your training partners, you’re all there to learn, improve, and have fun.
Training is not a competition. If you’re trying a submission and it is not working, your partner is
 fighting against it too much, or just not tapping. DO NOT FORCE THE SUBMISSION. Try
something else.

27. If you had to let go of a submission that was fully locked in because your teammate was not
tapping, let your instructor know immediately after the round.

28. If someone has a submission locked on you, TAP. Your instructor won’t think more of you if you
get hurt but didn’t tap. The loser is not the one who taps. The loser is the one who gets injured
and is unable to train.

29. Never try techniques in class that were not taught by the class’ instructor. It doesn’t matter
whether you learned it in another class or from a video online. For safety reasons, never try
something that the class instructor has not shown, unless you’ve cleared it with him first.

30. Do not ask to test for belts or stripes, nor assume you will be promoted. Your instructor will
grade you when you are ready based on the requirements, so to avoid disappointment, do not
ask!

At the end of class

1. Unless you’ve already told the instructor beforehand, do not leave the mats before the class is
closed. This includes lining up and thanking each of your teammates for showing up to train
with you.

2. Line up in order of rank. If there are new students, please direct them where they should line
up, try not to leave them confused and wandering around.

3. When you shake hands, make eye contact. Thank your instructor, assistant coach, or teammate
for the training session. It doesn’t matter if they’re of a lower or higher rank than you, show
respect to everyone.

4. We will clean the mats together after every session. If you’re of a lower rank, you will take a
broom. Your instructor, and the higher ranks should not be sweeping if there is someone of a
lower rank around.