Class Guidelines

• Hygiene:  Please come showered and in clean workout clothes; no long nails, no jewelry.
• Respect: Everyone is here to learn and to challenge themselves.  We’re not interested in tough guys who are trying to prove something, and repeatedly reckless training is grounds for expulsion.  While there are appropriate times during training or competition to apply your full strength, the primary objective of our classes is to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and over-relying on strength can impede your technical progress.  Also, staying calm rather than flailing like a mad person is conducive to faster technical development. 
• Common Courtesy: Please make every effort to come to class on time; if you must come late, come in quietly and do not disrupt the class.   Turn cell phones off.
• Tapping:  When at any time, during training or drilling, you wish to stop, either tap on your partner or verbally submit by clearly saying “tap” or “stop.”  You may tap whenever you feel uncomfortable, however, as you progress you will learn the difference between mere discomfort and the actual danger of a correctly applied submission technique.
• Submission: In a real fight, the techniques we learn can be used to cause severe and possibly permanent damage.  However, in training, injury is avoided by paying close attention to your partner and by the clear and timely signal of submission (see tapping above).
• Drilling: You and your partner take turns practicing the moves with minimal resistance, with attention to details and technique.  The purpose of drilling is to develop muscle memory and understand the mechanics and purpose of the move.
• Training: Live sparring in which you and your partner competitively engage each other with the goal of improving your position and ultimately scoring a submission.  This is more fast-paced and competitive than drilling, and there is much more resistance involved.  However, you should stay calm and remember that though you are training for a fight, this is NOT the fight.  In training, the safety of you and your partner is always more important than winning.
• If you have any questions or concerns about training, the moves, or anything else, don’t hesitate to ask the instructor or any club member at an appropriate time.