From the moment you step on the mats to the moment you leave, you’ll notice we do something a little bit different. There are some unspoken rules in most BJJ schools, and these rules can be tricky to follow if you don’t know them. We’ve mostly thrown them out, because a culture that inhibits growth, speedy learning, and positivity is far more important to us than hierarchy amongst students and coaches.
First let’s look at “Mat Etiquette”
We all have lives outside of Jiu Jitsu, sometimes that means you’re going to be late to practice, and that’s okay. Here’s where we differ, most Jiu Jitsu schools are going to expect you to stand mat side and wait for permission to enter class. We don’t do that. If you’re late, you’re late, just hop on the mats and let your coach know you’re here.
Bowing…
Bow when you get on the mats, bow to the coach, bow to a picture of a guy on the wall, bow to your training partner, bow at the end of class, bow when you get off the mats. Whew… no thanks. No need to bow on and off the mats, and just because your coach knows a bit more about Jiu Jitsu than you doesn’t mean you need to bow to him, a handshake will suffice (if you like). And if we don’t expect you to bow to your coach we certainly don’t expect you to bow to some picture of a guy on the wall. You’ll probably have multiple partners throughout practice, let’s just stick with giving them a fist bump.
Hierarchy in Class
In a lot of Jiu Jitsu schools the first thing you’ll do at the beginning of class is line up. Typically you’ll line up by rank, lowest experienced students to highest. Ultimately we’re all learning every single day, whether it’s day one, or year ten. Before class starts you can sit around the mat with your peers and stretch out as you get ready for warm ups. At the end of most classes you’ll spar, and it’s an unwritten rule that “lower ranks” are not allowed to ask “higher ranks” to spar. Just being in something new like Jiu Jitsu can be intimidating, you don’t need the worry of upsetting someone with much more experience than you over something silly. We’re peers trying to get better and help everyone around us get better as well. Also, we don’t call our coaches Master or Professor… using their first name will suffice.
To see how we’re different in teaching and learning click here.
