Every jiu-jitsu gym has it’s own rules. Some gyms are very strict and traditional, because jiu-jitsu is after all a martial art, which is an art of war. Militaries obviously require very strict rules to function properly, and so a martial art can be expected to have rules similar to an army. And then at the other end of the spectrum you can have the laid back California surfer vibe at the gym, where it’s all chill. Personally I like the laid back gym (which, I suppose, is why I like the Jiu-Jitsu Globetrotters vibe so much), but I completely understand and respect the stricter traditional approach as well.
When you enter a new jiu-jitsu gym (or a gym of any combat sport), it’s important to know that there may be unspoken rules that you need to follow. It isn’t necessary that you know all the rules, it is enough to simply understand that these rules may exist. In order to help you, here are the top 10 most common unspoken jiu-jitsu etiquette rules you may encounter:
10- There may be an actual physical list of rules for the gym, sometimes on a poster hanging somewhere where everyone can see. Look for it.
9- You should NOT step on to the mats (especially if you are late) without the instructor acknowledging you.
8- You may only wear a gi of a certain color. Most commonly white, but often limited to white, black, or blue. Guess you’ll have to find somewhere else to wear your tie-dyed gi.
7- Show up showered and clean, and your gi should be washed and clean as well. No one wants to train with a stinky partner. You never go to the bathroom without shoes on (this one is pretty important I think, to keep the mats clean). Everyone has a pair of gym shoes or flip flops that they leave at the gym and wear when they step off the mats.
6- You must bow before stepping on to the mats (I do this one religiously). At a tournament/competition you should also bow to your opponent and also the referee.
5- You can only train at this gym. You should never train at another gym, this is viewed as treasonous. (I couldn’t disagree with this rule more, and in fact I would consider finding a new gym if this is the attitude. You may have accidentally joined a cult.).
4- You can only wear a certain brand of gi in the gym (most often the gi that the gym sells), and you can not have any patches on the gi that aren’t approved by the gym owner.
3- If you are rolling on the mats and you end up running into another pair also rolling, the lower belts move out of the way for the higher belts. It’s like a poker hand, do the math in your head and see which pair wins (example, a brown belt rolling with a blue belt would move out of the way of a brown belt rolling with a purple belt). You always move out of the way of the instructor, show them respect.
2- Don’t try and murder a new student, make sure your using appropriate effort for the situation. For example, if you are rolling with someone 100 lbs. smaller than you, don’t hurt them, let them work and learn. If you have issues to work out, then fight MMA, or go see a therapist.
1- At the end of class, always, always, always, thank your instructor for teaching. If it was a great class, let them know.