Rules that are particular to your gym

[ArTofF16hT1ng]

This is more of a funny tradition than a rule.

Every class, the instructor picks a student from the senior side of the line to be what I think of as "the crash test dummy". Frequently this is a volunteer, but not always. Whoever is teaching generally takes the most senior person of similar size, so that the technique can be shown properly.

At the end of the technique breakdown, the coach or professor always asks whether anyone wants to see the technique again. If even one student requests another go-through, that's what happens. But the funny tradition is to set the crash test dummy up for unnecessary pain by politely requesting just one more repetition.

One day, when Professor Jeff Vigil was teaching (actually he was Coach Jeff at the time since he hadn't yet been promoted to black belt), someone made a flippant request to see a particularly painful technique one more time, so he demonstrated it on a blue belt. The white belt in question thought it would be amusing to ask for yet another go-round.

Coach Jeff: "Would you like to see it another ten times?"

White belt (I swear it wasn't me): "Yes please!"

Coach Jeff: "Great. Get over here."

Amazingly, the white belt in question got by with fewer than ten repetitions that way.

Spazzy white belt, meet douchey white belt.

 

[TriangleMan]

Two things I hate about BJJ: Hugging everyone individually after class (or bowing to them), lock-in contracts, and that's it actually. Nothing too damning

 

[ArTofF16hT1ng]

Two things I hate about BJJ: Hugging everyone individually after class (or bowing to them), lock-in contracts, and that's it actually. Nothing too damning

Where do you train at?

 

[RAWilliams]

Spazzy white belt, meet douchey white belt.

Hmm? No, in our adult classes the crash test dummies are generally purple belts or competitive blues, which is why they draw so much abuse. Even our kids' weekend classes generally draw a blue belt or two as helpers, and we have people repeating the Fundamentals class even as purple belts because they have ambitions of being gym owners one day.

The guy in my story was actually a heavier juvenile blue belt phenom, who'd submitted a couple grown men much larger than himself in a local competition. He was kind of cheeky, so he got more abuse from the line than average. But I suspect he liked the attention.

 

[RAWilliams]

Two things I hate about BJJ: Hugging everyone individually after class (or bowing to them), lock-in contracts, and that's it actually. Nothing too damning

Hey, I like the hugs, but then again I'm into cheap thrills and those are free.

Well, there are lesson fees involved, but on a per-hour basis it beats compulsive purse buying. :icon_evil

 

[ArTofF16hT1ng]

Hey, I like the hugs, but then again I'm into cheap thrills and those are free.

Stop fraternizing at BJJ, hah.

 

[lechien]

Two things I hate about BJJ: Hugging everyone individually after class (or bowing to them), lock-in contracts, and that's it actually. Nothing too damning

You bow to your instructor. It is from Japanese tradition.
You shake with everyone after training so we are all friends.
Always shake hand before and after rolling and don't forget the hand slap and fist pump for restart within rounds of rolls.

The hugging is a bit weird.
We used to do the hand shake and pat the back. It was a bit too gangsta for me.

 

[Funkoar]

Two things I hate about BJJ: Hugging everyone individually after class (or bowing to them), lock-in contracts, and that's it actually. Nothing too damning

We only bow to our instructor after class.

We save the hugs for belt promotions.

 

[Einarr]

OTOH, is a student holding out on a drink or bathroom break for 60 minutes unless absolutely necessary a tragedy?

It is when they're a little late tapping to a choke and need to go to the toilet. There was a guy in one of my old gyms who needed the toilet, was a little too late tapping to the choke (I don't think he even went unconscious) and wet himself on the mat - he never came back to class.

 

[TriangleMan]

Where do you train at?

Any Gracie Barra I'm near, judging by the day of the week. Bow and hug every single student after class, including instructors. I preferred CSW's system where you just hand slap everyone briefly, the acknowledgement of others, not the... you know, overly superficial stuff.

Hey, I like the hugs, but then again I'm into cheap thrills and those are free.

Well, there are lesson fees involved, but on a per-hour basis it beats compulsive purse buying. :icon_evil

Oh my.

You bow to your instructor. It is from Japanese tradition.
You shake with everyone after training so we are all friends.
Always shake hand before and after rolling and don't forget the hand slap and fist pump for restart within rounds of rolls.

The hugging is a bit weird.
We used to do the hand shake and pat the back. It was a bit too gangsta for me.

Yeah, I'm down for bowing to instructors when the time's right. But hey, I'm at GB, they do a lot of "controversial" stuff. I quote that because, you know what I mean, they do stuff common people don't really like.

We only bow to our instructor after class.

We save the hugs for belt promotions.

Word.

 

[RAWilliams]

Stop fraternizing at BJJ, hah.

Now, now. Bring coleslaw and you'll get to fraternize too.