Here are the high points that I go over with new students! Each academy is a little different. What would you add?
Good Things Take Time.
- Stay on the Mat– It is poor form to take rests and then jump in to roll with those who have been rolling the whole time. This is called sharking. In the long run this will limit your technical ability, you will always use attributes. If you get tired mid round, do your best to survive.
- Tap Early and Often – Take responsibility for your own safety, don’t leave this choice up to your partner. Injuries mean time away.
- Develop Your Fight I.Q. – Ask for help from upper belts after the roll. If you spend much of a roll or drill talking, you lose the opportunity to solve the problem in real time. It is also a way to hide the fact that you are resting and missing training.
How Hard Should I Roll?
- Golden Rule of Grappling – Roll as you would like your partner to roll with you. If you are competing or want to train harder, just ask!
- Slow is Smooth – When unsure of your position, slow down and deepen your breathing. Try your best to remember your beginner lessons. Thrashing and compensating with speed and strength may injure you or your partner.
How Do I Pick Partners?
- Meet Your Match – Find partners close to your size and strength, even though these rounds can be the most mentally and physically challenging. Once you have these partners in mind, take the initiative to walk over to them in between rounds.
- You Don’t Have to Roll with Everyone. – If someone is way out of your weight class or rolling at an intensity that you do not want to match, it is okay to tell them that you are not up to training with them that day. This is an easier conversation if you have your next training partner in mind.
- Ask a Black Belt? – At some academies it is not permitted to ask a black belt to roll. This allows these more senior gym members to structure their own training. At our gym we are very informal and most of the time instructors will try to roll with everyone on the mat. This is something to keep in mind when traveling outside of the SBG network.
When should my partner and I reset our roll?
- Higher Ranked Pairs Have the Right of Way. – It is good mat etiquette to move away from higher ranked pairs if you and your partner may collide with them.
- Reset When Near the Edge of the Mat or the Wall. – It is best to verbalize this so there is no confusion.
Take Care of Your Partners.
- Have coaches review all submissions or you tube moves before trying them on a live partner
- When breaking grips be sure to grab at least four fingers. Don’t peel individual fingers.
- No slamming opponents back to the mat.
- Don’t push directly on an opponent’s eyes, nose, or mouth.
- No jumping closed guard unless agreed upon in the match ahead of time.
- Wear a proper rash guard during No Gi training. T-shirts lead to finger injuries.
The etiquette talk allows all the students in the room to be on the same page. They could even roll at a gym somewhere else in the world and understand what to do. We consequently have a good mat culture that focuses on taking care of our partners. If someone is not willing to do this, we will warn them and then they may eventually be kicked out of the gym. In the long run if they can’t control themselves or enjoy hurting people on some level, they will cost us other members. Some people need more help than we can give them, it isn’t healthy for us to allow them to continue to take that out on training partners.
We can only improve if we step onto the mat! Enjoy the ride!
Rolling Under The Big Sky 