1.      Treat every person within the Academy with respect.

2.      Hygiene is extremely important. All team members must have clean Gis and NoGi apparel, have their finger and toenails trimmed, their hair tied down (if long), and they must be free from pungent or offensive body odors. If a team member has any form of contagious skin infection, they must refrain from training until cleared up.

3.      No shoes on the mats, and no bare feet in the bathroom.

4.      Dress Code: Team members must wear a T-shirt or rash guard when training in the Gi. No sports bras or bare chests allowed. This goes for Nogi as well. Shirts must be worn at all times when in the common areas of the academy. This is a jiujitsu academy, not Tinder.

5.      Gi and rash guards: Gold BJJ is the preferred apparel company of the academy. Gi’s, rash guards, shorts, etc. will be available for purchase at a discounted rate. Only white and blue Gis are allowed, with white being preferred. Black gis are reserved for black belts and instructors of the academy. For NoGi classes, ranked rash guards are preferred. Team Mannon BJJ rash guards are also allowed. If a team member does not have a rash guard, they may wear a Blue Gorilla BJJ t-shirt. Blue Gorilla BJJ offers great discounts on Gold BJJ shorts and leggings, but other generic shorts may be worn if they do not have pockets or other team logos. Team Mannon BJJ and Team Renzo Gracie branded shorts are also allowed.

6.      All exposed jewelry should be removed except for silicone wedding bands. This ensures the safety of all team members.

7.      If late, team members should wait at the edge of the mat for an instructor to wave them onto the mats at an appropriate time that does not disrupt the class instruction or flow. Don’t use this as an excuse to skip the warm-ups. They are a vital part of the program that helps reduce injuries and build movement patterns and body mechanics that translate to better jiu-jitsu.

8.      Keep casual conversations to a minimum during class. If you are going to chat with your training partner, do so while working on the techniques. There are open mats at the end of each day and ample time before class to socialize. Respect the mats and instructor by training diligently and improving your skills.

9.      No hair pulling, finger grabbing (less than three), biting, striking, slamming, or pinching.

10.    Tap early, tap often. Always respect the tap. If someone taps, says, ‘Tap,’ or screams out in pain, immediately let go.

11.     If you reset after getting near the edge of the mat, you must reset in the same position. Don’t be the person that uses out of bounds to start over. There are no ‘out of bounds’ on the streets, and the wall mats do not count as out of bounds. If a team member is in the process of finishing a submission, no reset should happen until the hold is lost or the other team member submits.

12. Only the instructor should be teaching. If you are not asked by the instructor to help out, you should be drilling and working with your training partner. This applies in particular to spectators on the mats. At Blue Gorilla BJJ, we want to foster a positive family atmosphere, but everyone has their own roles. Students are there to learn, instructors are there to teach, and parents are there to be parents. At NO point are parents or non-instructors allowed to coach or come onto the mats. This will be strictly enforced.

13. Team members should adhere to and practice what is being taught by the assigned instructor. Working on techniques other than what the instructor is teaching is disrespectful. There is plenty of time during open mats to work on other techniques.

14. While not a rule, casual romantic relationships within the academy are discouraged. There will be no displays of affection while on the mats. This is a zero-tolerance rule. Team members come to Blue Gorilla BJJ to learn, train, and improve. Keep the other stuff outside of the academy.

15. Leg locks are not allowed for ANY white belt student. This goes for nogi as well as gi. While there are several reasons for this, one of the main reasons is that white belts need to learn how to pass the guard and sweep. They should also have an understanding of high-percentage basic techniques and submissions.

NOTE: Violations of these rules may result in dismissal from class, with repeated or serious violations resulting in dismissal from Blue Gorilla BJJ all together. Depending on the circumstances, a refund MAY be given. Also, violations of these rules and the subsequent consequences are at the sole discretion of the owner and founder, Coach Adam.