Club Rules and Etiquette

Reishiki (Etiquette)

Etiquette is important in a martial art, not only so we can practice safely but also to discipline the mind so the Martial Artist is more capable of self defense. When etiquette is observed until it becomes automatic, it brings an alertness of mind in a situation requiring your skills. This does not mean you will bow to an attacker before defending yourself but the automatic mental bow puts your entire body in a state of readyness and you will not need to think before countering an unprovoked attack.

Rules

Students must never attempt any move or technique until they have been shown by a club instructor who has deemed them competent enough to carry them out.

The majority of our rules should be common to most Judo Dojos and familier to most Japanese based styles although some are Judo/Jujitsu specific. They are mostly basic rules of conduct, safety and hygiene.

The Hard Objects Rule

Students must not wear rings, earrings or any other hard or metallic object. These may cut or become caught in a suit and the resulting accident could have serious consequences for the wearer or their training partner.

Also whilst not hard, such things as wrist bands that may catch fingers in must also not be worn on the mat.

Hair and Nails Rule

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure finger and toenails are cut short. Long nails can cause injury to others which may lead to secondary infection. It is also very painful to have a nail pulled back or broken off.

Long hair must be tied back with a band that contains no metal or other hard element such as plastic. Scrunchies are ideal or a simple elastic band is acceptable.

Clothing

We have a small number of Jackets we can loan new students but after a while, when a student has decided to continue with our club they should get their own Judogi. If they would like us to order one we can get a club discount from the supplier. Just speak to Beverley and she will organise it.

It is traditional (and is a rule in competition) that male students should not wear a top under their Judo jacket . Female students must wear white T-shirts under their jacket. In both cases permission to do otherwise must be sought from the instructor before stepping onto the mat.

General Etiquette and Safety

The general posture and attitude of the student must be one of alertness at all times. To lounge around or play about means you are not paying attention to what is happening around you and you may not be able to move out of the way of danger.

Students must not sit or lay on the mat without permission from the Instructor. It is much harder to move out of the way of danger.

Students must not talk or communicate in any way with spectators off the mat without permission from the instructor. This is a distraction and can cause loss of concentration  and possible injury to yourself and others.

Offensive language must not be used in the club, on or off the mat. What is determined as offensive is decided by the Club Officials.

The Instructor must be notified of any injuries or illnesses before stepping on the mat.

For safety and aesthetic reasons the wearing of badges on the Judogi must be controlled. Permission must be sought both for the content and positioning of any such badges.

Infringement of Rules

If the rules are broken we reserve the righ to request task reminders to re-focus the student's mind(nothing more than we would do as part of our warm-up), For example, asking the student to perform push-ups or sit-ups. If unacceptable behaviour continues we will ask the student to sit at the edge of the mat and watch, not participating for a while. Depending on the severity we may ask the student to leave the mat area.

We reserve the right to suspend or exclude the student depending on the nature, severity or frequence of the offences.

All Martial Arts can be dangerous, therefore it is important the Instructor has total control. Remember, in order to have fun with our Martial Art, we must first have discipline and safety.

The Footware Rule

Students must wear foot covering, shoes or Zoris (not socks) whilst not on the mat. Footware must not be worn on the mat, bare feet only. This rule is essential to ensure the mat surface is as free from contamination as possible.

The Socks Rule

The wearing of socks on the mat is not normally allowed. The wearer may be prone to slip and may fall badly. Socks are only permitted when the student is suffering from a foot infection or condition, in which case permission to step on the mat wearing socks must first be sought from the instructor and they do so at their own risk understanding the possible problems.

Hygiene

Students should always keep their Keigogi and bodies, especially their feet, scrupulously clean.

Entering and Leaving the Mat Area

Students must not leave the mat or step onto the mat without permission of the Instructor. This is for etiquette and safety. Younger students please try to visit the toilet before the lesson starts, constant leaving the mat disrupts the lesson.

Spectators and Off Mat Etiquette

Part of Japanese tradition is to bow on entering and leaving the Dojo. This is to show respect for the providing of somewhere to train, the Instructors giving up their time and knowledge and their fellow students, wthout these there would be no training, no path of learning the way. As ours is an open Dojo , where we welcome non-martial artist spectators, we do not insist on this.. However, respect for the Dojo, Club Officials, Instructors and fellow students is expected. If you visit another club they may insist on this tradition and would percieve it as an insult not to bow on entering and leaving.

We like spectators and parents to feel part of the club, which is why we run an open session, but it is important that they do not communicate with or distract students on the mat . If there is a problem speak to one of the club officials or the Instructor.

Martial Arts can be dangerous. Students and Instructors should not be distracted. We reserve the right to ask spectators to leave the Dojo if they are unable or unwilling to comply with these safety rules.