New Student Protocol

We want every new person who walks through our door to feel welcome. Grappling for the first time can be incredibly anxiety-inducing, and even visiting a new school as someone who’s trained for ten years can be uncomfortable.

There are 5 touchpoints for a coach to hit when there’s a new student:

When they first come in, before they change
Before class starts, when they’re on the mat
When class starts, addressing the whole room
During the first round of games
After class ends

This doesn’t need to take 20 minutes. About 10 minutes total across all five touchpoints is enough to make sure they’re eased in and comfortable.

If they show up late and you don’t have time for the pre-class talk, cover it during the first game instead and shorten the observation period.

LOANER GEAR: If a new student borrows gym clothes, make sure they return them after class before they leave. Don’t let loaner gear walk out the door — we go through it fast enough as it is.

FUNDIES PROGRAM (Adults)

[VIDEO NEEDED: Full first-class walkthrough -- a coach running through all 5 touchpoints with a new adult student, start to finish]

1. When They First Enter
- Greet them and thank them for coming in
- Ask if they need loaner clothes
- Show them around: changing rooms, bathroom, shelves for backpacks, shelving for flip flops / water bottles / mouth guards, foot washing station, and the mat
- Tell them to come grab you on the mat when they’ve changed
1. Before Class, On The Mat
Meet them on the mat and walk them through what to expect:

How class works: “We’ll do a warmup followed by several games. The warmup is simple — you’ll be able to teach it to someone after a week. Every class has 3 different positional games. Every day has a pinning game and a guard game. Every other class has either a wrestling game or a submission position game. We’ll talk about what those mean in a second.”

The first game: “For the first game, I’m going to have you watch a full round so you can see what’s going on before you jump in. All of our fundamentals games are 4 minutes, with each person playing each side.”

End of class: “At the end of class we line up on the wall facing the windows — no particular order. We bow out and go down the line with a handshake.”

What a tap means: “If at any point you’re uncomfortable or not 100% certain about safety — for you or your training partner — we tap. Tapping is the universal signal to stop. It just means ‘hey, stop.’

We tap if we’re about to bump into a wall or another group. We tap if our training partner is being a little wild and it’s scaring us — then we use our words to talk about what we both want out of the round.

And we tap when someone has a joint lock or strangle on us. When we’re caught, we tap because it’s not safe to try to grapple out of a late-stage submission. When we have a submission on someone, we never take it to completion — because we’re not crazy and we all have things to do tomorrow. If someone doesn’t tap in time, I will tap for them.”

What’s never allowed:
- Hitting
- Pulling on fingers
- Fingers near someone’s eyes, nose, or mouth
- Grinding on someone’s face or jaw
- Trying to cause pain for the sake of pain
Comfort & safety: Let every new student know — if anyone ever says or does anything that makes them uncomfortable, for any reason, they should come tell a coach. We won’t take action unless they want us to, but we always want to know. It shouldn’t happen, because everyone here is polite, but we want them to know the door is always open.
1. When Class Starts (Announcement)
After the warmup, before games begin, tell the class something like:

“Hey everyone, we have someone new in class today. As a reminder — show new people and visitors how playful we are, not how effective jiu jitsu is on them. We all have things to do tomorrow, and this is practice. We’re not here to win practice. Be a good representation of our gym and our sport.”
1. During The First Game (Watching Together)
Sit with them and watch the first round together. Use this time to talk about training intensity:
- Point out how hard everyone is going. Ask them to notice the pace.
- The video game analogy: “We’re designing a video game level for our training partner. We can adjust two things — intensity and complexity.”
  - Complexity = how varied your movement. Easy to adjust.
  - Intensity = speed and power. Dangerous to crank both at the same time.
  - Never adjust intensity and complexity at the same time.
  - Never go above 40% intensity in the training room. It’s like defensive driving — you need enough margin to account for everyone else’s mistakes, not just your own reflexes.
- Tension matters: Being super tense is dangerous. When unstoppable force meets immovable object, bad things happen.
- Ask them: “Look around — who are the smoothest, safest-looking training partners in the room?”
After the observation round, partner them up for games.
1. After Class
Find them after class and check in. Ask how it went. Let them know they did well and that the first class is always the hardest.

Make sure they return any loaner gear before they leave.

ADVANCED PROGRAM (Experienced Students & Visitors)

[VIDEO NEEDED: Full first-class walkthrough -- a coach running through all 5 touchpoints with an experienced visiting student]

The structure is the same five touchpoints, with a different tone. These are people who have grappled before — maybe a lot — but every gym trains at different intensities and has different customs. Frame the protocol as: “We do this with everyone because we’ve learned we need to.”

1. When They First Enter
- Greet them and thank them for coming in
- Ask if they need loaner clothes
- Show them around: changing rooms, bathroom, shelves for backpacks, shelving for flip flops / water bottles / mouth guards, foot washing station, and the mat
- Tell them to come grab you on the mat when they’ve changed
1. Before Class, On The Mat
Let them know that every gym does things differently, and in order to make sure everyone’s on the same page, we run the same intro protocol for everyone.

What a tap means at GJJ: “If at any point you or your training partner are uncomfortable or not 100% certain about safety, we tap. Tapping means stop — full stop.

We tap if we’re about to run into a wall or another group. We tap if someone is going harder than we want — then we use our words to recalibrate.

We tap when someone has a joint lock or strangle on us. When we’re caught, we tap because it’s not safe to muscle out of a late-stage submission. And when we have a submission on someone, we never take it to completion. If someone doesn’t tap in time, I will tap for them.

To be direct — injuring someone who doesn’t tap in time will not be tolerated. We’ve removed people from the gym for this. It’s non-negotiable.”

What’s never allowed:
- Hitting
- Pulling on fingers
- Fingers near someone’s eyes, nose, or mouth
- Grinding on someone’s face or jaw
- Trying to cause pain for the sake of pain
Comfort & safety: Let every new student know — if anyone ever says or does anything that makes them uncomfortable, for any reason, they should come tell a coach. We won’t take action unless they want us to, but we always want to know.
1. When Class Starts (Announcement)
After the warmup, before games begin, tell the class something like:

“Hey everyone, we have someone new in class today. As a reminder — show new people and visitors how playful we are, not how effective jiu jitsu is on them. We all have things to do tomorrow, and this is practice. We’re not here to win practice. Be a good representation of our gym and our sport.”
1. During The First Game (Watching Together)
Still have them sit out the first round for observation. This is protocol — some new people come in guns blazing, and we prioritize playfulness and safety. We’ve had to remove purple belts before, so we default to the same protocol for everyone.

While watching together:
- Point out anyone who’s going too hard. Be specific — “see how that person is cranking the pace? That’s above what we want.”
- Talk about training intensity and complexity. Use the video game analogy: “We’re designing a video game level for our training partner. Complexity is how varied your movement — easy to adjust. Intensity is speed and power — dangerous to crank both at the same time. Never go above 40% intensity in here. It’s like defensive driving — leave enough margin for everyone else’s mistakes, not just your own reflexes.”
- Tension: Being super tense is dangerous. When unstoppable force meets immovable object, bad things happen.
- Ask them to identify the smoothest, safest-looking rollers in the room.
After the observation round, partner them up for games.
1. After Class
If they looked dangerous in the games: Only allow them to spar with coaches until a head coach signs off on them training with the general population.

If they looked safe: Let them know they’re welcome to ask anyone to spar. Anyone can say no for any reason — ‘no’ is a full sentence. We don’t pressure anyone into sparring.

Check in with them. Ask how it felt compared to their previous gym.

Make sure they return any loaner gear before they leave.

LITTLE LIONS (Ages 4-7)

[VIDEO NEEDED: Full first-class walkthrough -- a coach running through all 5 touchpoints with a new Little Lions student and their parent]

The biggest difference with Little Lions: no submissions. The tap explanation is simpler — it’s the most important rule, and it means “let go and stop.”

1. When They First Enter
- Greet the kid and the parent. Thank them for coming in.
- Ask if they need loaner clothes
- Show both the parent and kid around: changing rooms, bathroom, shelves for backpacks, shelving for flip flops / water bottles / mouth guards, foot washing station, and the mat
- Tell them to come grab you on the mat when they’re changed
1. Before Class, On The Mat
Meet the kid on the mat. Keep this short and simple — they’re 4-7 years old and you’ll lose them fast.

How class works: “We’re going to do a warmup and then play some games. The warmup is easy and you’ll know it by heart in about a week.”

End of class: “At the end of class we all line up on the wall. We bow and go down the line for high fives.”

What a tap means: “Tapping is the most important rule we have. If you tap your hand on someone, or on the mat, or say ‘tap’ — it means STOP. Your partner has to let go right away, no matter what.

We tap if we feel scared. We tap if we feel squished. We tap if we just want to stop. And when someone taps us, we let go. Every time, right away.”

What’s never allowed:
- Hitting
- Pulling on fingers
- Touching someone’s face
- Trying to hurt someone on purpose
1. When Class Starts (Announcement)
After the warmup, tell the class something like:

“Hey everyone, we have someone new today. Remember — our number one priority is safety. Safety for our training partner and safety for ourselves. If you ever feel unsafe, what do we do?” (tap) “If you want someone to go slower, tap and use your words. If you want more challenge, tap and use your words. If that doesn’t work, call a coach over — we’re happy to help.

Our second priority is having fun. Be a fun training partner for them. If you’re working with someone new, introduce yourself.”
1. During The First Game (Watching Together)
Sit with them and watch the first round:
- Tell them to notice how everyone is moving
- “Being a good partner means playing the game while making sure nobody gets hurt”
- “Moving super fast is how people get hurt. Watch for who’s moving smooth and safe.”
- Ask them: “Who looks like the safest partner out there?”
- Ask them: “Who looks like they’re moving too fast?”
1. After Class
Find the kid after class and ask them if they had fun. That’s what it’s all about.

Find the parent and check in. Answer any questions they have about the program.

Make sure any loaner gear comes back before they leave — check with the parent.

GOLDEN TIGERS (Ages 7-13)

[VIDEO NEEDED: Full first-class walkthrough -- a coach running through all 5 touchpoints with a new Golden Tigers student and their parent]

Golden Tigers follow the same five-touchpoint structure. The language can be more direct than Little Lions, the games are more complex, and depending on the age and size of the kid, submissions may be part of the curriculum. Adjust the tap explanation accordingly.

1. When They First Enter
- Greet the kid and the parent. Thank them for coming in.
- Ask if they need loaner clothes
- Show both the parent and kid around: changing rooms, bathroom, shelves for backpacks, shelving for flip flops / water bottles / mouth guards, foot washing station, and the mat
- Tell them to come grab you on the mat when they’re changed
1. Before Class, On The Mat
Meet the kid on the mat. These kids can handle more information than Little Lions, but don’t overload them — keep it clear and direct.

How class works: “We’ll do a warmup and then play several games. The warmup is simple — you’ll have it memorized within a week.”

End of class: “At the end of class we line up on the wall, bow out, and do high fives down the line.”

What a tap means: “Tapping is the most important rule in our gym. When someone taps — hand on you, hand on the mat, or says ‘tap’ — you stop immediately and let go. No exceptions.

We tap when we feel uncomfortable or unsafe. We tap when we’re about to bump into someone. We tap when someone is going too hard and it’s scaring us — then we use our words to talk about it.

If someone has a submission on us, we tap because it’s not safe to try to muscle out of it. And when we have a submission on someone, we never crank it — we hold it and wait for the tap.”

What’s never allowed:
- Hitting
- Pulling on fingers
- Fingers near someone’s eyes, nose, or mouth
- Grinding on someone’s face or jaw
- Trying to cause pain on purpose
1. When Class Starts (Announcement)
After the warmup, tell the class something like:

“Hey everyone, we have someone new today. Remember — our number one priority is safety. Safety for our training partner and safety for ourselves. If you ever feel unsafe, what do we do?” (tap) “If you want someone to go slower, tap and use your words. If you want more challenge, tap and use your words. If that doesn’t work, call a coach over — we’re happy to help.

Our second priority is having fun. Be a fun training partner for them. If you’re working with someone new, introduce yourself.”
1. During The First Game (Watching Together)
Sit with them and watch the first round:
- Point out how hard everyone is going
- “Being a good partner means playing the game while keeping everyone safe”
- “Moving as fast as you can is how people get hurt”
- Ask them to spot the smoothest, safest-looking partners in the room
- Ask them to spot anyone who’s moving too fast and risking injury
1. After Class
Find the kid after class and ask them if they had fun. That’s what it’s all about.

Find the parent and check in. Answer any questions they have about the program.

Make sure any loaner gear comes back before they leave — check with the parent.

VIDEOS NEEDED

Program	Description
Fundies (Adults)	Full first-class walkthrough: a coach running all 5 touchpoints with a new adult student, start to finish. Should cover the gym tour, mat talk (tap explanation, class structure, what’s never allowed), class announcement, first game observation with intensity/complexity discussion, and post-class check-in.
Advanced (Visitors)	Full first-class walkthrough: a coach running all 5 touchpoints with an experienced visiting student. Same structure but with the adjusted tone — protocol framing, emphasis on injury tolerance being non-negotiable, and the post-class safety assessment (coaches only vs open sparring).
Little Lions (Ages 4-7)	Full first-class walkthrough: a coach running all 5 touchpoints with a new young child and their parent. Should show the simplified tap explanation, age-appropriate language throughout, the kids class announcement, and how to check in with both kid and parent after class.
Golden Tigers (Ages 7-13)	Full first-class walkthrough: a coach running all 5 touchpoints with a new older child and their parent. Should show the more direct tap explanation (including submission language), and how the coaching tone differs from Little Lions.