Code of Conduct

Respect and safeguarding

  • Treat members, coaches, visitors and officials with respect. Bullying, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abusive language and threatening or sexual behaviour are prohibited.

  • Do not engage in deliberate violence outside supervised training.

  • Do not attend or participate while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

  • Report safety or welfare concerns promptly to a coach or the Club Safeguarding Officer. If the concern involves a coach or cannot safely be raised within the Club, use the UKBJJA reporting route.

  • Respect personal boundaries. Coaching and training contact must be relevant to the activity, proportionate and stopped when requested.

  • Parents and carers must support respectful behaviour, must not force an unwilling child to participate and must follow the Club’s collection and supervision arrangements.

Attendance and conduct in class

  • Book classes where possible and record attendance on arrival.

  • Tell the coach before leaving a class early.

  • Follow the coach’s instructions and train at an intensity appropriate to the experience, size and ability of both partners.

  • Do not coach over the instructor, disrupt the class or use techniques the coach has excluded from that session.

  • Report injuries, hazards, unsafe behaviour and damaged equipment immediately.

Hygiene and infection control

  • Arrive clean, use deodorant, maintain good oral hygiene and wear freshly washed training kit.

  • Keep fingernails and toenails short, tie back long hair and remove jewellery and piercings, or secure them only where the coach agrees this is safe.

  • Do not train with vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, an uncovered wound, cold sore, suspected contagious skin condition or another illness that could put teammates at risk.

  • Cover minor cuts securely before training. Tell the coach immediately if a wound opens or blood is present during class.

  • Seek appropriate medical advice for a suspected infection and return only when no longer contagious. The Club may request reasonable evidence or confirmation before return.

  • Deliberately concealing a contagious condition is a serious breach and may lead to immediate suspension.

Attire and mat rules

  • Wear footwear off the mats and train barefoot on the mats. Step directly between footwear and the mat area.

  • For Gi classes, wear a clean Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi and a clean rashguard underneath.

  • For No-Gi, wrestling and MMA classes, wear clean grappling shorts, compression shorts or spats and a rashguard. Clothing must not have zips, hard fastenings or exposed pockets that create a hazard.

  • Wear suitable underwear at all times.

  • Groin cups or rigid guards are not permitted during grappling.

  • Mouthguards are strongly recommended for sparring and required where the coach specifies.

Training safety

  • A tap may be physical or verbal. Release immediately when a partner taps, says stop, becomes unable to respond normally or when the coach intervenes.

  • Apply every submission in a controlled way and slowly enough to give the partner a reasonable opportunity to submit.

  • Do not slam, perform scissor takedowns, spike a partner onto their head or neck, or use any technique prohibited by the coach or applicable rules.

  • Do not place fingers in eyes or mouths, grab individual fingers, deliberately strike during grappling-only classes or intentionally injure another person.

  • Beginners must follow the permitted-technique guidance given by the coach.

  • Members must adapt to their partner’s age, experience, size and ability.

Serious or repeated breaches may result in removal from a class, suspension or termination of membership in accordance with the Base Grapple Club Membership Agreement.