Caffeinated Jiu Jitsu
Welcome to where the grind of the mats meets the grind of the beans. Whether you're chasing stripes or the perfect pour-over, this podcast is brewed for you. Join us as we roll through conversations on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu culture, training, competition, and lifestyle—while spotlighting the coffee rituals that fuel our days. From interviews with black belts and baristas to deep dives on technique, recovery, and roast profiles, this is your go-to blend of grappling and great coffee. Sip. Roll. Repeat.
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Caffeinated Jiu Jitsu
Episode #29 - BJJ Mat Manners: Essential Etiquette for Every Belt
The difference between being welcomed on the mats and finding yourself on someone's "no-roll list" often comes down to understanding the unwritten rules of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu etiquette. This episode tackles the essential guidelines that make someone a respected training partner, regardless of belt color.
Drawing from personal experience—including a humbling story of unknowingly violating these codes— I share practical wisdom on navigating the social dynamics of BJJ. From the non-negotiables of personal hygiene to matching rolling intensity with your partner's capabilities, these principles form the foundation of a positive training environment.
You'll discover why tapping early prevents career-ending injuries, how proper mat awareness keeps everyone safe, and why respecting class structure demonstrates your commitment to the art. The episode delves into situations every practitioner encounters: when to ask questions, how to respond when someone declines to roll, and what to do if you're running late to class.
Beyond technical skills, your reputation on the mats is built through these daily interactions and decisions. Whether you're a day-one white belt or a seasoned black belt, these etiquette guidelines create the framework for everyone to train safely, improve consistently, and build lasting relationships within the BJJ community.
Want to share your own etiquette fails or triumphs? Connect with us on Instagram @caffeinated_jujitsu and join the conversation. Subscribe, leave a review, and remember—train smart, roll safe, and keep your passion brewing strong.
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Welcome to Caffeinated Jiu-Jitsu the blend of white belt enthusiasm, black belt wisdom and a dash of caffeine for that extra kick. Dive deep into the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as we explore the journey, techniques, challenges and the sheer joy of the sport from a white belt's perspective. From intriguing interviews with renowned coaches and professors to playful fun episodes that'll have you chuckling mid-roll. We've got it all brewed and ready. Now stepping onto the mats and into your ears, here's your host, joe Motes.
Joe Motes:And welcome back everyone to another episode of Caffeinated Jiu Jitsu. I am your Joe, ,Motes, Motz, and welcome back. It's a solo episode. Today I'm going to be talking about a topic that I get questions about or that those that are very new to Jiu-Jitsu may have questions about. We'll get to that in just a moment, but right now I want to share just some updates and some things that have been going on in kind of my life and where I would like to go over the next you know, three to six months till the end of the year here on the podcast at caffeinated jujitsu. This at the beginning of the year, I shared that we were going to be doing a lot of guest interviews and and that's still going to happen, um, and would have a good mix of solo interviews.
Joe Motes:But one of the things and I got asked this question a couple times, actually a few times around the name of caffeinated jiu-jitsu Like where did I come up with it? From? You know how did I? What were my initial thoughts when starting the podcast? And I usually get these questions from people who are wanting to start podcasting themselves, which I always encourage you to do If you are thinking about starting a podcast. I'm always a proponent of you, of someone doing that. It's a great way to express yourself and to help people just gain knowledge and for yourself to gain knowledge.
Joe Motes:But before I go off on a tangent, yeah, people ask me about the name, and when I initially thought about starting a podcast around jujitsu, I was also thinking about really how can I blend two passions of mine into a podcast, and that's, you know, my passion for jujitsu, and everyone who knows me knows that I'm very passionate about of all things coffee and espressos and just the whole kind of cafe vibe scene. So I got to ask, you know, are you going to be doing any content that kind of appeals to that side of things? The cafe, the coffee, the love't thought about it. But when I did take some time to think about it and realized that I can blend the two together, I've kind of come up with some ideas moving forward that are going to do just that. They're going to blend my passion for all things jujitsu and all things coffee cafe type related and all things coffee cafe type related. We have some amazing already have some amazing tours of some local Georgia coffee houses and brewers coming up. I think that's going to start next month and we're going to blend you know these tours and we're going to blend them with jujitsu really well and hopefully it's going to be some interesting content for everyone. So, um, we're probably I'm probably going to go through a potential another logo brand change Definitely going to be updating, um, my intro and outro music. So some new tunes are coming and the jujitsu side is still going to be focused on those who are early in their jujitsu career, like myself, but we're also going to build out the community and grow it through another avenue of interest. So I hope that everyone you know gets excited about you know that share and what's to come.
Joe Motes:I know I am, and, yeah, just wanted to start this episode by talking a little bit about that. So, today's topic let's jump into it. This is something that white belt to black belt needs to understand and that is the ins and outs of jujitsu etiquette or BJJ etiquette. Every academy has it. There are several that are the same amongst all academies. You know, jujitsu is more than just a martial art. We all know it's a community, it's a culture and a place where we really test ourselves while we are respecting our training partners and, if we're being real.
Joe Motes:Sometimes new students or even experienced ones can unknowingly break some of these etiquette rules. And maybe you've been that person unknowingly, maybe you know, showing up late, rolling too rough or I don't know, forgetting to wash your gi. But hey, you know, we've all been there at some point. I've had my professor probably a couple times now you know. Hey, joe, you need to pay attention to the length of your fingernails, right? I'm not saying I have Freddy Krueger nails, but there have been times where I've went on the mat and maybe it's been a week or so since I trimmed them and it showed up, and maybe I accidentally scratched a training partner. So today my plan is to lay down a few of the really unwritten rules of the game. You're probably not going to see these posted in your gym you may or you may not but really some do's and don'ts of BJJ etiquette so you can be a great training partner and really avoid any awkward moments and, most importantly, keep yourself and others safe while you're on the mat.
Joe Motes:So first let's think about why etiquette matters. And you know, if we think about jiu-jitsu as a combat sport, it is, but it's also a team sport. And because, again, if we're being real with ourselves. If you injure all of your training partners, who are you going to train with? And the best academies really thrive on respect, on discipline and on a sense of community. Really, and when people understand the etiquette that they're in, etiquette of the environment, that they're in, training runs smoothly and everyone gets better and has a better experience, and that's important, especially for those who it's their trial class or maybe they've been out of the week.
Joe Motes:You know you don't want to demotivate anybody because of etiquette issues, and I have been myself very fortunate to have been in gyms where etiquette's really dialed in. It's not very laborious in meaning that you know they don't take it to extremes where if you, for whatever reason, accidentally forget to bow, you have to do pushups or run or do something crazy or you're shamed. But for the most part, it's always been dialed in and it really does make a difference and the vibes are always positive and people help each other out and you actually you know you're going to enjoy the process more. And on the flip side, though, I have also heard about situations where bad etiquette ruins the experience. You know people rolling too hard, ignoring the instructor or treating every round like it's a UFC title fight and that is a recipe for burnout and worse injuries.
Joe Motes:You know, this actually brings to mind an incident that, or a situation that took place when I was I think I was a three or four strike white belt. One day, at a lunch class, I was rolling with one of our females, um, our, our female students, and I didn't realize it at the time but I was going harder than I, than I should have uh been going, and I just didn't realize it. There was no ego, I wasn't trying to harm this person, but I, I just, I guess I just didn't realize how hard I was going. And you know, in the weeks to come I started noticing that that none of the female train or none of the female students uh, really wanted to to train uh with me. And I won't say none of them, there were maybe one or two, but but for the most part, uh, uh, I could feel like I was getting avoided when it came time to roll. And, sure enough, a few days after that or after I kind of started realizing that, my professor, yeah, he said you've made some, some no train lists and some no roll list, and that floored me and I was so taken back and I did not realize that I had kind of really violated this etiquette, not just that we have in our gym, but just I think that's a pretty well-known etiquette Don't go super hard on people throughout jujitsu and yeah, yeah, and I remember I went and kind of made things right. Now I'm back on everybody's roll list. I remember I went and kind of made things right. Now I'm back on everybody's roll list, but I share that, just because sometimes you can break etiquette and not really realize it.
Joe Motes:So, whether you're a day one white belt or a seasoned practitioner, I hope some of these guidelines will make you someone that people will always want to train with. So let's get into it. So the very first one that comes to mind, and probably comes to mind to you as a listener right now, is hygiene, and this is a non-negotiable. I mean, look, we're on top of each other, right? Your training partner smells everything and taking a shower before class, if needed, and always after class. Nobody wants to train with the person with the smelly or stinky ghee, and I've heard stories where people have maybe went to a noon class or a morning class and they left their ghee in their trunk and they went to an evening class and it set in 100 degree heat with sweat and it was just a horrible experience for that other training partner and I've started taking showers before classes, if I know. So I typically train Monday, wednesdays and Fridays. If I have a time, I'll run over to the office gym here at my, where I work, and and I'll take a quick shower and the benefits that I'm experienced more than just smelling really, really good for my training partners is, yeah, it's relaxing my muscles, it's kind of I'm going through a little bit of a de-stressing time and it kind of helps me focus. So that's another benefit of showering before you know.
Joe Motes:The other thing you want to do is keep your gi, your rash guard, your shorts, all of your training gear clean, and you also don't forget your belt. A lot of us forget to wash our belt and I don't wash my belt every time I wash a gi. I have, you know, I think, four gis that I rotate through in a week and I think maybe I'm washing my belt once every couple of weeks. But don't be that person where your belt starts disintegrating because it's so dirty and full of sweat. Uh, if you're good, keep it simple. If your gear smells uh like a mix of of regret and piles of dirty socks, wash it. And for those new, new people, pay attention to how you wash your gi. This has nothing really to do with hygiene. But if you put your gi in the dryer at all, in my opinion, regardless of the level of heat you put it on, you're going to experience some shrinkage. I hang dry all my geese. If you hang it up on your curtain rod, it takes about maybe a day or half a day for your rash guard and your gee pants top and bottom to dry. So just make sure you're following those steps.
Joe Motes:Trimming your nails this is a big one. This is easy to forget, very easy to forget, and I don't say that just because I shared that I had forgotten mine a time or two. But you know we, a lot of us, aren't in the habit of especially as guys, you know, doing a lot of of of manicures and stuff like that to ourselves and uh, giving ourselves, uh, self pedicures, things like that. We don't go to the nail salon regularly. Maybe some of you do, I don't, but keep a check on that. Now, every Friday night, I take a look at both hands, both feet to see kind of where I'm at in this nail growth process and if I feel like I need to trim, trim, I make sure I trim for the next week.
Joe Motes:If you have a cut or an injury or a scrape, make sure you tape it up or bandage it up. It is very easy to. It's very, very easy during training, if you have a scab overcut, for that scab to get pulled off. And if you're anything like me, when your scab gets pulled off it seems like you bleed way more than when the injury actually happened. But, yeah, just tape it up. Uh, the other day during training I got a mat burn on my big toe. Still there, it hurts like hell, but yeah, I just taped it up. I made it to make sure that you know, none of the gory stuff got on my training partner on the mat and I continued to train.
Joe Motes:And if you have a skin infection whether it's staff, it's ringworm, it's any kind of of of stat or any kind of infection uh, on the skin, stay home. A rash that you're not sure about. You think it may be a heat rash, but you're not sure. Just stay home. Um, you don't want to be that. Be that person who spreads a rash around the gym and causes it to close and the professor and the owner have to spend thousands of dollars to get it desanitized. You don't want to be that guy.
Joe Motes:The next thing to cover and share is be on time and respect the class structure. If class starts at 6 pm, don't stroll in at 6.15 like you own the place. I do have a caveat for this and I think my master's level will appreciate this and understand where I'm coming from. So there are times where I can I can most of the time only train one time a day now because of work commitments, life commitments, family commitments, things like that. But there'll be times where I'll finish a meeting at 1145 and I will go as fast as I can from work to a lunch class because I know I can't get to an evening class that day and maybe I get in there like 603 or latest 610. Well, if I know that's going to happen, I make sure to send my professor a message.
Joe Motes:We have and this is something I recommend if you are a school or academy and you don't have this is we have a WhatsApp chat group where anybody who joins officially, joins the academy and becomes a paying member, they get access to it. So in that chat I'll you know, hey, stuck in traffic or I'm just running a little bit late. Uh, professor, I'll be there at X amount of time and and that is um, that is within etiquette, you know, if you have to, sometimes you have to show up late and and showing up a few minutes late is better than not training at all. Um, I know our professor says that at our school. Also, there are a lot of great apps. We have an app at Alliance that you can go in and check in, so your professor knows that you're going to be at a class. So make sure you're leveraging any of that type of technology and you're staying within your academy standards.
Joe Motes:Look, some people may get behind this next comment, but if you are late, wait for your professor's permission to get on the mat. Don't just go get changed. And when you come in, don't come in like you don't have a sense of urgency and be bopping around and you know, start talking to the people on the side. Go get changed, go to the end of your mat and wait for your professor to call you on. I think it's a sign of respect. I think it's a sign of acknowledgement that, yeah, I'm running a little late. I don't think it's there. I don't think that etiquette is there to inflate or over inflinflate your professor's head. I just think it's about being respectful and you know your coach is not going to tell you, no, that's not what that etiquette's for, for him to deny or accept you, but it's just a show of respect.
Joe Motes:And the other thing is around the class structure. This is something I'm embarrassed to say because I've gotten corrected doing this. When your instructor is teaching, shut up and listen. Don't be having sidebars and conversations of your own off to the side or talking about another technique that you're not doing that day. And you know this is, this is an open mat. There's, there's, it should be a time for that kind of kind of um behavior, if you will, but during regular class is not that time. So, uh, listen, ask questions, but ask questions to your instructor, to your professor.
Joe Motes:I, since I've become a blue belt, I've gotten in a bad habit now and I've caught myself on this of when I'm drilling with a white belt, kind of doing what I feel is coaching and talking through what I feel is coaching and talking through. But then I realized that, hey, sometimes if we're working a position that I just know I mess up still and I don't do it well, and they ask me a question, I'm not rude, I don't blow them off. I say, hey, you know, hold on, let me, let's call professor over here and let him talk you through it. That's the mindset you should have. If it's something simple that you know and it's a move that you drill all the time and you know for a fact, you have it down. I don't think there's anything wrong with talking your training partner through and helping them out. But just understand, you're not the coach, you're not the instructor. There's only one, maybe two of those in the class at a time. Leave it to the experts.
Joe Motes:And and sometimes for me that's hard to do, um, because I do want, you know, I'm not going to be a world champion, I'm not going to be, you know, have this super profitable jujitsu competitive career. But I do envision myself, um, you know, training and coaching one day, if it's kids, if it's intermediate or if it's a fundamentals. I think that would be a lot of fun. You know, jujitsu has made a huge impact in my life and I would love to to share that. But I also realized that I've only been doing jujitsu for two years. I'm a blue belt, and that's not discrediting or discounting the stuff that I have done, the achievements and milestones I've reached. It's just that I know that there's a threshold of what I can teach and show someone and that's I should always remain below that threshold.
Joe Motes:Another small thing pay attention to your gym that you're training at. If there's etiquette around the way you should sit when listening to a technique. Some sit on their knees and heels and then some stand, some, some, some don't care, but for the most part, all that I've seen is, when it's time to line up at the end or at the beginning of class, make sure you do so in in rank order, and this is, um, it's not a mosh pit, right, it's martial arts. There should be some organization, uh, in it, and I don't think jujitsu should be super, super strict, but I don't think there's anything wrong with there being some etiquette, uh, when it comes to to structure. And there was one question I I've.
Joe Motes:I got on this at our academy and it was from one of our newer, newer people and it was okay. So what if I'm a one stripe white belt and this other person is a one stripe white belt and we started on the same day, it doesn't matter, right? But if somebody is a one stripe white belt and you know they've been training four months longer than you, uh, I would say that they would go, you know, in front of you in the pecking order. Some believe it's a skill set, right, skill-based, which I actually do believe. And there is, you know, there's a blue belt in our academy and he and I are two stripes and look, he's better than I am. He is, he submits me. I have very little chance against him now and probably will have a hard time ever beating him. So his skill set level is way above mine. And when I, you know, he and I kind of laugh and go back and forth when we're lining up. But if he were to stand in front of me in the pecking order, it would make you know, sense to me. I wouldn't complain. And at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. As long as the blues are with blues, with white belts, are with white belts, purple, purple and so on and so forth.
Joe Motes:I do believe in lining up in the color belt rank structure. But just, you know, fill out the room, see what um, see what the etiquette is? Ask, ask your professor hey, where do I stand? So about rolling etiquette, and I shared the story about me getting put on the no training, no rolling with Joe, etiquette or not etiquette, but list um, don't be that person, don't get put on that. I think that was knowing that there were people in my academy that didn't want to train with me because they felt unsafe. It bothered me way more than I probably let on and I, I, I did. I felt bad about that for a long time and I will never, ever get put on somebody's no training list. I may put some people on mine, but my goal is to never be on on someone else.
Joe Motes:And if you only really remember one thing out of all of these is this um, don't, don't go as hard as you can against somebody that you know is somebody that you outmatch technically and strength-wise, because you're going to injure them. You're going to injure yourself. Something bad's going to happen. Another thing is we hear this phrase about tap gosh, tap early, tap often, and no one cares how tough you think you are and so just tap and live to roll another round. I've only really rolled with one person and they were a blue belt that I know. I had a submission in that they weren't going to tap no matter what and I let the submission go and, even knowing that they were going to get out of it, go to a dominant position and maybe I'll lose a round.
Joe Motes:I'm not breaking someone's arm in training. I don't want to break someone's arm in training. I don't want to break someone's arm in competition. It's a little bit different. They've got a higher chance of getting it broken by me if I am in competition. But look, this is training right. I mean, there's single moms in there who are their sole kids providers and they rely on their hands and arms and feet to work, and the same thing with the dads. And there's you.
Joe Motes:You can't injure people for an hour training class that they pay a monthly fee for right, what? What is the? You know what is the sense in that and then you know if you're the one getting submitted and your ego comes into play, all I can say is you probably never had an exploded shoulder, exploded knee. I know I haven't, but I can tell you from those that I've talked to that have it's not fun at all and you know why would you do that to yourself just so you can say well, I didn't tap. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. So do tap early, tap often. Be aware when you're in a submission my professor and your professor may say the same thing or something around the same lines. Is the only way out of a good locked in technical submission is to tap. So keep that in mind. Be aware of your space.
Joe Motes:If you're about to roll into another group, another pair of you know grapplers on the mat, um, it's, it's your responsibility to to move, especially if you know that they're not. You know and this is something minor, I mean this, I almost didn't want you know. I wrote this down to call out but pay attention to your surroundings. Don't roll in you and allow you and your training partner partner to roll into another group of training partners and hurt them or yourself. So just pay attention to where you're at and don't roll around like a wild animal on an energy. Drink or caffeine a fully caffeinated animal grappler don't be that. Control your strength, control your movements. Drink or caffeine a fully caffeinated animal grappler Don't, don't be that. Control your strength, control your movements. I tell people all the time when I'm rolling with them, especially someone if they're just starting to roll. You know, move with a purpose to move. There's no reason that two people should take up the entire mat and trying to take each other down.
Joe Motes:Okay, we, we all know techniques, even from you know day one or day two or three, uh, we know how to pull guard. We know how to do a single leg. We know how to not run all over the place. So you know, pay attention to your area, your surroundings. I call it. You know, from my military days in the army there was this book that all of the ncos read. It was called the five meters on and you know the. The term was around. You know convoy security. When you get out of your vehicle, take a look, uh, within five meters around you. Make sure there's no ieds that you're stepping on. I don't want to say booby traps, but pay attention to everything that's within five meters of you People, cars, anything. It's the same way in this aspect of jiu-jitsu or in your training Just pay attention to your surroundings because you don't want to hurt yourself or others. And let's see death matches. Look, rolling isn't a death match. I've said it at least three times previously here in this episode Don't go 100% with the people who aren't expecting it.
Joe Motes:You know, I've been with training partners where I'm thinking, hey, and it's usually training partners that are around. My've been with training partners where I'm thinking, hey, and it's usually training partners that are around my same age or older, and I'm thinking, okay, let's just, uh, let's go, we're going to train, we're going to work some moves, and then the buzzer sounds are the timer goes off and the round starts and they go bad, shit, crazy. I mean it takes all I have just to keep just to slow them down, get them in the half guard and be like dude, what the hell. You know, um, I don't think I've ever been that that guy, except for you know, um, where I'm going crazy to just try to hurt someone, um, outside of being put on some iso train list, which I definitely didn't mean to. But I try very hard to keep my movements controlled. I am definitely one of those now who I don't want to move unless I have to, um, and you know, I want to get in a good position where I don't have to move as much. I'm not athletic is another is another reason. So, um, be sure you know who you're training with.
Joe Motes:If, if you and, uh, your buddy are both going to you know pans or worlds next month and y'all are on this, you know high competitive training, it's the of you paired up, then by all means, after discussing with each other and making sure you're both okay with it, go balls to the wall, man. I mean, have at it. But if you come up to me and I'm 45 year old, dad of five, recruiter who's just likes jujitsu and wants to come get a sweat on, and you come at me like you're trying to win you know master worlds or worlds in the adult division, I I'm going to ask you what are you doing? Hey, man, you know, let's, let's calm down. I'm going to call you out on it. And if you were rolling with someone and they are going like that, you have the responsibility to be like hey, you know, I realize we're in a martial art and things like that, but let's bring it down just a little bit. And I can tell you, for the most part, your professors will typically pair you up with people that they know you can kind of handle. Your speeds go together well in your mentality, um, but sometimes you know you, you just look up and get that, get that wild person. So just pay attention to that. If you're the one experiencing or if you are the offender, uh, what's another one? What's another one? Those are some of the major ones, or some of the ones I had written down. Another one that comes to mind is well, we just talked about choosing training partners, how professors typically at least ours, typically pair us up when asking someone to roll.
Joe Motes:Be polite, you know, say well, hey, you want to train, want want to go around, goes a long way. And if someone says no, thanks, don't, don't take it personally. Some people are injured, some people just don't feel good at the time and some gym again have rules um, where lower belts shouldn't, where lower belts shouldn't or don't train with higher belts. So check, whatever that etiquette is for the gym. Don't be that second-week white belt who goes up to the coral belt in your academy and say let's roll and then, if they say no, get all butthurt and offended. They have absolutely earned the right to say yes and no to any roles that they want, and it's nothing personal. Again, sometimes they could just not feel like rolling we have.
Joe Motes:Sometimes people will train. Well, I've been in academies where they'll train two out of ten rounds and the rest they'll sit there and maybe they'll have one of their buddies working on technique off to the site or they'll just, you know, set it out because they don't want to injure the self, they're just not feeling it. And then, of course, there's others that go 10 for 10 and want more. So just understand where you're at. Check the etiquette, ask questions if you need to check the etiquette. Ask questions if you need to. Um, really, if, if, if we're summing things up and um, it's really about just be a good teammate and encourage, encourage each other, especially beginners, and remember that if you are training with a white belt that we were.
Joe Motes:We were pretty clueless too when we first started. I'm, I'm, I'm. I can't even imagine the stuff I did now in my first 30 days at like Iron Wolf. Uh, you know, professor Holland was probably scratching his head Like, oh my God, what's this, what's this kid doing versus what I, what I do now, as you know, a few years in our couple of years in blue belt. So just just keep things in perspective. And if you're a black belt and you're listening to this, if you're a purple belt, a brown belt, you know, please realize that as well. Yes, you've probably been a black belt for 20 years, you know. Maybe you got your black belt in the nineties, I don't know. But just just know where that inexperience is coming from and just you know, put it into perspective that even at one time you were like that and just just encourage each other. I think we've all felt the difference in training with, say, purple or brown belt.
Joe Motes:And when we first get to an academy, a new academy, let's say we're a blue belt or purple belt or something like that, and then we have a trial class guy come in and they start drilling. They're really stiff and rigid and they're drilling, but they're drilling hard and they break it out into almost a dehydrated sweat. Right, they're sweating so much. And you know, don't we see that? And we see that all the time. You know, we approach it, our professor approaches it as, hey, you know, just slow down your movements, go through step by step. You're not, this isn't a real sparring match. It'll be a while before you get into into sparring, but that, yeah it. Just again keeping it in perspective. And, um, you know we talked earlier about, uh, coaching, when to coach, when not to coach, stuff like that. Really, the the rule of thumb I would go by, and I try to go by, is don't coach people while rolling unless they ask for it. Let the instructors do their job and what they're, you know, paid to do and what their experience level has given them the privilege to do.
Joe Motes:All right, let's talk really quick about some mistakes to avoid. These aren't violations of etiquette, more than they are just just mistakes, and that's, you know, training while you're sick, especially after COVID, it's very hard to tell if something's allergies or if it's a cold, but if, regardless, if you have the sniffles, if you have a cough, if you have, definitely if you have a fever stay at home. Don't be the know-it-all in your academy. If you have two months of training, don't act like John Donaher. If you have 20 years of training, don't act like John Donaher. And you know, be humble and realize and you know what.
Joe Motes:Here's another thing, and this is if you're an instructor as well. If you're an instructor and you make an obvious mistake in your teaching or something like that, self-correct yourself and be open about it. We know you're not perfect, I mean. And then if you're, maybe you're training a kid's class and if you need help with a technique. Maybe you're training a kid's class and if you need help with a technique, I know at ours a lot of the blue belts and purple belts help teach with the kids and we don't know everything and we don't position ourselves to know everything. There's been plenty of times where I'm sure our purple belt and some of our blue belts that solely instruct have to look up to Professor Maciel and ask him, hey, is this right? Is this right? And then sometimes Professor Maciel will pull us to the side and say, hey, no, it's this way, so make sure you're showing it right.
Joe Motes:And then, when something like that happens, don't be a know-it-all and accept the criticism, accept the instruction and the feedback and go about your day, instruction and the feedback and and go about your your day. And the other thing I would say is uh, just, ultimately, do not ignore any gym rules that you know are gym rules. Every academy does have different customs, um, so pay attention to that. And you know as far as. As far as any final thoughts or takeaways around BJJ etiquette. Etiquette isn't about a bunch of rules. It's about being a good teammate, it's about staying safe and making training enjoyable for everyone, and I believe, if you follow some of these guidelines that I've shared, you not only get better, faster, but you'll also build a strong relationship, a strong gym community, and you'll be someone that people want to train with.
Joe Motes:So, you know, train hard, train smart, respect the mat, respect your partners, respect yourself. And you know, wash your gi, wash your equipment. Um, so you know, I hope, I hope this has been helpful. Uh, love to hear from you, uh, the listener, and you know, have you ever experienced any hilarious or frustrating BJJ etiquette fails Like the one I I experienced? You know, reach out to me, message me on Instagram and the community at caffeinated underscore, jujitsu and uh, or tag me in any stories that we're going to that I'm going to post on this episode. And, uh, definitely, if you found this episode helpful, or maybe you found it, uh to be non-helpful, go ahead and subscribe anyway and leave a review. And remember to share this with your teammates and with some of your maybe newer teammates, and it'll help them. And, lastly, remember that every day on the mat is progress. So, train smart, roll safe and keep your passion brewing strong. See you next time.
Outro:And that's the final tap on today's episode of Caffeinated Jiu Jitsu. A big thanks to all of our listeners, especially today's insightful guest, for sharing their BJJ knowledge and tales. If you felt that adrenaline rush and are hungry for more, hit, subscribe, drop a review and spread the jujitsu buzz. For show notes and to contact the host, reach out to the email provided in the podcast description and to join our grappling community, head over to Instagram. Get those geese, crisp your coffee strong and always be prepared for the next roll Oss.
