Etiquette has always been a big part of martial arts. We are super proud of the atmosphere and vibe that we have here at Kraken and are determined to maintain it. Please adhere to the following points:

Conduct

• Leave your pride and ego outside, come in and learn.
• Maintain respectful behaviour and good manners.
• Book in for your class(es), enter building via front door and scan in.
• Turn up to class on time! If you happen to be slightly late, once in a blue moon, then please wait off of the mat until you have permission from the coach to step on and join in.
• If you need to leave class early then make sure to okay this with the coach before you start.
• Don’t celebrate when getting a tap; there are no winners or losers in training! We are all part of the same team!
• Avoid coaching above your pay-grade. We have experienced coaches for a reason. Call them over.
• Do not go too hard on those with less experience or a significant size difference. Put yourself in their shoes. Why not use this round to practice escapes etc?

Hygiene

• Nails should be short, hair tied back and any jewellery removed or taped up.
• Do not train if you have any signs of sickness eg. colds, cold-sores, skin infections etc.
• Sufficiently cover any cuts/wounds.
• Don’t be a stinker! Wash yourself before every session, use deodorant, brush teeth and wear freshly washed kit. Hygiene is super important in such close contact sports. Parents, please encourage your teens to stay on top of this!
• If you notice any unusual blemishes or potential skin infections then please immediately see a doctor or show to Darren/Tim. Although probably nothing, it is better to make sure to ensure that no infections are passed on to teammates. If contagious, you obviously need to stay off of the mat until you have provided either a doctors note to say you have completely recovered or have had the nod from Darren/Tim.
• If anyone is caught hiding any contagious infections to continue training then there will be an immediate two week suspension and a potential termination of their membership.

Attire

• Footwear must be worn off the mats and bare feet on the mats. Please step straight out of your footwear onto the mats and vice versa.
• Juniors must have their full uniform for each class, with bare feet (unless there is a medical reason).
• All protective gear is needed for sparring:
  • MMA – 7oz gloves, appropriate shinguards, mouthguard and groin guard (for males).
  • Grappling – Mouthguard,
• No vests or cups (groin guards) for any of the grappling classes.
• No pockets, zips or loose drawstrings for any of the martial arts classes.
• All protective gear that can be should be washed after each class. Gloves and item that can’t be washed should be removed from bag and aired.
• If gloves smell then they need to be either treated with appropriate disinfectant/deodoriser or replaced.

Techniques

• Avoid using strength over technique. We are here to learn, not feed our ego.
• No slamming, scissor takedowns or suplexing. Specific classes will be put on to train these properly.
• IBJJF rules will be adhered to in all BJJ (gi) classes including permitted techniques for specific belt rankings and ages. These same rules will also be adhered to by all white belts or unranked students during nogi classes.
• During each round, the lowest ranking person will govern the ‘allowed’ techniques/submissions e.g in a white belt vs blue belt scenario, white belt rules should be followed.
• No manipulation of small joints (fingers/toes), eye poking, or groin strikes within any classes.
• All submissions should be put on slowly allowing time for your partner to tap!

NOTES

• Any bullying or rudeness whatsoever will not be tolerated.
• We have the ability to review any incidents on CCTV. If it is decided by the coaches that a banned technique or unacceptable behaviour/conduct was used then we reserve the right to revoke the membership of the perpetrator.