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Safe BJJ Training Protocol

Feb 5, 2015

Here at Endurance Training Center, our main priority is the continued success of our students and coaching staff. As a part of the tight knit BJJ community in Indianapolis and a member of Team James Clingerman, we do everything we can to promote the growth of the sport. This includes the safety of our teammates, coaches, and guests.

Q: Do you ever expect to get hurt while training here at (___) ? Bumps, bruises, sore joints or muscles?

– Most common or expected answer: Yeah. It pretty much comes with the territory.

Q: Do you ever expect to get injured while training?

– Most common or expected answer: No, but I understand it could happen.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Meme When Injured and Just Watching Everyone Roll

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) boxing, kickboxing, and MMA are combat sports with a risk of serious injury, but with proper preventative measures, injuries can be avoided while maintaining a positive team environment. Implementing a clear and concise Training Protocol can keep your training partners, students, and coaches healthy and safe.

“Training / Safety Protocol” – This ensures the safety and continued physical health of all BJJ students, teammates, and coaches at the training facility. It also spells out unacceptable behavior, gym etiquette, and submission standards of any individual who utilizes the facility. The training protocol should also clearly define the consequences for breaking the rules or injuring any teammate or coach.

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Accidents can happen and are unavoidable at time, so a Three (3) Strike policy can be used for the safety and security of the teammates and the academy. If any member of the team receives three strikes at any time, his or her membership will be immediately terminated and no longer able to train at the academy or any affiliate. ‘Strikes’ are given to individuals who are negligent towards his or her training partners, guests, and / or coaches, or do not follow Training Protocol.

Each facility may not believe in a 3 Strike Policy, but there should be a clear expectation of acceptable behavior and consequences for malicious or negligent actions. This will greatly decrease the injury factor in your facility, by weeding out those who are not team players.

Here at Endurance BJJ, in Indianapolis, we implement some of the following specifics into our Training Protocol.

  1. What is a ‘strike’? – Strikes act as warnings against a particular individual whose actions warrant some concern towards fellow teammates or the academy. Strikes can be due to physical injury of an individual, or be political in nature.
  2. What constitutes an injury? – A serious injury is designated by an individual missing a substantial amount of training or time away from his or her professional career, requiring medical attention, including but not limited to, Dr. appointments, X-rays, MRI or CT scans. I.e. – The fracture of a bone resulting from poor judgment.
  3.  What is a political strike? – Political strikes consist of behavior or actions that directly conflict with the core values of your specific community and/or training facility. I.e. – Training under the influence of a controlled substance.
  4.  What does ‘nature of the beast’ mean? – This refers to the relevance of certain casualties that are likely to happen while training, things that are uncontrollable during training. I.e. – Injuries resulting from a loss of balance.
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During my 14 years of training, I have suffered several injuries from the hands of people who were horrible training partners. The injuries I sustained still plague me to this day and affect my daily life. The goal of implementing Safe BJJ Training Protocol is to keep my BJJ teammates safe and continually training, while working towards their own personal goals.


Endurance Training Center is the premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and self-defense academy for adults and children serving the greater Indianapolis area, Zionsville, and Lebanon.

Contact us now for your FREE 30 Day Trial!

317.374.0051coach@endurancebjj.com

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