Things you should never do at a BJJ tournament

So there is always some form of etiquette for every situation. Big no- no’s if you like that better. At BJJ tournaments it’s the same thing. there are always certain things, that is said or done that may not be the best idea. Here are just a few that should really be avoided if possible.

1.   Do not talk about how it only took you 18 months to get your tae kwon do black belt.

2.   Quoting Karate kid, probably not the smartest idea. Actually so is quoting Never Back Down, or any other predictable MMA/ martial arts/ fighting movie..

3.   Don’t brag about how you learn your techniques from real life, and youtube, how you don’t train with a team, and how you don’t abide by any belt system.

4.  If there is a female carrying a gym bag, don’t assume it’s her boyfriend’s.

5. If said girl then changes into her bjj stuff, do not use your best bjj pick up lines, she’s probably not interested.

6. If you MUST get naked to make weight, do not go to the ONLY female working weigh ins and get naked in front of her. If she’s the only person working weigh ins, get someone to hold a towel or something in front of you.

7.   Again if you have to get naked to make weight, make sure there aren’t little kids around… parents shouldn’t need to explain that.

8.   Don’t force your child who is under the age of 12 and at a normal weight, to cut weight. That’s just not right.

9.  Respect the officials and the table workers, you want them on your side.

10. Don’t sand bag. Challenge yourself.

11.  Unless you are sponsored by TapouT or Affliction, try not to wear their stuff… 

12.  Do not say you are a relative of the Gracie family. Unless you really are.

13.  If you bring your friend who does not train and they claim that they will never tap for a submission, someone will most likely put them in one until they tap…  Just so they know how it feels.

14. Being the competitor that goes to sleep, or gets something broken, is not fun. So please tap… there’s no shame in tapping.

15.  Do not scream at your kid for losing their match. They are competing, doing a sport and it should be something fun, that they love. 

16.  Insult/ bash someone’s coach. That may come back to bite you in the butt.

Now all of these were to be taken with a grain of salt. They are supposed to be fun. But others do have some truth to them. Either way hopefully they are enjoyable, or at least made you go, yea, I’ve seen that before at a tournament..