5313 Mc Clanahan G1, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116, United States
Member Handbook
Member Handbook
Welcome to the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program consists of a belt ranking system that begins at white belt and progresses to black belt. Each belt level consist of specific techniques in 7 major categories; takedowns, sweeps, guard passes, submissions, defenses, escapes, and combinations. Techniques begin with fundamentals and become more difficult as each level is reached. In addition each belt level has a corresponding number of techniques for each category. The ultimate goal for each of us should be to become a Master, the epitome of the professional warrior.
WARNING: Jiu-Jitsu, like any sport, involves a potential risk for serious injury. The techniques used in these classes are being demonstrated by highly trained professionals and are being shown solely for training purposes and competition. Doing techniques on your own without professional instruction and supervision is not a substitute for training. No one should attempt any of these techniques without proper personal instruction from trained instructors. Anyone who attempts any of these techniques without supervision assumes all risks. The Renato Tavares Association shall not be liable to anyone for use of any of these techniques.
RULES & ETIQUETTE
- Be on time for class (Arrive 10 minutes before class begins).
- Bow to the center of the mat when entering or exiting.
- Remove shoes before stepping on the mats.
- Keep quiet while instructor demonstrates techniques.
- No foul language will be tolerated.
- Treat others with the respect you would like to be given.
- Students must wear the appropriate uniform for class.
- When tying the Kimono, face the wall.
- Keep uniforms and gear clean (wash kimono after every class).
- Proper personal hygiene is required.
- Keep finger and toe nails cut short at all times.
- Remove all jewelry and piercings before class.
- Give higher ranked belts preferred space during sparring.
- Be aware of your surroundings and maintain a safe environment when training.
- Use proper tap out procedures. Remember it is only a training session.
- Open cuts must be covered at all times.
- Shake opponent’s hand before and after each sparring session.
- Mouth guards are encouraged during sparring.
- If you are sick, please stay home.
TERMINOLOGY
- Gi – Uniform used to train BJJ (Kimono)
- No-Gi - Practice/training without a gi (uniform)
- Armbar - Locking the elbow joint of an opponent's arm. Usually causes opponent to tap out.
- Back Mount or Rear Mount - This is a position where a student has control of another student from the back (i.e. a student is face down with another student straddling his back).
- Break Fall - A technique to "break your fall" when thrown or falling by slapping your arm on the ground and properly positioning your body.
- Bridge - A technique use to "buck" off or dislodge an opponent who is in the mount position.
- Gi Choke - Where you use your gi (uniform) or your opponent's gi to perform a choking technique.
- Guard Position - When a BJJ student is on the bottom trying to defend against another student (who is on top of them) by wrapping their legs around the opponent.
- Half Guard - A defensive position where you are on your back. One of your feet is on the inside of an opponent's leg and the other is on the outside. From this position, many students will try to move to a guard position.
- Lapel – The bottom part of the gi collar.
- Mount Position - Where a BJJ student is sitting on top of another student's chest or waist.
- Pass - Transitioning from one position to another (i.e. "passing" or getting around an opponent's guard position in order to gain control).
- Side Control - This is a position where a student controls another student from the side (i.e. one student is on his back and the other student is on top with his legs positioned out to the side of the opponent for better control).
- Submission - Where a student forces another student to submit (give up) through a choke, arm bar, etc.
- Sweep - Gaining a dominant position through a sweeping technique (i.e. knocking an opponent to the ground by sweeping them off their feet through a leg grab).
- Take The Back - To maneuver into position to achieve a back mount (or rear mount).
- Tap Out or Tapping - A BJJ student indicates his submission by tapping on the ground or on his opponent.
- Turtle - A defensive ground position where you tuck in your arms, legs and head like a turtle hiding in its shell.
- Base - Center of Gravity, the point at which all of the weight of an object appears to be concentrated.
- Posture - Usually thought of as maintaining base while you’re in guard.
Rank
Students will be awarded stripes on their belts to denote progress through the rank. At white belt, four white stripes and four blue stripes may be awarded. A student will be eligible for white stripes after attending 20, 40, 60, and 80 classes. After 100 classes, the student will receive a free private lesson to evaluate progress and establish areas to improve. Eligibility for blue stripes is after completion of 120, 140, 160, and 180 classes. After 200 classes, the student has reached the minimum requirements to test for blue belt. Rank is awarded based on the skill and progress of the individual student, and times given above are minimums and signify eligibility only.
Blue Belt Test
Takedowns
3 Judo - Osoto Gari, Ipon Seo Nage and Uki Goshi
2 Wrestling - Double Leg and Single Leg
Sweeps
2 Closed - Kimura and Flower Sweep
4 Open - Spider, Butterfly, Half Guard, De La Riva and Scissors
Guard Pass
3 Closed - Double Under, One Under One Over, Stand Up
4 Open - Spider, Butterfly, Half and De La Riva
Submissions from Top
3 Mount - Butterfly Choke, Americana and Arm Bar
3 Side - Kimura, Americana and Paper Cut
2 North & South - Kimura and ArmBar
Knee on Stomach
Half Guard
Submissions from Botton
3 Closed Guard - Kimura, Butterfly Choke and Arm Bar
3 Open Guard - Triangle, Omoplata and Loop Choke
Escapes
2 Mount - Elbow Escape and Bump Escape 1
2 Side Control - Frame and Under hook
2 Back Escape - Top Hook (SC) and Top Hook (Pulling the Arm)
1 Knee on the Stomach - Pushing the Knee to Half Guard
Defense from Guard
1 Armbar
1 Omoplata
1 Kimura
1 Triangle
Defense from mount
Butterfly Choke
Kimura
Armbar
Combinations from Top
Guard Pass to Knee on the Stomach to Submission
Guard Pass to Mount to Different Submission
Half to Back to Choke
Side control series
Combination from Bottom
2 Submission to Submission - Kimura to Guilhotine and Arm Bar to Omoplata
2 Submissions to Sweep - Kimura to Sweep and Arm Bar to Flower Sweep
Tips for Success
- Come to class! We encourage everyone to attend class a minimum of twice a week.
- Take notes and review them between classes.
- Take advantage of class time. Drilling a technique can be repetitive, but doing so will create muscle memory.
- Tap early and tap often. While it is important to practice escapes, err on the side of caution. You will save yourself from a lot of muscle and joint soreness and possibly having to miss training time.
- Ask questions. Take advantage of high ranks, and ask multiple people if you have a question. Each person may have details that are specific to their size and body type.
- Focus on learning one thing during each class. Don’t get overwhelmed. If you come away from each class learning one thing, that class was a success.
- Relax and breathe.
A black belt is a white belt who never quit!
IBJJF Rank System
