Open mat etiquette: how to show up to Saturday rounds

A class hands you a technique. Open mat is where you find out whether you own it. There is no lesson, so the hour belongs to whatever you need: rounds, one position over and over, questions you did not get to ask on Thursday, or just watching how better people move. All of it is legitimate. What is not legitimate is treating it like a tournament.

Walk up, make eye contact, ask. "Want to roll?" is the whole script. If someone says no, or says they are resting, that is the end of it; nobody owes anyone a round. If you are new, say so when you ask: "I've been here three weeks, can we go light?" gives your partner what they need to look after you.

At KDL, if you are brand new, tell the instructor first. Keith will point you at the right person rather than leaving you to guess.

The pace of a round is set by the less experienced or lighter person, not the stronger one. If your partner is going slow, go slow. If they asked for light and you are cranking, you are the problem. A good open mat sounds like breathing and the occasional laugh, not grunting and slamming.

Size matters too. If you outweigh someone by a lot, your job is control and technique, not pressure. If you are the smaller one, say what you need. Nobody good will hold it against you.

• Tap early, tap often, and let go the instant you feel a tap.
• No slamming, no cranking, no heel hooks or neck cranks unless both of you agreed and both of you know them.
• Reset calmly after a tap. Fist bump, start again, no commentary.
• Watch the space around you. The pair closest to the wall or the edge moves.

If you are gassed, hurt, or just not feeling it, sit out. Nobody is counting rounds. Sitting on the wall and watching is a real way to learn, especially for beginners who are still working out what they are looking at. Also sit out if you are sick, and stay home if you have anything on your skin that should not be shared with a room full of people.

Clean gi or clean no-gi gear every time. Short nails, fingers and toes. No shoes on the mat, shoes on off the mat, always. Shower after. Nobody enjoys saying these things out loud, which is why they are written here instead.

Open mat is Saturday at 9:00 AM at 786 McCool in Valparaiso, with Keith Wilson on the mat, and it covers everything we train: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and self-defense. If it is your first time at the gym, it is the easiest way to see the room and your first visit is free. If you train somewhere else and want to visit, call or text first so we know you are coming.