Hats off. Visiting a new gym.
I wanted to share some notices and thoughts about visiting a new school.
I always try to train, everywhere i go and i’ve never ran to a school which does not welcome visitors.
First thing to do, contact in advance.
Nowdays, when the internet is everywhere and social media is widely used, it’s easy to find gyms to visit. You can search from google, facebook and ask from different forums where to go to have a few rolls.
After you decided which gym to visit, send them a message. Tell a little about yourself,maybe even how long you have trained, and that you would like to visit. It does not need to be a CV, with all your competition success and your life situation, just a little friendly message that you would like to dop by.
Step two. Finding the gym.
If you are not familiar about the location, search it before you leave to train. You can even ask before, via Email or facebook, is it hard to find. Dont trust the taxi driver to know exactly where to take you, even if you have the address.
Step three. Going to train.
First of all, have cash. Not all the gyms want you to pay for the drop in, but it is always polite to ask. One thing you also must be sure of is, that you arrive on time. Its rude to go knocking on the door when the class is already running and someone might be teaching. I usually like to go about half an hour in advance, when i drop in for the first time. There are usually few guys already waiting for the class to start so its nice to have a little chat with them. You can ask about the clubs habits, how to act, or just about the city or country you are visiting. People are usually more than happy to tell you their favourite places to go and what to do while you are in town.
The most important. Always be polite. Shake hands with everyone, tell your name, smile. If there is 50 people at the class, atleast introduce yourself to the person who is running the class.
Check your surroundings to see how people act. How they line up, when to have a drink etc.
When rolling, swallow it up.
When its time to spar, introduce your self to your sparring partner if you havent already done that. Atleast i like doing that, it feels polite. Start rolling easy. Feel the style of your partner. Do not go for the kill. ”Leave your ego at the door” is a really good phrace to remember. You dont want to hurt your training partners at your own school, but even less at the place you are visiting. Even if the guy does not want to tap, swallow it up and let go. No need to count. Same goes the other way round, if you are going to get submitted, tap. Dont be a fool to ruin your own trip because of your ego and not tapping to a submission. Always thank your partner for a good roll.
I feel the most important thing is to leave a good picture of yourself being happy, polite and a smiling person. It is much more easy to visit the same place again.
Ofcourse, these are just my opinions. You can disagree and feel different about these things, but i hope this helps someone out.
Meet new people, learn, train smart. Be happy.
Visiting BJJ Singapore for the first time, 2013.
