HYGIENE GUIDELINES:

Maintaining personal hygiene is a big deal in a sport where people get in extremely close contact with each other, in fact, serves an important role in keeping everyone in the gym healthy. 

1. Be aware of your appearance. You should be CLEAN and NEAT all the times.
2. Come to class having SHOWERED.
3. Always use DEODORANT.
4. BRUSH YOUR TEETH before each class, use mouthwash or chew some gum.
5. Keep your finger and toenails TRIMMED. Long nails can cause cuts to your training partners.
6. If you have any cuts TAPE THEM UP. Make sure that they are not open and will not bleed while training.
7. DO NOT train with a dirty Gi, rash guard or clothes in general. ALWAYS use a clean one and try to wash or change your Gi after each class.

NOTE: Your belt does not have magical anti-bacterial properties and must be washed after every class just like the rest of your Gi.

1. Use the changing rooms to change your clothes. DO NOT leave your clothes and uniforms everywhere. Keep yourself and your Gym clean.
2. DO NOT come to class if you feel sick or have skin infections. Stay home and treat it.
3. Use the toilette before the class to AVOID interruptions.
4. Food and drinks are NOT allowed inside the mats.

CLASS GUIDELINES:

The way you act in class will directly impact how much you and fellow students are able to get out of the experience. It only takes one person to disrupt the flow of class and ruin it for everyone. BJJ Etiquette during class is specific and there are certain ground rules that shouldn’t be broken.

1. NEVER step on the mat with your shoes on.
2. When stepping off the mat wear sandals or shoes. DO NOT walk outside with bare feet.
3. Turn up to class ON TIME (15 min. before). Being late is disrespectful. If you are late, always ask the professor(s) for permission to come in.
4. ALWAYS bow when entering and leaving the mat and immediately greet the professor(s) first and  after your teammates when entering the mat for the first time.
5. DO NOT skip warm-ups. While this may not be the most exciting part of the class, it has an important role to play.
6. Students MUST put cell phones on vibrate or silent mode.
7. LISTEN carefully and quietly to all instructions in or outside the mat.
8. DO NOT talk while the professor is showing a technique. If you have questions, raise your hand and wait until the instructor calls on you.
9. MAINTAIN an attentive posture when watching the technique and STICK to the techniques that the coach has shown.
10. DO NOT stop drilling a technique until the professor tells you to stop.
11. DO NOT leave the mat during class without the professor’s permission.
12. When the professor(s) calls for line up do it so, QUICKLY and QUIETLY.
13. Be an EXAMPLE for lower belts.

SPARRING GUIDELINES:

BJJ etiquette doesn’t end when the technical part of the class is over. In fact, there are things that you should keep in mind when rolling that really  influence how positive of an experience it is for not just you and your training partner, but people around you as well. 

1. Treat everyone with RESPECT, you spar with your teammates not your enemies.
2. ALWAYS shake hands, fist bump or bow before and after sparring.
3. CONTROL your breathing during sparring sessions. This is one of the keys to developing mat fitness.
4. Be aware of using TECHNIQUE over strength.
5. Take care of your training partners. DO NOT crank submissions.
6. NEVER ask your professor(s) or a higher belt to spar, it is extremely disrespectful. Wait to be invited.
7. DO NOT teach unless specifically asked to. Most people don’t enjoy their partners teaching as they roll or do techniques anyway.
8. Be AWARE of your surroundings. You have to be careful about what is going on around you.
9. Lower-ranked pairs are expected to make space for higher-ranked ones if they get too close.
10. If you are too tired to roll, still TRY to roll but just defend.
11. Work on your weaknesses. Don’t always use your “A game”. Training is not a competition. It’s a lab for improving.
12. ALWAYS respect the tap and be HUMBLE in victory.

CROSS-TRAINING GUIDELINES:

How you should be conducting yourself when visiting a BJJ academy? Of course, all the BJJ etiquette points we covered about behavior during class and rolling still apply, but there are a few more things to consider when you’re a guest. 

1. First of all, do your RESEARCH on the gym you are visiting beforehand. Check their schedules, rules, guidelines, etc.
2. Do not be on time, but rather, COME EARLY. This is a new gym and you will need to familiarize yourself with it, and the rules and customs they have.
3. Treat everyone with RESPECT.
4. Treat the visiting gym as if it was YOURS.
5. Ask to PAY for the class at the end, even if you are not asked to.
6. Mind your rolling ETIQUETTE. All the regular BJJ etiquette of rolling applies here, perhaps even more-so than normal.
7. You should just roll. DO NOT to murder everyone in the gym or prove a point. Stick to the ground rules of rolling and enjoy your time on the mats.

FREEZING A MEMBERSHIP:

We understand accidents and health issues can happen, preventing partially or completely your participation in the trainings. That's why we aloud ONE TIME a year our members to FREEZE their active membership under request.

IMPORTANT:

In HOGA we promote DISCIPLINE and RESPECT, we protect and take care of our team members and treat them equally no matter what their race, sexual orientation or background is.

We also apply a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for all discriminatory, sexual abuse or sexual misconduct related incidents in or outside the gym.

What does this mean?

If you are presented with an accusation of having committed any discriminatory or sexual misconduct in the gym, outside the gym, to another student or to anyone else, you will be temporarily suspended while an internal investigation is conducted to determine the facts.

Anyone accused will be temporarily removed until an investigation determines the facts and if found guilty by our investigation or by authorities, this person shall lose their affiliation to our team immediately without any refund and their belts and ranks will be automatically taken away.