BJJ Gym Etiquette: 15 Unwritten Rules That'll Save You From Embarrassment

Why Nobody Told You About These Rules

Here's the thing about BJJ gym etiquette: most of it is completely unwritten. You won't find a rulebook posted on the wall. Your coach probably won't sit you down for "The Talk" about toenail hygiene. Instead, you'll learn these lessons the hard way—through awkward silences, passive-aggressive comments, or worse, becoming "that person" nobody wants to roll with.

We've all been there. Every black belt was once a clueless white belt who showed up in board shorts, forgot deodorant, or accidentally walked across the mat with shoes on. The difference is, now you have this guide. Consider it the crash course we all wish we'd had on day one.

Some of these rules are about hygiene (spoiler: clip your nails). Others are about respect—for your training partners, your coaches, and the art itself. A few might seem weirdly specific until you understand why they exist. All of them will help you avoid being the person everyone dreads seeing on the mat.

Let's dive in. Your future training partners will thank you.

The Hygiene Commandments

Let's start with the stuff that makes people physically uncomfortable. BJJ is an intimate sport—you're going to be very close to other humans, breathing their air, pressing your face into their shoulder. Hygiene isn't optional; it's a prerequisite for being allowed to train.

1. Clip Your Nails (All of Them)

This is the #1 rule for a reason. Nothing ruins a training session faster than getting scratched by someone's talons. We're talking about both fingernails AND toenails. Yes, toenails. You'd be amazed how many people forget about their feet until they slice open a training partner during a guard pass.

The rule: Clip your nails before every training session, or at minimum, check them before you step on the mat. They should be short enough that you can't scratch someone accidentally. If you can drum your nails on a table, they're too long.

Pro tip: Keep nail clippers in your gym bag. Make it part of your pre-training ritual. Some gyms even keep clippers in the bathroom because this is such a common issue.

And while we're talking about feet—please, for the love of all that is holy, don't pick at your toenails in the changing room. We've seen it. It's horrifying.

2. Shower Before Training (Not Just After)

Most people understand that you should shower after training. Fewer realize you should also shower BEFORE training, especially if you're coming from work, the gym, or anywhere you've been sweating.

Why it matters: Nobody wants to roll with someone who smells like a day's worth of body odor, lunch, or whatever else you've accumulated. That scent transfers to your training partners, who then have to explain to their spouse why they smell like a stranger's armpit.

The rule: If you can't shower right before class, at minimum wash your face, pits, and groin area. Fresh deodorant is mandatory. If your work involves physical labor or heavy sweating, plan your schedule to allow for a proper shower.

3. Wash Your Gi After Every Single Use

Your gi is not like a pair of jeans that "doesn't need washing" after every wear. It's a bacteria sponge that absorbs sweat, skin cells, and whatever else is living on the mats. Not washing it is disrespectful to everyone who has to smell you and potentially dangerous (hello, skin infections).

The rule: One training session = one wash. No exceptions. No "I'll just hang it to dry." No "It doesn't smell that bad." Wash. The. Gi.

Pro tip: Own multiple gis if you train frequently. Two is minimum, three is comfortable, four or more if you're training daily. White gis show stains more easily but are easier to bleach clean. Dark gis hide stains but can develop a funk that's harder to eliminate.

4. Skip Training If You're Sick or Have Skin Issues

This might be the most important rule on this list. If you have any skin condition—ringworm, staph, impetigo, mysterious rashes, open cuts, or cold sores—stay home. If you're sick with anything contagious, stay home. This isn't being dramatic; it's being responsible.

Why it's serious: Skin infections spread like wildfire in BJJ gyms. One person with ringworm can infect a dozen training partners in a single session. Staph infections can hospitalize people. This isn't about being tough; it's about not harming others.

The rule: When in doubt, stay out. See a doctor, get treatment, wait until you're no longer contagious. Your training partners' health is more important than any single session.

Also: no training with open wounds. Cover small cuts with liquid bandage or tape, but if you've got anything significant, sit out. Blood exposure is no joke.

5. Remove ALL Jewelry

Rings, watches, necklaces, earrings, piercings—all of it needs to come off. Even things you think are harmless can catch on a gi, scratch a training partner, or get ripped out of your own body during a scramble.

The rule: If it's not attached to your body permanently, take it off. Wedding rings have degloved fingers. Earrings have been torn out. Necklaces have choked people. Don't learn this lesson the hard way.

Note on new piercings: If you have a fresh piercing that can't come out yet, consider taking a break from training until it heals enough to be removed for class. It's not worth the risk.

Mat Etiquette Basics

Beyond hygiene, there's a set of behavioral rules that govern how we act in the training space. Some of these are about safety, others about respect, and a few are just traditions that have stuck around for good reason.

6. Bow When Entering and Leaving the Mat

In most BJJ gyms, you bow slightly when stepping onto and off of the mat. This isn't about religion or excessive formality—it's a gesture of respect for the training space and the people in it. Think of it as saying "thank you for letting me train here."

The rule: A slight bow or nod when you step on and off is sufficient. You don't need to do anything elaborate—just acknowledge the transition between regular space and training space.

Note: Some gyms are more casual about this than others. Watch what other students do and follow their lead. But when in doubt, a small bow never hurts.

7. Never Wear Shoes on the Mat (And Never Go Barefoot Off the Mat)

This is a two-part rule that exists for one reason: hygiene. The mat should stay as clean as possible. Shoes track in dirt, bacteria, and whatever else you've stepped in. At the same time, your bare feet pick up bacteria from bathroom floors, parking lots, and everywhere else—which you then bring onto the mat.

The rule: Shoes off before stepping on the mat. Sandals or flip-flops on when stepping off the mat for any reason (bathroom, water fountain, stepping outside). No exceptions. Ever.

This is non-negotiable: If you walk to the bathroom barefoot and then step back on the mat, you've just transferred bathroom floor bacteria to the training surface. That's how staph spreads. Buy cheap flip-flops and keep them at the edge of the mat.

8. Don't Walk Through Other People's Rolls

During open mat or sparring, you'll have multiple pairs rolling at once. Space gets tight. Inevitably, someone will end up in your path. The temptation is to step over or around them quickly to get where you're going.

The rule: Wait. Walk around the long way. Never step over rolling partners or walk through their space. You could get swept into them accidentally, you could get kicked, and you're definitely being disrespectful to their training.

If two pairs are about to roll into each other, the pair that's less engaged (or the pair with higher-ranked members) should move. Stay aware of the space around you while rolling.

9. Ask Before You Join a Drill or Conversation

If your coach is demonstrating something to a small group or explaining a concept to someone, don't just barge in. Wait for a natural pause, make eye contact, and wait for acknowledgment before joining.

The rule: Stand nearby, pay attention, and wait to be included. Interrupting a coaching moment to ask an unrelated question is rude. There's always time to ask after the demonstration.

Training Partner Protocol

Your training partners are your most valuable resource. Without them, you're just a person doing solo drills forever. Treating them right isn't just polite—it's essential for your own progress.

10. Tap Early, Tap Often

This is about safety, not pride. When you're caught in a submission, tap before it hurts. Don't wait until your elbow is hyperextended to acknowledge the armbar. Don't see how long you can survive a choke before you go unconscious. Tap.

Why this matters: Every injury sustained by not tapping is preventable. Your training partners don't want to hurt you—they'll feel terrible if you get injured because you refused to tap. Getting injured doesn't make you tough; it makes you unable to train.

The rule: Tap early. Tap verbally if your hands are trapped ("TAP TAP TAP"). If you're unsure if you're caught, tap anyway. You can always ask your partner to show you the escape later when you're not at risk of injury.

Ego check: Nobody cares how many times you tapped in training. Literally nobody is keeping score. What they will remember is if you got injured being stubborn, because now they've lost a training partner.

11. Match Your Partner's Intensity

Rolling isn't fighting. It's practice. The goal is for both people to learn, not for one person to dominate. This means matching your intensity to your partner's level and the context of the roll.

The rule: If someone is going light, you go light. If you're rolling with someone much smaller or less experienced, dial it back. Competition-level intensity should be saved for training partners who've explicitly agreed to it and can handle it.

Signs you're going too hard: Your partner looks scared or frustrated. They start just defending and stop trying techniques. They avoid making eye contact when looking for partners. People stop asking you to roll.

12. Ask to Roll Politely (And Accept "No" Gracefully)

How to ask someone to roll: make eye contact, give a small nod or gesture, or simply ask "Want to roll?" or "Get a round?" Simple.

Important: People can say no. They might be tired, injured, saving themselves for another round, or just not feeling it. Accept this gracefully with a simple "No problem" and move on. Never pressure someone to roll with you.

The flip side: If you always say no to certain people, expect them to stop asking. If you're avoiding someone because they're too rough, consider addressing it directly or mentioning it to your coach. The goal is a gym culture where everyone feels comfortable training with everyone.

13. Don't Be a Coach (Unless You're a Coach)

Unsolicited advice is one of the quickest ways to annoy your training partners. Even if you know exactly what someone did wrong, offering constant corrections when you're not their instructor is overstepping.

The rule: Unless someone explicitly asks for feedback, save your coaching. After a roll, it's fine to share one insight if you have a good relationship—"Hey, you almost had that sweep, you just needed to control the sleeve." But a running commentary on everything they did wrong? Keep it to yourself.

Exception: If something is a safety issue (like they're cranking a submission way too hard), speak up. Safety trumps social norms.

14. Celebrate Your Partner's Success

When someone catches you with a clean submission, or finally lands a technique they've been working on, be happy for them. A simple "Nice one!" or "That was clean" costs nothing and builds a positive training environment.

Why this matters: BJJ can be ego-bruising. Getting submitted stings. But if you respond with congratulations rather than excuses or sulking, you're being a good training partner. People want to roll with partners who make them feel good about their progress, not ones who diminish every success.

15. Be a Good Uke (Training Dummy)

When you're the one being demonstrated on, or your partner is drilling a technique on you, your job is to provide appropriate resistance. Not too much, not too little—just enough to let them learn.

The rule: During drilling, don't go limp like a ragdoll (they need to feel realistic resistance) and don't fight like it's competition (they need to be able to complete reps). Ask your partner how much resistance they want and adjust accordingly.

During demonstrations: When your coach is using you to show a technique, DON'T try to counter or make them look bad. Just be a compliant demonstration partner. There's a time for "what if they do this?"—it's during Q&A, not while the coach is mid-explanation.

The Unspoken Stuff

Beyond the explicit rules, there's a layer of unspoken expectations that vary slightly from gym to gym but generally apply everywhere.

Keep Your Ego at the Door

You're going to get tapped. A lot. By people smaller than you, newer than you (in some cases), and in ways that make you feel dumb. This is normal. This is the learning process. The moment you let ego drive your training—going harder because you're losing, getting angry about being submitted, making excuses—you become a worse training partner and a worse student.

Be On Time

Showing up late disrupts class, misses the warmup (which exists for injury prevention, not just torture), and is disrespectful to your coach and training partners who made the effort to be punctual. Life happens occasionally, but chronic lateness isn't acceptable.

Pay Attention When the Coach is Talking

Don't practice moves while the coach is demonstrating. Don't have side conversations. Don't space out on your phone. You're paying for instruction—actually receive it.

Clean Up After Yourself

Put equipment back where it belongs. Don't leave your water bottles, tape, or personal items scattered around. If your gym has a "wipe down the mats" tradition, participate. If you see trash, pick it up.

Respect the Tap

When your partner taps, you let go immediately. Not one more crank. Not "I wanted to finish transitioning." Immediately. The tap is sacred. Ignoring or slow-playing a tap is one of the fastest ways to become persona non grata at any gym.

What Happens If You Break These Rules?

Most gyms won't kick you out for a first offense (unless it's egregious). Instead, you'll experience the social consequences: people avoiding rolling with you, coaches giving you less attention, that vague sense that something is off but nobody's telling you what.

If you notice people seem uncomfortable around you, have an honest conversation with your coach. Ask: "Is there anything I'm doing that I shouldn't be? I want to be a good training partner." A good coach will tell you straight, and you'll have a chance to correct course.

The beautiful thing about BJJ culture is that people generally want to help each other improve—including improving behavior. But you have to be open to feedback.

Building Good Habits From Day One

The best approach is to start right. Here's a pre-training checklist:

• Nails clipped (fingers AND toes)
• Showered recently (fresh deodorant applied)
• Clean gi/rashguard (washed since last use)
• No jewelry (all of it removed)
• Skin check (no rashes, infections, or open wounds)
• Flip-flops packed (for off-mat bathroom trips)
• Ego left at the door (ready to learn, not prove yourself)

Make this checklist automatic. After a few weeks, it'll become second nature, and you'll never have to worry about being "that person."

The Bottom Line

BJJ gym etiquette boils down to two principles: hygiene and respect. Keep yourself clean, keep your training partners safe, and treat everyone—from day-one white belts to grizzled black belts—with courtesy. Do that consistently, and you'll be welcomed at any gym in the world.

The mat is a special place. It's where strangers become training partners, where ego gets ground down into humility, where you'll experience some of your most challenging and rewarding moments. Honor that space and the people in it, and you'll find yourself part of a community that lasts a lifetime.

Now go clip those toenails. We're begging you.