Safety & Health

Safety First!

Injury Liability Release

All participants are required to review our injury liability release and sign it to agree to our terms & conditions prior to any training.
You must be 18 years of age or older in order to sign it or have a parent/legal guardian present to read and sign the agreement on your behalf.

Technique and Drilling Safety

During general instruction, drilling, and practice, it is more important to focus on the correct form and technique rather than speed and force.
Practice at a pace that improves your progress correctly. Be a “good partner” and drill at a “learning pace.”
It is perfectly okay to practice technique slow to ensure accuracy.

Awareness

Exercise spatial awareness and consider the safety of yourself and others at all times.
Be cautious, respect others, your space and theirs, while training and rolling.

⚠️ Tapping Out – Important!

Tapping out is the primary way to communicate to your opponent that you are submitting to their attack and or cannot defend or proceed anymore. You may be caught in a submission (joint-lock, choke, etc.) during any phase of our classes (warm-ups, drills, technique or rolling).

How to Tap Out

There are two ways to communicate tapping out to your opponent:

Tapping Out Physically – Use a distinct repetitive tapping action with your hand (at least 3 taps) on your opponent’s body or on the mat (loudly), so they can feel, hear and/or see your tap. We recommend tapping on your opponent’s body if possible for the quickest acknowledgement. (note: some individuals may tap out by snapping their fingers. This is a casual form of tapping out that is usually performed during instruction and not advised for rolling)
Tapping Out Verbally – There may be times where you cannot physically tap out due to your position or obstruction. In any scenario, you can verbally tap out by saying “Tap” (at least 3 times) & ensure it is loud enough for your opponent to hear.

When Your Opponent Taps Out

If someone taps out or submits to you, you should release your submission attack immediately and safely
Expect & be aware when your partner may tap out, so you can release your submission in a timely and safe fashion
Your opponent may tap out physically or verbally, anticipate either method
Your opponent may not always be able to tap 3 times or more, but you should still treat it as a tap and release the submission
All submissions should be perform with control. A well controlled submission allows you to hold the submission without causing pain or injury and may not always have to be performed to its fullest extent before the opponent taps out if it is well controlled.

Note: Some attacks do require a more controlled release in order to prevent injury, like an omoplata, which should be released in a reversed direction from the attack in order not to injure the opponent’s arm or shoulder.

Rolling (sparring) Safely

You want to ensure you and your partner leave healthy.

Communicate your pace and skill level to your partners prior to rolling.
Communicate any potential health concerns or injuries.
TAP EARLY to prevent injuries.
Tapping Out Physically – See details.
Tapping Out Verbally – See details
When your opponent taps out, release your submission immediately and in a safe fashion in order not to injure your opponent.
MOVE-ON from attacks if you cannot finish them to avoid injuries and to progress.

Advanced Submissions (Leg Locks: Heel Hooks, Toe Holds, Ankle Locks, Knee Bars)

There are some advanced level techniques that pose higher injury risks due to the sensitive nature and more vulnerability for physical injury if not executed properly, or if the opponent is unaware of the proper defense & escape, or refrains from tapping in a timely fashion.

Heel Hooks
Toe Holds
Ankle Locks Locks
Knee Bars

Leg Lock techniques are part of our program and our allowed, but we have strict rules on the usage of these attacks in class, which belt levels can perform them and who they can be performed on.

The following rules apply for sparring/rolling:

NO heel hooks, toe holds, ankle locks or knee bars/leg locks can be performed on any White belt level individual.*
With proper training & control, white belts and any other belt level can attempt these moves on any higher level belt (blue, purple, brown, black).*

If you are caught in any of these submissions, we advise tapping-out early to avoid any injuries, as these submissions can do damage before you actually feel it.

*When these submissions are the topic of instruction, they are okay to perform during technique and instruction.

Health

*If you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact 911 immediately. Please consult your doctor, qualified physician or medical health professional for any health & medical concerns. Mile High Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, any of its owners, employees, staff, instructors or members, cannot be held liable and or cannot provide any medical advice, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, or recommendations for any medical condition related or unrelated to any of our activities, products and or services, including COVID-19.

General Health & Physical Condition

Always consult your doctor and/or physician to determine your health condition and ability to participate in training in this type of activity. You will be exposed to activities that will include cardio, flexibility, physical mobility, strength, pressure, and impacts (throwing/falls).

Injuries

We want all of our students to be safe and healthy.

If you have injuries or other health issues, always consult with your doctor or physician for advice on participating in training during and after experiencing an injury.
If you are injured, we recommend that you tend to healing yourself before exposing yourself to any further risks or delay to your healing process.
For some minor injuries, you are more than welcome to still attend class with the approval of your doctor or physician, and go over techniques/drilling. Participating in sparring/rolling will be at your discretion.

Healing your injury is priority!

Open Wounds / Cuts

If you have open wounds, DO NOT HAVE PHYSICAL CONTACT with others as this may endanger not only you, but other students and instructors.

Open wounds provide an opportunity for infections, diseases and other serious health issues.

If you receive an open wound during class:

STOP your activity
Begin first-aid treatment immediately – cleaning and caring for your wound is priority!
Notify an instructor
Avoid further physical contact with others
Seek professional medical assistance & care if necessary
Clean any surfaces that may have been exposed with proper sanitizers and cleaning agents

Contagious Illnesses: Colds, Flu’s, COVID & Infections

If you or anyone you are around exhibit ANY symptoms or are suffering from an illness that may be contagious (i.e. Coronavirus-19, flu, common cold, strep throat, etc.), we ask that you refrain from attending class, seek professional medical attention and only return when you are fully recovered.
Illnesses like ringworm, staphylococcus (staph infection), and fungus (athlete’s foot) are contagious and require immediate halt in training and medical attention.
This is not only for the benefit of your own health, but to also reduce the risk of spreading the illness to fellow students and instructors
(note: Any cold or flu, sore throat, sinus infection, etc., may be contagious until it is completely healed. Only a test or doctor can determine the contagious period.)

Hygiene & Grooming

We emphasize proper hygiene with yourself and your equipment, especially your gi and attire.

Wash your gi after every class.
Wash your no-gi clothing after every class.
Wash yourself regularly.
Clean and wash any other equipment regularly.

This will help prevent undesired odors, infectious bacteria, and other health issues in our facility. Please respect your fellow students and the health of the school.

Grooming

Ensure to groom yourself to reduce risk of injuries to yourself and others.

Trim/file finger & toe nails to prevent cuts.
Clean and wash finger & toe nails
Clean & wash your hair
Adjust hair styles as needed to prevent injuries
Use hair styles that don’t prohibit moves & techniques

School Environment

The mats at our school are to be cleaned after every class with proper cleaning solutions to ensure a healthy and clean training environment. Some students may be asked or volunteer to help with mopping the mats after class and these efforts are greatly appreciated.

View our COVID Safety Guidelines archive

Respect

We expect everyone who steps inside our doors to respect and abide by our School Code of Conduct rules below. Anyone who does not, will be asked to leave.

School Code of Conduct & Etiquette

Safety First!
Wash equipment after every class with bacterial killing agent (Yes, every class!)
Practice proper hygiene & grooming (including trimming finger/toe nails)
Stay home if you have any symptoms, illness or infection (Prevent contagion)
Prioritize good health: Do not train with injuries, open wounds, infections, rashes, sensitive conditions, etc.
Do not wear shoes/footwear on the mats
Do wear shoes/footwear in restroom & outside
Be on time
Participate in all activities
ONLY STUDENTS allowed on the mats during class
No spectator sideline coaching during class
No slams (picking up and throwing down the opponent)
No celebrations, no cheering, no egos, no improper aggression
No dialog on politics, religion, or sensitive topics
Silence phones & devices (students & spectators, use headphones)
Check your Email for important digital communications
Maintain your membership (Ensure your payments are on time)
Respect the instructor & fellow students

Showcasing any aggression, celebration, poor sportsmanship or negativity is NOT tolerated. Please, leave your pride at the door.