Over the next few days I am going to be posting my My 5 Commandments of Rolling. Before I start posting the commandments I want to give a little background as to why I choose these 5 commandments. Over the past few years I have had the pleasure and displeasure of rolling with a lot of people. During that time I had some training partners that were awesome and that I enjoyed training with and I had some that were…….yeah. After a while I really didn’t want to roll with some people. It wasn’t because they were better than me, it was just that it was no fun because they did certain things that I found to be disrespectful or dangerous. As an instructor at 10th Planet Van Nuys it is my responsibility to ensure that everyone has a good time while rolling which is why I started these commandments.

Commandment 1:
Thou Shalt Show Respect On The Mat

Over the years I have seen many grapplers come and go through the doors of 10th Planet Van Nuys. Many of the guys who are still training today have been able to check their ego’s at the door and be respectful to everyone in class. Many of the guys who struggled with this are no longer with us. I am a big proponent of showing respect while rolling. Respectful rolling is fun and safe rolling. Below is a list of a few things that you can do on the mats to show respect for your training partners.

– Bowing in and out of a roll. By doing this you are resetting your mind and putting it into a respectful mindset.
– Avoid cranking or quickly apply moves. Cranking and quickly applying moves lead to injury. This means you Mr. “I want to be Rousimar Palhares so I’ll crank this heel hook”.
– Keep your gear clean. No one likes smelly shirts or shorts in their face.
– Keep your nails trimmed. No one likes getting random cuts from your unkept nails.
– If you get caught don’t get angry. Instead ask your partner how they tapped you. Getting angry only leads to more tapping out. Asking questions leads to you learning more.
– Be mindful of the Mat Check. If a higher belt is rolling next to you it is your job to move not theirs. I know it seems weird but its like seniority in a job. You show respect to those who were there first.

If you would like to discuss any of the 5 Commandments please leave a comment below.