Possibly one of the worst things that you can do in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is go to a new gym and injure a training partner. The reason for this is that it can set a bad first impression and shape the way people view you for years to come. Firstly, there are a few things to sort out before coming to a conclusion. For instance, there’s a big difference between injuring someone in a freak accident and injuring someone due to your own aggression and lack of awareness or self control.
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If you injure someone on accident
Imagine you’ve just joined a new gym and you take someone down. As they land, instead of breakfalling correctly, they reach out on their arm. This results in a broken elbow and a snapped arm. Everyone sees what happens and the injured person admits that it was purely an accident. This is very unfortunate but ultimately down to chance.
Obviously, the first thing that you should do is apologize. Even though you’re not at fault, it’s courteous and respectful anyway. After this, there’s not much you can do in terms of progress. Although it’s awkward, it’s also part of BJJ and you’ll have to get on with it.
Perhaps another thing to do here is to clearly communicate with the other gym members what went on. This will make sure there’s no misunderstandings on what happened. Basically, you don’t want people confused and thinking you’re dangerous to spar with.
On a similar note, when you do happen to roll with them, make sure you’re extra cautious and don’t go too hard. Some people may be judging you based on the injury so be sure to eliminate any misleading thoughts surrounding you.
If you injure someone due to rolling to hard
Let’s face it, most injuries are done by accident and nobody intentionally aims at hurting training partners. However, there’s a difference between the freak accident listed above and what’s about to be described.
In this scenario, you have your opponent in an armbar submission. Their arm becomes isolated and you suddenly put the armbar on without giving them much time to tap. Even if you don’t aim to hurt them, this is still considered as bad behavior. In a competition setting, this is ok – but in a gym it’s seen as disrespectful. As a result, you’ve messed up and even if it wasn’t done on purpose, it’s still a bad thing to do.
The result is that you should apologize instantly and try to make amends. Depending on the tone of the gym, you could even get kicked out for such behavior. Or, you could be partnered with BJJ mat enforcer’s. This means someone who is going to try and make your life hell during the next roll. They may not injure you or crank stuff on, but they will use a brutal amount of pressure and won’t go lightly.
If you’re lucky enough not to get kicked out – try apologizing to others too and then if you happen to get the chance to spar with them, go easy. Remember to always give time and space for someone to tap and it’s not a huge deal if they escape.
Usually this is a white belt problem
Usually, this issue is most common with white belts. Sometimes, you’ll get a white belt who wants to prove themself and goes too hard on a weaker opponent, which is where injuries are more likely to happen.
Oftentimes, even if a white belt doesn’t have an ego, it boils down to an issue of lack of awareness. The problem is that some people are naturally less aware than others and this tells in Jiu Jitsu. You may get someone ‘tapping’ a black belt on their first day as the black belt is playing. Some genuinely believe that they’ve ‘won’ and are naturally talented.
Whilst this is extreme, it shows how some people think and lack awareness. As white belts are new – they haven’t learnt what is ‘right’ in BJJ yet so these things are more likely to happen. This isn’t a disrespect of white belts either, as sometimes colored belts do similar mistakes too. However, as a generalization most of the time this behavior is done by newer practitioners.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the response to injuring someone at a new gym depends entirely on context. If it’s completely unavoidable then it can be chalked down as a matter of chance. Even though injuries are frustrating, most people will be ok about this and accept that it’s fate.
However, if you do this and it is in your control then you can expect a degree of backlash. At this point, it’s on you to try and prove you’re worthy of trust and you may want to alter your rolling intensity as a result.
As a general rule, it’s always worth toning down your BJJ whilst visiting a new gym. The reason for this is to test the waters and see what is acceptable and what isn’t. From here, you can slowly adjust your game accordingly. With this said, it’s always to remember your role as a guest and to keep it respectful at all times.
