The Foundation of a Strong Jiu Jitsu Community
At Checkmat Exeter, we believe Jiu Jitsu is about a lot more than learning submissions and winning rounds. The way you treat your teammates matters just as much as your technique.
Jiu Jitsu only works when there is trust between training partners. Every single day, people put themselves in vulnerable positions and trust one another to train safely and respectfully. Without that trust, you cannot build a good academy culture.
At the end of the day, your training partners are the reason you improve. Nobody gets better alone.
Respect While Training
A big part of Jiu Jitsu is learning how to train hard while still taking care of one another. That means understanding the difference between being competitive and being reckless.
Not every round needs to feel like a fight to the death.
Good training partners know how to control themselves. They know when to turn the intensity up and when to slow things down. They understand that helping each other improve is more important than trying to “win” every round in class.
Respect on the mats looks like:
- Letting go immediately when someone taps
- Training with control
- Helping newer students learn
- Leaving ego out of the room
- Being someone people actually enjoy training with
Most people remember how nervous they felt during their first week of Jiu Jitsu. A good team makes that experience easier. A bad environment makes people never want to come back.
Some of the best academies are not the ones with the most medals. They are the ones where people feel welcomed, supported, and safe enough to keep showing up.
When someone is learning Jiu Jitsu for the first time and they come to Checkmat Exeter, we don’t have them try a group class. We reserve a time for the prospect to have a one-on-one, 1-hour session with one of our instructors so that they understand what Jiu Jitsu is and how it can benefit their lives. We also show them the basic movements and foundational positions that make Jiu Jitsu, Jiu Jitsu. Through Coach Fabricio’s many years experiencing different academies and learning from mentors, he goes against the norm when it comes to introducing Jiu Jitsu. If your first experience in Jiu Jitsu was in a trial class and you feel like you were lost and confused, you are not alone. We encourage you to take advantage of our private introduction sessions to get that undivided attention and individualized training.
Respect Outside the Academy Matters Too
What happens outside the academy matters too.
The way students talk to each other, joke with one another, and carry themselves reflects the culture of the team. We want Checkmat Exeter to be a place where people from all backgrounds feel comfortable coming to train.
That means treating people with maturity and respect, both on and off the mats.
We all have hard days. We all get frustrated sometimes. But part of martial arts is learning how to handle yourself the right way even in uncomfortable situations.
A Safe Environment Comes First
At Checkmat Exeter, harassment, bullying, intimidation, or inappropriate behavior of any kind is not tolerated. That includes sexual harassment in any form.
Nobody should ever feel uncomfortable coming to train.
Whether it is inappropriate comments, unwanted behavior, or making someone feel unsafe, that kind of behavior has no place in our academy.
We take this seriously because a strong academy is built on trust. Parents trust us with their children. Students trust their teammates during training. People should be able to walk into class knowing they are in a safe and professional environment.
The Bigger Picture
For us, Jiu Jitsu has always been bigger than competition.
Yes, we want our students to improve. Yes, we want people to become tougher, healthier, and more confident. But we also want this academy to positively impact people’s lives outside of training.
Respect, discipline, humility, and self control are things that should carry into everyday life.
At the end of the day, belts and medals are great, but people will always remember how you treated them. That is the kind of culture we want to continue building at Checkmat Exeter.
