Being a good club member

  • Show up for every practice and every seminar
  • During class, be aware and defend yourself at all times.
    • Never turn your back on your partner, and be aware of people around you
    • Move to cover yourself. Keep your hands up. Watch your partner and move your head/body to maintain a safety buffer
    • Communicate using specific words if your partner is making you feel unsafe
    • If you are in a situation or working with someone you feel is unsafe, exit the situation immediately and approach one of the club coaches to discuss
    • Give a brief salute or thank you to your partner when finishing up a drill, so both of you are clear that you are done working together.
  • Practice in a safe and considerate manner
    • Maintain control of your body and your weapon. Don’t be a twitchy, dangerous problem-child who hits people by accident
    • Don’t endanger your partner’s face/eyes/nose/teeth. Never place your weapon or strike closer than one foot from your partner’s unprotected face.
    • Baseline for all drills is no weapon or other striking contact to any part of the body. Half to three-quarters speed
    • Take any size or experience disparity into account. Don’t be rough with smaller/lighter people, or with newbies
  • The productive flow of work in the class is very important given our limited time together. Do your part to keep flow alive.
    • If you need to leave class to use the restroom, get a drink, rest, etc., do not do so during the middle of a partner exercise.
    • Provide limited feedback to your partner. Keep feedback points short and within the context of the workout. Don’t halt the workout to talk to your partner about their shortcoming. Don’t make more than one point during an exercise.
    • Questions are welcome, but keep in mind that the larger the class, the more collective time is required for answering your question. Consider asking the coach during rest time or after class.
    • To summarize, shut up and train. 🙂
  • If you can’t pay fees due to financial limitations, talk to one of the club coaches about it so we can work out a solution. Don’t just drop out.

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