Official BJJ Naughty or Nice Challenge
Official BJJ Naughty or Nice Challenge
The holidays are upon us. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Rohatsu, Yule, or… whatever you might celebrate… for everybody, it’s generally a time for reflection.
And while the “naughty or nice” list is associated most often with Christmas, I’m sure everyone can agree that reflecting back on the year should entail whether we were very “nice” or very “naughty”.
Our behavior on the jiu-jitsu mat should be no exception.
So, with that in mind, I’ve developed the Fighters Market Official Naughty or Nice Challenge, with some common things I see on the mat, and their corresponding point values.
Tally your totals to see where you stand… only count each one once (if you've done it at least once during the past year).
NICE:
| Showering or wet wiping before class | +1 |
| Covering a class for the regular instructor/coach (unpaid) | +3 |
| Volunteering to help clean the mats and/or the gym | +3 |
| Allowing the lower belt to work during a roll | +5 |
| Going to a tournament just to coach or support | +5 |
| Willingly partnering with white belts during class | +7 |
| Helping to coach kid's class | +7 |
| Remembering new white belts' names |
+9 |
NAUGHTY:
| Wearing shorts with pockets or t-shirt to class | -1 |
| Taking classes back-to-back without fresh gear | -3 |
| Texting and/or playing on your phone during class | -3 |
| Stopping a roll to correct your training partner | -5 |
| Purposely arriving late, in order to miss warm-ups | -5 |
| Overpowering your female training partner to avoid the tap | -7 |
| Heel-hooking white belts |
-7 |
| Going to the restroom in bare feet | -9 |
YOUR SCORE:
20+ Points: Well look at you! Not only are you a gem of a human being, but you are definitely an asset to your home academy. Don't worry, your genuine selflessness does not go unnoticed, and you are surely a favorite among your teammates.
10-20 points: Good job, friend. You have a tendency to do good deeds at your academy, which will surely earn you the respect of your peers and teammates. You have a keen sense of what's not acceptable, and you always, or at least mostly, steer clear of them.
1-10 Points: You're in one of two camps here: 1) you generally just cruise by, contributing minimally to the academy community, or 2) you've done just enough nice things to offset your naughty mishaps and stay in the black. Either way, think about how you might be just a teeny bit better.
Negative 1-10 Points: Oh boy. You're either a purple belt, or a brand spanking new white belt. If you're not a white belt, then you really need to reconsider some of your actions. It's expected that a white belt will commit some faux pax's... but an upper belt? C'mon.
Negative 11+ Points: Good grief. If you've wondered why you don't get asked to roll very often... wonder no more. In all likelihood, you're probably the "stinky guy" that both women and white belts hate to roll with. Do better.
How'd you do??? Share the Official BJJ Naughty or Nice Challenge with your friends and see where you rank!