Newport Mixed Martial Arts Member Handbook
Welcome to Newport MMA! We’ve created this handbook to ensure that all members can have a fun, safe, and rewarding experience at our gym. Please take the time to read this handbook and ask any questions you may have.
Waivers - Waivers must be filled out before participating in any class or using any equipment. Waivers can be filled out on our website or at the gym.
Shoes - Please remove shoes worn in from outside and leave them at the front of the gym in or around the shoe trays. Clean “gym shoes” or flip flops may be worn in the gym anywhere but the wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu mats. For more information about footwear and mats see “Mats” section below.
Food / Drinks - Food and drinks are allowed in the gym but we do ask that any food and drinks remain off of the mats and on either the rubber flooring around the mats or the orange painted concrete floor area. Please clean up and dispose of any food and drinks. If a spill occurs, we have cleaning supplies located in the back room of the gym near the bathrooms.
Octagon - May only be used by members participating in a class. Please use the metal pin to secure the door while training in the cage. Please lock the cage with the cable lock when not in use.
Drop off/ Pick up - We encourage all parents to watch their child’s classes, but we understand that from time to time you may need to run errands. Please drop off your child no earlier than 5 minutes before their class and make sure you arrive prior to class ending for pick up. We have a tight schedule with all of our other classes and cannot supervise unattended children.
Weights & Other Equipment - We have a variety of equipment including kettlebells, battle ropes, weight benches and racks, resistance bands and more available to our members that remain out on the floor and in the back room, please keep children away from this equipment as it can cause serious, permanent injury or death if used improperly. Weights and weightlifting equipment is not to be used by anyone under the age of 16. Please return any equipment used to the place it was taken from before leaving.
Back Room & Bathrooms - We have two bathrooms available in the back through the large doorway and to the left. Please make sure you wear flip flops or gym shoes if you use the bathroom before or during BJJ or Wrestling classes. Germs from the bathroom floor will gladly hitch a ride on your feet back to the mats and no one wants to put their face in that. Please supervise young children using the bathrooms as there is some equipment nearby in the back room that can be dangerous to children. As well as cleaning supplies and chemicals in the bathrooms that may be hazardous.
First Aid - We have a first aid kit available near the front desk by the door to the changing rooms.
Mats - We have several types of mats at the gym. The mats on the left wall when walking in the gym are strictly NO SHOES ALLOWED. The wrestling mats belong to the Newport Rec Dept. and are being cared for by Newport MMA. Please do not wear anything but “wrestling shoes” on the wrestling mats. Clean shoes may be worn only on the mats in the fitness area along the far-right wall. Boxing / Wrestling Shoes may be worn in the striking / boxing area in the back left corner of the gym. Please check with a coach about what footwear is appropriate for this area.
During Kids Classes - We welcome parents to stay and watch their child’s class. Please stay off of the mats and refrain from coaching your child. This can create confusion for some kids, and may lead to many more parents doing the same which will get chaotic during larger classes.
Sign-in - Please sign in at the front desk when you arrive. If you need help signing in, please let an instructor or staff member know. We’re always happy to help. Signing in using the barcode key tag system is easy. Just scan your tag and select the class you are attending. Please close the class selection popup after choosing your class.
Payments - Payment for memberships can be made by credit card, ACH, check, or cash. We can keep your card on file for easier renewal and faster in gym purchases if you like. Our system is set by default to keep the card on file. If you don’t want this, please let us know when we set up your account.
Pausing Memberships - We allow people to pause their membership if they will be unable to attend classes for more than 7 but less than 30 days. This is to allow people who are injured or going on vacation, etc. to keep their membership active and extend their billing date. Unfortunately, we cannot pause memberships for less than a week or more than a month. Not to worry though, if you need to take a break longer than a month, your account will still be here for you to easily sign back up when you are ready.
Free Trials - We offer free trials for all of our classes. If it is your first time attending a class, please make sure you have a waiver filled out and on file. Let the instructor know that you are trying the class out. For our Tiny Tigers BJJ class, we require that children try 3 classes before signing up. This is because our program is not right for every child and vice versa. If you are interested in signing your 4-6 year old up for classes, we ask that you bring them to 3 classes at the end of the classes, we will meet with you to discuss any concerns you or we may have. If we all feel the class is a good fit, we will be happy to help you finish signing up.
Class Cancellations - From time to time we may have to cancel classes. When a class is canceled we will do our best to inform our members as soon as possible. The best way to find out about changes to our schedule, including cancellations, is our Facebook group. Please message us on Facebook if you are not in the group and would like to be. We also will send out emails to active members, and will post the cancellation on a pop up on our website, newportmma.com
Desk Area - Please do not go behind the front desk without first asking a staff member.
Gi / Clothing - Wash any gi or other clothing after every class. Aside from offensive odors, unwashed gis, rash guards, and other clothing worn during combat sport classes can spread various microorganisms that can cause serious illness.
During Class - Parents, siblings, friends, etc. not actively participating in the class must remain off the mats for the duration of the class unless invited by the instructor.
Coaching - Please refrain from coaching your child or anyone else participating in a class.
Unattended children - We are a family friendly gym, and welcome your child to hang out at the gym while you train provided that they are able to stay in a safe area away from any active classes and their presence does not interfere with any active classes. Unattended children may not use any of the strength and conditioning equipment and they or a parent must return any equipment they do use to where it was taken from.
Loaner Gis / Equipment - Any equipment or clothing including gis that is borrowed must be returned at the end of class. Gis may be returned to the front desk so we can wash them and loan them out again. Mits, gloves, wraps, etc, should be cleaned after use with the sanitizer by the equipment racks.
Clothing for Classes - For most of our classes, athletic / gym type clothing is fine. For wrestling, wrestling shoes must be worn. If you need help finding wrestling shoes to purchase, let us know. For Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, we require a BJJ Gi. We don’t typically stock gis for sale, but can order you one from one of our suppliers. We don’t require a particular brand or color, and have no problem with gis from other schools. If you choose to purchase your own gi, we can help you with choosing a size and may be able to offer some advice about brands, etc. Amazon has a lot of gis that are great for a first gi but for more serious training / competition, we’d recommend buying one of the higher quality brands.
Fitness Boot Camp & Bonus Classes
We are bringing back our Fitness Boot Camp and Yoga classes. These classes are now going to be considered “bonus classes'' that are not going to be counting against the classes on your membership. Instead, we are allowing members who are active in our other primary classes (BJJ, boxing & kickboxing) to take the yoga and boot camp classes for free as a membership perk. There will be 2 boot camp classes available as of now. The way the bonus classes will work is that you will be able to take these classes as long as you maintain a regular monthly membership. The number of bonus classes taken in a week cannot exceed the number of regular classes available on the membership. (For example: If you have a two class per week membership and you attend two BJJ classes per week, you could also attend two boot camps or a boot camp and a yoga class for free. OR if you have a one class per week membership and attend one kickboxing class per week, you can also attend one boot camp or yoga class per week as well). This will not apply to drop-in or punch card members. Bonus classes will only be available to monthly members.
Cash Payments
In the past we had a policy of accepting cash payments for monthly membership dues. We are no longer accepting cash payments on new memberships. Anyone who has been a cash payment member may continue to do so, but new members and anyone whose membership has been canceled and signs back up will need to have a card on file and automatic payments. Automatic payments that fail and are not brought current within 3 business days will be canceled and may be renewed at the current membership price if the previous membership is no longer available.
Scholarship Policy
We have been and still are proud to offer scholarships for students who are deserving of the training we provide and who improve the quality of the gym and the classes they attend by being here. That said, we are in a smaller space now and many of our classes are growing and as such, we will need to be more selective about the scholarships that we are providing. The following are guidelines that will have to be met for a student to qualify for a scholarship: Students will need to help us with some aspects of running the gym (Examples are: assisting with classes, helping promote us on social media, cleaning up, helping with the front desk.) These tasks will be dependent upon the age of the student and will be assigned by staff. Students must be consistent and attend at least 2-4 classes per week. Since the availability of space for the classes is limited, some classes may not be available (though this should be rare). Scholarship students may occasionally be asked to take a certain class to serve as a partner for another student or to help the instructor. Students must maintain good academic standing in their regular schooling. Students who cannot attend for more than 3 weeks for any reason other than medical reasons may forfeit their scholarship and will be put back on the scholarship waiting list if space is limited.
Ages
Kids Membership 4-13 yrs
Tiny Tigers Class 4-6 yrs (based on level of focus)
Kids / Youth Classes 7-13
(teens move to adult classes based on coaches recommendation)
Adults 13+ (if attending adult classes)
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is available to ages 4+
Wrestling is available to ages 6+
Striking (kickboxing, boxing, muay thai) is available to ages 10+
Real-world Self Defense is available to adults and mature teens only.
Discounts
Military / 1st Resp. 15%
Student / Educator 15%
Family 2 Members 20%
Family 3+ Members 25%