How to Tap

Tap. a quick light blow, or the sound of such a blow

The term “Tap” is used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to communicate the need or desire to stop.  While the dictionary definition included above gives a literal explanation of the word tap, it does not give a good understanding of the term in the context of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

While literally tapping your hand to the floor, your own body, or your partner's body is an acceptable way to communicate the need to stop, there are some instances where it is not feasible, or possible, to use your hands . In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu  we refer to “tapping” as the communication of the desire to stop rather than the physical tapping itself.

Understanding that “tapping” is the communication of the desire to stop, increases your options to communicate. You can say stop, you can yell, loudly groan, tap with your hand, tap with your foot or any other means necessary to let your partner know that you want/need them to halt their movements, attacks or pressure.

When Can I Tap?

Now that we understand that tapping is a communication of desire to stop we should talk about when it’s ok to tap.The answer is simple.  Any time. For any reason. Including inability to breath, pain, exhaustion, fear or ignorance.  

When Should I Tap?

This is a difficult question, much of the answer is dependent on having an intimate understanding of what is happening to you, what your personal body is capable of withstanding, and your ability to deal with being uncomfortable.  

For many people Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the most physical thing they will ever do.  It teaches you a lot about yourself mentally, emotionally and physically.  As you progress through your training you’re going to build a better understanding of what you are personally capable of, and cultivate a level of fortitude that allows you to withstand a higher grade of discomfort.

Some students need a definitive answer to this question.  While I believe it is difficult to describe, there are some general guidelines that  I would use.  

• If you are having trouble focusing, or feel like you are going unconscious you should tap.

• If you feel a joint bind, “lock out” or reach its maximum range of motion, you should tap.

• Pain is part of the game, injury is not.  An injury would be a longer lasting damage to your body.  If you are being manipulated in a way that will damage your body you should tap.

• If you can’t breathe, are getting smothered or panicked it is ok to tap.

• If you are inadvertently struck, headbutted kneed in the groin or any other incidental foul you can tap.

If your foot, finger or any other body part is caught in a part of the kimono, belt or in the matting you can tap.

Can I Tap for Someone Else?

I handle this situation totally differently between adults and children.  Each academy, each instructor and each environment is going to have a different answer to this question.  In my academy I go by this principle

Do not let your training partner’s ignorance fuel your ego.

Some of the most intense arguments I’ve seen in a training environment is two people arguing over if someone should have tapped or not.  I would never condone hurting someone to prove them wrong, and while learning the limits of your body, mind and spirit are an ongoing process; a student should not have to pay with permanent injuries to learn the lesson.

What this means is you should use the fishermen motto “catch and release”. 

While it is important for a student to develop an understanding of when their body is in danger, it is not another student’s job to teach the lesson.  Allow the instructor to become part of the learning process as it will be an easier lesson to hear from the teacher.

Teaching children is different,

 If you are an adult in a teaching role observing children sparring, it is also ok to stop and start the action by tapping for the child.  This can remove the connection between tapping as losing and reinforce good training principles.  After all, the movements in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu are not intuitive and as an observer you may have a better view, or understanding of a situation and child safety is more important than everything else.As an instructor there will absolutely be times where you tap for a child and they are upset.  This can be due to the fact that they were about to escape, (whether perceived or legitimate) and you should encourage a restart of the action, from a neutral position.  If they continue to object, reinforce you are there as an advocate for their health, and ask if they would like to continue to train or take a break. 

 Again, child safety is paramount.