Gym Implements 11-Page No-Contact Drill Agreement

Zenith Grappling Collective, a 6,500-square-foot jiu-jitsu gym in Cleveland that opened in January 2024, just issued a mandatory 47-point Athlete Wellness and Facility Conduct Agreement on Tuesday following the third incident at last Friday’s no-contact drilling session. The agreement, printed across 11 pages with a 6-page glossary and decision flowchart, must be signed before any member can participate in future no-contact sessions. Membership fees remain $189 per month. The first incident occurred March 12 when Marcus Kelley, 31, the gym’s owner and certified instructor, scheduled “absolute no-contact fundamentals” for Friday open mat. Absolute no-contact means the drill is observational—one person moves, the other watches. No resistance. No pressure. Derek Samson, a purple belt and pharmaceutical sales representative, asked 47 seconds into the drill whether “watching counts as contact.” Nobody addressed the question. The session continued. At minute 14, Tasha Williams, a blue belt and licensed physical therapist, engaged Derek in light pummeling during warmup while discussing the drill guidelines. Nobody called it an incident. Everyone went home. The second incident happened March 19. This time, the drill came with explicit written instructions in marker on a whiteboard: “NO TOUCHING. HANDS BACK. WATCH ONLY.” Craig Hoffman, 28, a white belt wearing a Tap Out brand long-sleeve, read the board, waited 90 seconds, then arm-dragged Kyle Martinez into the mirror frame because “he had good posture and I thought we were starting.” Nobody had said go. The drill was still observational. Kyle tapped and asked if they could roll. Craig looked at the whiteboard, realized he’d misread the instructions, apologized, and arm-dragged Kyle again “to show I understood.” Marcus called it an “unfortunate interpretation event” and moved on. No policy change. No follow-up. The third incident was last Friday. Marcus decided to add structure. He created a “no-contact perimeter”—a 10-foot-radius circle on the mat where contact of any kind would automatically disqualify the offender from that session. He printed a laminated card explaining the rules and handed it to each person as they entered the mat. Jamie Caldwell, 29, a purple belt with three years of collegiate wrestling before jiu-jitsu, read the card, understood the premise, and positioned herself exactly 9.8 feet from the center circle where she could keep watch without crossing the line. She maintained this distance for seven minutes. At minute eight, she realized the person she was supposed to be observing had switched positions, and she reflexively stepped forward to keep watch. Her toe crossed the perimeter line. Marcus, watching from the coach’s chair, called it a violation. Jamie protested that the rule itself created the violation by forcing her to move. Marcus called it “a philosophical incident, which is worse because everyone will have feelings about it.” He closed Friday’s class, sent an email to all 127 members with subject line “URGENT: Conduct Standards Update,” and spent the weekend writing the 47-point Athlete Wellness and Facility Conduct Agreement. The agreement landed Monday morning, 11 pages printed in 10-point font, with footnotes. It opens with a preamble: “Zenith Grappling Collective is committed to creating a safe, respectful training environment. This agreement clarifies expectations for all participants.” Point 1 defines “contact”: “Any intentional or unintentional physical interaction between two bodies, including but not limited to hands, arms, legs, torso, head, knees, elbows, the bridge of the nose, earlobes, or the spaces between fingers.” Point 2 defines “no-contact”: “The absence of contact as defined in Point 1.” Points 3 through 18 detail “Violations, Severity Levels, and Incident Protocols.” Point 47, the final entry, states: “In the event of a dispute about whether a violation occurred, the member shall contact Marcus Kelley via email, providing: (a) timestamp of alleged violation, (b) video evidence from three angles, (c) written statement from two neutral observers, and (d) a diagram of the perimeter breach, if applicable.” The glossary, pages 6 through 11, defines things like “Incidental Contact (Brief, unplanned physical touch of less than 0.3 seconds duration)” and “Assumed Responsibility (The zone approximately 18 inches from any other person’s body, whether or not movement will occur in that zone).” A flowchart on page 8 asks: “Did physical contact occur?” If yes, “Was it intentional?” If yes, “Did the member acknowledge the contact within 5 seconds?” If no, “Violation recorded.” If yes, “Was the acknowledgment sincere?” If no, “Violation recorded.” If yes, “Session may continue.” Tasha Williams asked for a refund for next month’s membership on Tuesday at 11:14 a.m., citing “increased administrative burden.” In her support ticket, she noted that the phrase “ethical contact boundary” appeared twice and was defined two different ways on pages 4 and 7. Marcus said he’d logged her ticket as “Feedback Regarding Glossary Inconsistency,” reassigned to the Compliance Committee, and would be addressed within 30 business days. She was charged the full monthly fee regardless. She sent a second ticket asking whether the Compliance Committee existed. It does not. Marcus created it as a role placeholder on the org chart. Derek Samson attended Friday’s no-contact drill this week wearing a heart rate monitor and wrist-mounted timer, tracking his compliance. He managed 18 minutes without violating the perimeter. At minute 19, he shifted his weight, his heel drifted 1.2 inches into Assumed Responsibility space around another member, and Marcus called it a violation. Derek asked if the 18 minutes of perfect compliance counted for anything. Marcus said it “showed growth and self-awareness” but “violations are not forgivable through excellence in other areas.” Derek requested a refund. Marcus told him refunds “trigger a secondary review process” that requires another form, printed on pages 2-3 of a separate document, the “Membership Termination and Feedback Reconciliation Protocol.” The gym’s next no-contact drill is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. Marcus has already sent a preview email outlining six new clarifications to Point 1’s contact definition. He’s drafting a mandatory pre-session orientation video, estimated runtime 23 minutes. Tasha watched the first draft in the group chat. She did not sign up for Friday.