Mailbag! Too many rules

I get caught in class from time to time "breaking the rules" my instructors have been known to say "Hey, this is boxing only, you can't throw a backfist!" "Hey, this is kickboxing, no sheilding and kicks above the waist only!", etc.... How or where can I find out the rules to all the different styles we use?

-The Bear

While one might think that knowing the rules and regulations of a given style would be the responsibility of the student, many times instructors don't explicitly describe the rules of a given contest, which can be pretty difficult for new students (whether new to martial arts or new to a given style). This is especially annoying nowadays when most everyone is cross-training and often switching between multiple styles within a single class.

1. For starters, check out the rules compendium. This will tell you the official rules for a given governing body. If you're not competing, you'll be able to skip a lot of the sanctioning/regulatory information, but be sure to read the allowed techniques/fouls section.

2. The ultimate responsibility for students knowing the rules lies with the instructor. There's no harm in asking the instructor to go over the rules before a sparring session to make sure that everyone's on the same page and someone doesn't think that boxing includes a single-leg takedown (true story!). This is a good opportunity for instructors to let people know house rules ("no leg locks for white belts," "don't hurt anyone - if you hit them and they look stunned, stop and make sure they're OK. If they need to, take a break, of they're OK...hit them again")

To be sure, inaccurate or vague rules don't just happen in class - I've been in rules meetings where the entirety was, "We're basically gonna do UFC rules tonight." I won't get started on that, but instructors/promoters please, make sure everyone knows the rules, even if that means repeating yourself.

CC-licensed flickr photo from parhessiastes