During the pandemic, one of the main things I missed was the human to human contact from jiujitsu. I missed training with new people, and meeting new friends, one of the main things that jiujitsu can bring to people’s lives. I decided that once the pandemic was over, I would organise some kind of open mat to get people together.
Once things looked like they were returning to normal, we decided to kick off the open mat idea. It had to start with a cool name and logo. After a few iterations, we settled on Solid Ground. Ground is of course associated with jiujitsu, and Solid with a feeling of safety and reliability. Seemed like a no-brainer.
We came up with some simple rules.
- Open to all
- No politics allowed
- Try to roll with new people
- Look after your training partner
- Entry requires small fee & donation to charity
- Bring pocket money for special Scramble items
Most of these are fairly self explanatory. You are there for a couple of simple reasons – you want to have a good time and do some jiujitsu with some cool new people. If it’s being hosted at your gym, chances are you will bump into people from your gym there – avoid them and find some new people!
Music is key, too. We actually have a Solid Ground Playlist that I am constantly adding to.
We also donate to charity with the proceeds to every event. So far we have donated to a womens and girls wrestling program, the NSPCC, Scottys Little Soldiers, REORG, and loads more.
We have hosted Solid Ground in the UK, Ireland, Canada, and the USA, across multiple gyms and areas and met hundreds of new people along the way, and we plan to go to many more places in future. To stay up to date with news on the next Solid Ground, reach out to us on Instagram, or on the Scramble Discord.
