Tips for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition

Tips for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition

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Tips for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition

I’ve made a list of tips for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition that I hope helps everyone. Competing is always a great tool to learn more about BJJ and more importantly, more about yourself. There are so many lessons to be learned from competing, I always say “it’s like paying a fee to get rid of a problem”. The biggest gain from competition is facing a fear. If you do not fight MMA, it is the closest you will come to a real life situation. Competition is the art of dealing with pressure and facing your toughest opponent…..yourself. You cannot overcome your opponent if you don’t overcome yourself. Here are some tips to help:

  1. I used to compete a lot and I have never seen someone say, I’ll jump in last minute and be successful. PLAN AHEAD if you are going to compete. Sign up early and commit (plus you save $). Plan for a 5 week camp of training hard and not missing your teams competing class or days where the most upperbelts are training! The last week is for winding down.
  2. Learn the point system!!!!!!!!!! How do you compete and not know the point system? You’d be surprised how many people don’t know this.
  3. Work your standup until you have 2 go-to takedowns in your toolbox.
  4. Know how to pull guard. There will always be someone you can’t take down. Don’t give up 2 points because of ego. *in the long run, I believe everyone should work their takedowns*
  5. It’s OK to be nervous. Everyone is. Some people get over that the more they compete, some never do.
  6. Always know where your coach is before your match so you know where to listen to.
  7. Not all tournaments run smoothly, be prepared w/ water (no acidic or carbonated drinks) and food in case you are there late.
  8. Have a sweep to mount series ready in case you are losing by points late in the match.
  9. Believe in yourself. Anyone can do anything they put their mind to.
  10. Don’t get psyched out watching people warm up. Your opponents’ stripes, muscles and what team they belong to mean nothing
  11. Don’t warm up too early. If you don’t go on until 3pm, warming up at 11am doesn’t make sense. You are wasting energy and will have to get warm again anyway.
  12. Once you know your division is near, break a sweat, don’t go into the match cold.
  13. Watch the people in your division, you may pick up a weakness. You may see a guy has a strong guard and decide to pull guard on him.
  14. Winning or losing doesn’t define you. You are never as good as you think you are when you win and never as bad as you think you are when you lose. Put competition into context.
  15. Remember, win or learn-there is no failure.

I always tell my students I am proud of anyone who competes, not because they won but because they are not afraid to fail. Good luck in competition. oss.