Matches from the IBJJF Chicago Open 2013
Finals match from the Chicago Open.
Prepare for a BJJ Tournament
So thinking about competing? That’s fantastic! I am a competitor and encourage everyone who does BJJ to at least try a tournament or two. If you’ve never competed before, it can seem like a pretty nerve rattling thing. I know that I was absolutely terrified before my first wrestling match in high school. Then after that I was hooked on the thrill and the challenge of competing. Many of my students report the same nervous feelings before their matches and some of these guys are Pan Am and World champions. So don’t feel bad if you are a bit nervous leading up to your competition.
Being prepared is everything and being prepared removes a lot of the stress associated with a tournament. I have prepared a relatively short post about how to ready yourself for a tournament. This post is primarily for tournament newcomers but if you have competed before I hope that you find something helpful. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Also depending on how much time you have leading up to the event your options can change a bit. For this post I am going to target people who are around 6-8 weeks out from their competition.
Choosing a tournament
So you’ve decided to compete soon. Time to find a competition!
Things to consider when looking at competitions. . .
- Your current weight and the weight you wish to compete. Will you be able to get to this weight in time for the tournament?
- Are you in good shape now and are you able to be in proper condition when the tournament rolls around?
- Check and make sure that there are no other plans or events for that same day. (I have a bad habit of deciding to do a tournament on a weekend I’ve already agreed to other engagements.)
Techniques and game plan
Next, what are the techniques you plan to use? You need to come up with some sort of game plan for the tournament. In this game plan you will cover the techniques you plan to use in different situations. Keep it simple and cover the basics. You typically want to come up with a plan A and a plan B and outline your best escapes.
Remember also, that with 6-8 weeks or less to prepare, avoid adding in new sets of moves. Instead, stick to techniques that you are comfortable using and are able to execute well in training.
Below are the basics I would focus on when putting together your game plans. Essentially you want a plan for the top, a plan for the bottom and have your escapes ready to go. You can get more elaborate with it, but I would advise to keep things simple for newcomers.
Plan A = Your takedowns or person pulls guard on you, your guard breaks & passes, how you plan to get to a dominant position, the submission series you plan to use.
Plan B = You were taken down or pulled guard, how will you get to your preferred guard, your sweeping series, your submission series.
Misc = Outline all of your escapes and any other movements that aren’t covered above.
Leading up to the tournament
Your approach to the tournament is the MOST important part of your success come day of the competition. Every day that you waste or “take it easy” is one less day of preparation. Keep this in mind and stay focused.
Things to consider. . .
- Are you close to weight, if not it’s time to diet and lose a few for the tournament.
- Are there any gaps in your game plan or do you feel ill prepared in any aspect of your game? (i.e not having a proper mount escape or sweep to use).
- DRILL! With a game plan in place be sure to drill reps of your game plan techniques every day you train. You want to put a good amount of your focus on things like guard passing, sweeps and submissions. After drilling a move just 500-1000 times you will notice a sharp increase in its effectiveness.
- Don’t neglect your escapes and be sure to focus on any areas that you feel especially weak from.
- Give yourself at least 2 days of rest prior to the tournament. Some flow rolling or drilling is fine but nothing heavy. You need to let your body heal up.
- Consult your instructor with any questions or weaknesses you have.
Night before the competition
You want to make sure you have all your gear ready for tomorrow and relax.
Here are the things I would be sure to include. . .
- Gi and/or no gi gear. Don’t forget your belt! (True story. I forgot my belt for my first black belt tournament)
- Sweat pants or athletic pants and a hoodie to stay warm before and between matches.
- Headphones and mp3 player . . .Walkman if you’re really old.
- Snacks (fruits, protein shakes, or anything you can eat that doesn’t sit heavy on your stomach)
- Water and Coconut water (coconut water is a great hydrator, way better sports drinks)
- A camera if you have someone to take video and/or pictures
After your things are packed you need to get your mind off everything. To a first timer, someone still new to the tournament scene or someone with a big match. The night before can be filled with racing thoughts and anxiousness that keep you awake all night. Just remember you put the hard work in and are adequately prepared. Also, keep in mind that it is just a competition and the main thing is to have fun and enjoy the experience. Life will go on regardless of how you do.
If you are still having trouble settling down then go do something to take your mind off the ordeal. Go see a movie, read, hang out with friends/family, etc. Just something that is not necessarily related to the tournament and will allow your mind to chill out so you can get a good sleep.
Day of the competition
It’s the competition day! First things first. . . eat a good size / healthy breakfast. Make sure not to skip breakfast on this day, not that you ever should. Tournaments last all day so this may be your only full sized meal till after the tournament is over. Plus you will need the fuel for your matches.
Relax
Once you arrive at the venue just try and relax till it’s time to warm up. Headphones and music can help you relax by drowning out all the noise and allow you to think and focus on your match. Just be sure listen for your division to be called.
Visualize
While you are waiting around be sure to think about your techniques and moves. Visualize the matches in your mind and see yourself hitting the techniques that you outlined in your game plan. Be sure not to let your nerves bombard your psyche with negative thoughts like “what if my first match is against that super muscular guy I saw at weigh ins”, “I hurt my big toe last week and its still a little sore” , “I know lucky charms isn’t a healthy breakfast but it was in the kitchen and its all I had and and” . . . you get the idea. Erase the negative thoughts you might have stirring around in your head otherwise they can consume your thoughts. You’re here to put your skills on display. This depends on your ability to execute your moves, just focus on yourself and not your opponent so much. Unless you saw something he did and have a plan to use one of your techniques to beat him. (i.e you see a wrestler with great takedowns. You then plan to pull guard to deny him the takedown points and finish him with a triangle)
Warm up: Get Sweaty!
Once you’re within about 15-20 minutes from having your division called, it would be a good idea to get a warm up roll in with one of your gym mates. If you do not have a partner then simply do some calisthenics and movement drills till you get warm and loose. You want to make sure you get a nice sweat going. YOU NEVER WANT TO HIT THE MAT COLD!!!!!!!!!!! . . . . wait for it YOU NEVER WANT TO HIT THE MAT COLD!!!!!!!!!!! I know this is kind of overkill with the exclamation points but this is so important. I’ve had so many students perform poorly because they failed to warm up sufficiently. Just think about trying to roll in the gym without a good warm up.
During the matches
This is the moment you have prepared for and it’s time to do what you trained to do. My last advice is to open up and “play your game”. This sounds so simple doesn’t it? Yet during the match when we fear losing a position or giving up points. We hold ourselves back and fail to execute our games properly. I know I have been guilty of this. Not opening up and going after my moves because I was too hesitant and gave my opponent too much respect. You cannot be this way. Remember you trained incredibly hard for this and it’s all about you and your ability to execute your techniques on this person. Throw your hesitations aside and go after it. If it doesn’t work and you come up short when trying to execute, it’s far better than realizing you didn’t do anything you trained.
I wish you the best of luck on your tournament and remember . . . it’s just a tournament! Have fun!
Failure strikes again. . .
I can’t breathe, and I begin to feel my consciousness slip. My opponents’ legs are locked tightly around my neck like a vice, and my arm is sticking through the lock dangling. My body feels frozen in place, petrified that I am in a submission and that I am about to lose a match or pass out. I try to think of how to counter this attack as my opponent grips the back of my head to apply more pressure on the lock. My peripheral vision fades and blackness is beginning to close in to the center of my view. My mind is clouded by a state of panic. I begin to slap the legs that are wrapped around my neck and shoulder to signal surrender, and the lock is released. I slump back to my butt then quickly fall to my back staring up at the ceiling lights. With a deep breath my vision is restored, my body calms and I begin to grasp what just happened. Out of the corner of my eye I see my opponent standing with his hands raised above his head in victory walking the mats while his team cheers. Then the feeling of losing sets in and I realize that I’ve been bested and I am the defeated grappler. I stand and walk towards the referee who then grabs both of our wrists and raises my opponents arm. We shake hands and walk off the mat . . . head hung low knowing that I put myself into this position, and that this failure is simply the price of ambition.
Rough times as a purple belt
Failure is the price of ambition . . . what an interesting thing to think about. In order to succeed we must fail at some point? Seems kind of contradictory to what we might think, doesn’t it? However, this is the truth! In order to succeed we must fail. Whether this occurs in the gym during our training sessions or in tournaments and competition, it is a vital for progress. The story you just read was a description of a match I had years ago. I was being triangle choked in a purple belt tournament, and this would be the first of many losses I had as a purple belt. During my time as a purple belt I found my dedication to this sport tested but the failures that came worked as a catalyst for improvement and learning.
I clearly state I had no idea what to do, yet I was a purple belt? How can this be, surely a purple belt would have some idea as to what to do? My years spent as a purple belt were rough at times. I had been a constant competitor as a white and blue belt and I quickly climbed to my purple belt which was given to me by my instructor in just around 2 years. 2 years to purple belt, pretty good progress right? Well maybe not as much as you would think. With the new rank I had very mediocre results at first. I would win some tournaments after hard fought battles only to go to another tournament where I would be outclassed by a much more skilled opponent. My game was very narrow and efficient and if you played into it I would win, but if you made me play a different game I was typically ill equipped for it. I ended up moving to another gym because my current instructor was not dedicated to helping me grow and get to the level I know I needed to get to. When I came to the gym that I would come to call home my new instructors Colin and Kyle Cannon instantly picked apart my weakness.
What was my biggest weakness you might ask?
Well, it was the reluctance to try new things, the fear to fail. I had been so competition oriented with my training even in the gym that it caused me never to open up. Even with lower belts my old instructor taught me not to give them an inch and continually grapple just to win. This caused me to have a very narrow style that could be exploited easily if someone was to engage with me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I would see this happen numerous times as a purple belt. Skilled opponents would use techniques that I was unable to combat at the time. My new instructors made me try and explore positions that I was absolutely terrible from, and in the beginning I struggled a great deal! I was finding it tough being one of the “top” guys in the gym and getting my guard passed by a white belt as I clumsily fumbled with my de la riva or half guard. This continued for about 7 long and at times exhausting months and then it was as if a light bulb had been turned on. Suddenly I found myself was able to work proficiently from what were once my worst positions, and I was soon able to apply this newly developed group of techniques to high level guys in the gym and in tournaments. This came as a result of constant drilling and rolling from these positions that were lacking.
I cannot stress how amazing this felt. I had finally emerged out of this long rebuilding phase of my Brazilian Jiu-jitsu journey, a time which was filled with a lot frustration.
Explore and open your game
The idea of this blog post is to understand that failure is a necessary part to progress. If you are not losing and aren’t being beaten then how do you know your weak points or where you need to improve? Even if you are a high ranking belt at a gym you can still play positions you are weak from to make yourself better. My problem was that I never allowed to play with any position that wasn’t my “bread and butter” and this hindered my growth. I was stuck in the same old moves and techniques and my skills never grew to combat the new problems and evolving jiu-jitsu of the higher level of competition and skill I was now facing.
Now we must never accept failure as inevitable but simply as a possible consequence of us expanding our games and testing new techniques. You should never walk onto the mat with the mindset that you are going to lose but be prepared to make the adjustments if you do. Think of an inventor or scientist. They rarely discover what they are looking for right off the bat, but with persistence and a bit of trial and error they will find what they are looking for.
3 important things to learn
So I know I did a lot of rambling in this blog, but here are the ideas I would like for you to take away from it.
- Don’t be afraid of failure and embrace new challenges and obstacles.
- Take every defeat in stride and dissect it to find the reason you lost so that you can correct them. Whether in the gym or competition.
- Be persistent, even when things get tough.
Btw here is a cool quote a friend sent me when I talked to him about this subject of failure relating to BJJ. . .
“I am not judged by the number of times I fail but by the number of times I succeed, the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion with the number of times I fail and keep trying.”
