“I’m not ready for a BJJ competition”

I am not sure if it’s because tournament season is gearing up, but I keep running into something. Recently, I’ve talked to several of my students and to friends and acquaintances that I know through BJJ. Many of them have the urge to compete, but instead of acting on this urge, they shy away from competition. They often express that they have a gap in some part of their game, or in some cases it seems that first time competitors simply fear the unknown. A couple of the people I’ve talked to are colored belts too. So if you’re reading this and you’re a colored belt who hasn’t competed, don’t worry, you’re not alone.  

”The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today.”‏

Competitions aren’t necessary and they certainly aren’t for everyone. But they can be a lot of fun and can teach us a lot about ourselves and our Jiu-jitsu, so if you have the desire to compete but are on the fence about it . . . just do it. You don’t have anything to lose.

Reason why people don’t compete

There are some reoccurring themes that seem to cause people to over analyze tournaments and over think themselves out of the situation. Again, these are my personal opinions and experiences on the subject.

1. 1.       Nature of BJJ – Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is a martial art / sport of constant learning and improvement. If you think about it, in some ways we are like a hamster in a wheel. We continually strive for perfection and mastery only to get to the point we were striving for and realize we’ve got more work to do. No matter how well we are prepared or how good we are at the time. We can always be better. So if you are avoiding competition because you feel like you have too many imperfections or that you’re lacking somewhere. Relax, no one is perfect, your opponents will have weak areas too. When we compete we’re just trying to execute our game at that time to the best of our ability. We don’t have to be perfect to do that.
2. 2.       Bad at takedowns – This one comes up a lot because often times newcomers to BJJ haven’t wrestled and many gyms (mine is not one of them) do not practice takedowns often. This can often be a scary spot for BJJ practitioners. Without proper training, takedowns appear to be an injury waiting to happen. If you feel this way, you have two options. You can find a takedown and start drilling and developing that area of your game. The other option is to develop a nasty bottom game so that you will feel comfortable pulling guard and attacking off your back.
3. 3.       Watching too much Youtube – I remember when I fought my first MMA fight. At the time I watched so much high level MMA. Highlight videos, PPVs, etc. When I was getting ready for my first fight I was so nervous. What my mind associated with MMA was the highest level of the sport. When I closed my eyes I saw replays of Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Mirko Crocop (this was 2006 mind you). What I was actually taking part in, was the lower levels of amateur fighting. Mostly out of shape “tough guys” who wanted to fight to puff their chest up a bit. I believe if I would have watched more amateur level MMA prior to the fight I would have been a little less nervous . . . a little. Many BJJ players who are new to this world of one on one competition build tournaments into something they aren’t. They will watch things like Andre Galvao highlights, Miyao brothers move breakdowns or the Black Belt matches from last years’ Mundials. This of course, is because those are the highest levels of our sport and the most popular. The problem is, if you haven’t competed, these become the only images you have to associate with competition. In my opinion, practitioners should be equally as focused with watching matches that will reflect their skill level.  If someone is a blue belt, they should seek out blue belt matches in order to get an idea of what their competition might look like. Often times when people watch matches from their level of skill, they get an attitude of “oh. . .I can do this.”
4. 4.       Ego – Many people are competitive and the thought of not winning is haunting to them. If this is a reason for not competing. Don’t let your ego get in the way. It may not seem like it, but there is more to competing than just winning. 

If you find yourself searching for a reason not to compete, STOP! Instead, search for a reason to compete. You can always find a reason not to do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone. But I can sincerely say that I’ve never done a tournament and felt any regret afterwards. Sometimes I was in the best of shape and other times, not so much. I won some and lost some. But I always learned, enjoyed the camaraderie with my team and had a great time hanging out with a bunch of fellow BJJ junkies. I’ve also met some of the coolest people and build friendships that have changed my life at these tournaments.    

I’ll leave you with this.

As a full time instructor for almost 5 years, I’ve had several students who shied away from tournaments and even feared them. When these particular students finally took the leap and competed. In each instance, win or lose, they expressed how much they enjoyed the experience and that they wish they would have competed sooner.