Advice for a young competitor

[garrettup@yahoo.com]

Hey guys i need some advice! This past weekend i went to the Submission Challenge in Council Bluffs and my first match i dominated (i definitely felt like that guy didn't belong in the division) but my next 2 matches i was dominated and i felt completely overwhelmed in the adult blue belt (2-4 years)division should i drop an experience level until i progress more? I've never been promoted I'm not trying to sandbag i just want to be able to actually be competitive.
Win

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYcewOME-jY

Losses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYixzKnUYZQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpi0ihtsazU

[Arman Fathi]

There's no shame in doing either, if you ask me. It's not sandbagging if you haven't been promoted. Obviously, some schools are different than others in regards to speed and criteria of promotions, so years of experience would be the other thing to look at, which you're also good on. The fact that you're pushing yourself and moving up an experience class is more than you can say about a lot of people, but probably take it as a tournament by tournament thing. If there's only one other guy in your white belt division but a much deeper pool in blue, and you'd like to have more matches of higher quality, then why not move up. It's good to see that you're not just chasing medals though. But there's nothing wrong with doing either, as long as you're ready to derive the lessons that both have to offer.

[Nick Paul]

You'll learn a lot more by competing a bit higher and losing some. I'm actually in the same situation (competing at int. and I've got 3 wins and 4 losses there). At intermediate or blue belt it's usually 2-4 years experience (which is a pretty big jump in ability as far as grappling goes) you'll have guys a bit more experienced than you. But you've proven to yourself you're capable of winning there so I think the best move is to stay where you're at

[garrettup@yahoo.com]

i only won the one match and i definitely felt like that guy wasn't even close to my level but the next 2 just plowed right through me