Why do you compete/fight?

[Slick Rick]

I think to be legit, you got to test yourself at that level, at least a few times under 10th Planet.
How else will you have tried and true 10th Planet technique?

I know when I see instructors getting on their students for not competing or whatever, and they aren't themselves competing, and they are capable of it, you gotta question things.

[Andrew "Chewie" James]

for the love of competing, regardless of what the competition is.

[Conner MACHINE Gibbons]

It's the only place I can wear vale tudo meat huggers and not be ostracized by the general population.

[Dyana]

I compete because it brings me to a state of mind that I can only slip into when I step onto the mat to fight my competitor, and I love the feeling. I also get to show off and improve my skills. Competing always shows me where my strengths and weaknesses are. All in all its just something that I really enjoy doing!

[Brandon Mccaghren]

I think to be legit, you got to test yourself at that level, at least a few times under 10th Planet.
How else will you have tried and true 10th Planet technique?

I know when I see instructors getting on their students for not competing or whatever, and they aren't themselves competing, and they are capable of it, you gotta question things.

WORD x1,000

[Tori Applegate]

It's the only place I can wear vale tudo meat huggers and not be ostracized by the general population.

Haha. WIN!

[Sam Davis]

There are so many things I love about competing.

The change of scenery and opponent makes jiu jitsu feel fresh. The mystery of not knowing what the other guy will do and if I will be able to counter. I get a rush just thinking about the fact that I don't know if my A game will work against a person I don't roll with much. When a person is twice my size or has twice the experience it's even more fun. The bigger the challenge the better.

I think the most important life skill I have obtained from competing is the ability to be happy and still love myself and my life even if I get destroyed. I won't always be able to win but I can always improve. Jiu jitsu taught me to love progression and competing exposes the parts of my game that need it the most.

I love competing because of what it does to me. It forces me to find my head space. It makes me find my inner peace while still remaining sharp and my inner confidence while still remaining humble. I have to strive for excellence in the gym because I know I have a competition coming up.

[Brent Smith]

Competing shows me exactly where I'm at in my Jiu Jitsu journey. I can see why people say one tournament is like 6 months of training. I like the fact it's like going against the unknown. You've never rolled with certain people so you don't know their tendencies like you do your training partners. There's also seeing your friends from across the state, country, or world. Like a family reunion where you show up to choke people.

[Greg W]

I do it purely to lead by example. I'm with Brandon. I think I would feel be better about it if I could compete with people my own age and weight. Over 40 advanced no-gi under 160 seems pretty rare except for biggest comps. Other than in the 10th planet system, seems like older people are in the gi, or just done with comps, or have a gym and don't even roll in the gym anymore, just have nothing to prove anymore, or focus on being the coach during the comps.

[Nathan K.]

I love the core of competing, as in, facing a skilled opponent in a full force match and proving the validity of your game to yourself . However, I hate the officialism of competing. I hate the crowds of people, the loud noise, the venues that are always too damn cold, the amount of money I spent when I show up and find two guys in my division. I'd much rather just competition roll with a variety of opponents in a comfortable setting.

So, really, I just compete because I'm supposed to in order to advance in the system. I don't enjoy it.