competition advice

[John Haddle]

I would like to start getting experience in competition, is there any strategies I should consider? I have never competed in jiu jitsu and I could use ask the advice I can get.

[Arman Fathi]

There are probably 1000 guys on this forum more qualified than I to give advice, but any submissions I've pulled off in comp have been things that were bread and butter moves rolling in the gym. They were things that I went for over and over in practice and when they presented themselves in comp, it felt comfortable and within reach. Be comfortable rolling in the gym and play that game in comp. Drill and have a comfort zone, some go-to moves.

[Brandon Mccaghren]

Go buy "Art of Learning" by Josh Waitzkin right now.

[Ross Davidson]

There are probably 1000 guys on this forum more qualified than I to give advice, but any submissions I've pulled off in comp have been things that were bread and butter moves rolling in the gym. They were things that I went for over and over in practice and when they presented themselves in comp, it felt comfortable and within reach. Be comfortable rolling in the gym and play that game in comp. Drill and have a comfort zone, some go-to moves.

Contrary to this opinion, every sub I've pulled off in competition has not been my go to. The only thing that has transferred between comp and gym is my lockdown, which is very polished to my blue belt level understanding. For instance, my best subs in the gym are gogo platas from mounted mono control, s-mount arm bars, jnt's, and rncs. My best sub in comp us the Marcelotine, which I rarely hit in the gym.

Basically what I'm saying is that you can plan all you want, but once the ref says "fight," that very likely might go out the window.

My advice is to learn how to navigate the adrenaline and stay coherent in your lizard brain's 'fight' response.

[Arman Fathi]

Contrary to this opinion, every sub I've pulled off in competition has not been my go to. The only thing that has transferred between comp and gym is my lockdown, which is very polished to my blue belt level understanding. For instance, my best subs in the gym are gogo platas from mounted mono control, s-mount arm bars, jnt's, and rncs. My best sub in comp us the Marcelotine, which I rarely hit in the gym.

Basically what I'm saying is that you can plan all you want, but once the ref says "fight," that very likely might go out the window.

My advice is to learn how to navigate the adrenaline and stay coherent in your lizard brain's 'fight' response.

Go buy "Art of Learning" by Josh Waitzkin right now.

I will concede that I've caught a couple toe-holds in sub-only's even though my school doesn't allow us to go for toe-holds against other blue belts. It was more situational. However, I've caught the same armbar from open-guard setup that I've drilled, which didn't require any elaborate setup other than him kinda giving it to me. Same thing happens in the gym. In the heat of the moment, it's nice to have that instantaneous confidence to attack something that you know is in your arsenal. I'm gonna check out that book though.

[Ross Davidson]

Not saying having go tos is a bad thing, just that being ready for all the preparation to possibly go out the window, and be ready to bust out your utility knife, is important. And learning to deal with the adrenaline is one of the most important things you can do.

[Nick Paul]

I would say compete as much as possible until you're comfortable with the competition nerves. One of the most frustrating things I went through as a grappler, was my first 3 or so tournaments I would have an adrenaline dump and really disappoint myself in competition. I would be hesitating and mentally beating myself in positions I would be super comfortable in at the gym. I think I went something like 2-5 over my first few tournaments. Then I consciously started using visualizations and positive affirmations in the week leading up to comps, and telling myself that I'm ok with the idea of losing. Just doing that will take the pressure off of yourself tremendously. My last 2 or 3 comps I've felt on fire, just having fun competing and landing submissions. It's crazy how big a part of the game your confidence plays. SO my best advice is just try to enjoy competition, winning and losing is all a part of the ride.

[Mike Bushby]

The more you think about it, the more nervous you make yourself. Just sign up, train hard, and roll.

[Arman Fathi]

Agree with hespectnogi aka Nick. Try to transform your nervous energy into positive energy throughout the match. The more you compete, the easier it'll be to find your zone. It's always tougher beforehand than it is during the actual match. Prepare like a champ and you'll be a champ��

[kevinculp]

Your first tournament should be just for fun. No expectations. Just a fun learning experience. After that you should then begin to work on a gameplan for competing that will evolve as your skill and knowledge evolves. Set a simple goal for the first few like. Controlling your breathing or never putting your hands on the mat while in guard and focused on that for a couple weeks leading up to your comp. As you progress you will incorporate your strengths into your game plan. For me I always planed out how I would fight the whole fight. Phase one get the low single. Phase two pass to side control and establish the kimura grip control etc... Then I always planed what I would do if they did the most obvious counter to each phase. He who fails to plan...Plans to fail. Oh and you can listen to THE ART OF LEARNING on YouTube for free.