Competition Tips and Tricks

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

So I'm competing for the first time in a jiu jitsu tournament on June 25th and I was wondering if you guys who are experienced jiu jitsu competitors could give me and the rest of my team some good tips and tricks about competition.

I'm also looking for some of the big "dos" and "donts" in competition.

What techniques work particularly well in tournaments and what techniques should I avoid?

How important is it to understand the points system and tailor my game accordingly? (i don't even know how the points work in competition)

I plan on competing in the beginners no-gi 140-153lb division. I don't need to cut weight since my weight hovers between 145 and 155 most of the time (currently around 148-150).

What do you guys recommend eating the day of the tournament? The day before? How long before the match do you eat? Will I know the exact time of my match the day of?

How much energy do you try to conserve while in a tournament? Are the rounds short enough with enough of a break in between so that I can go 100% the entire time?

How difficult is it to hear your corner during a tournament? Do you think its really important to pay attention to your corner and follow their instructions, or more important to focus my opponent and if I hear my corner I hear my corner?

Do you prefer to compete in short sleeve rash guard? Long sleeve rash guard? No shirt? Gi pants? Competition shorts? Do you guys use a custom jiu jitsu mouth piece or is a cheap boil-and-bite from sports authority good enough? Are ankle and knee sleeves allowed, and if so you guys definitely use them right?

As far as submissions go, are you supposed to yank that shit 100% all out and force the instant tap and risk injuring your opponent or do you have concern for your opponent's well-being? Also, do I need to be careful to tap fast because other people are going to have no problem injuring me?

As far as strategy goes, is it best to worry about points or worry about going for the submission? Also, when it comes to starting the match, do you like to pull guard or do you like to fight for the takedown? How do the points work when it comes to takedowns/pulling guard?

Which of the 10th Planet techniques should I expect to be illegal in the rules? I wanna get my head around what I can and can't do.

Do you guys find the refs/scoring to be biased against 10th Planet? I heard a lot of the 10th Planet sweeps don't get you points and that a lot of the subs we use are illegal in most competitions. I know the rules vary but from what you've experienced, what do you guys know as far as that goes?

What kind of strength/cardio training do you guys do as a competition approaches? Should I stop my power lifting and switch over to all cardio so that my muscles aren't sore and so that my cardio is good enough to easily handle the competition rounds?
Ok that was a shitload of questions, I know, but this is my first tournament and I'm super excited and want to go in as prepared as possible so I can rep 10th Planet to the best of my ability! This thread will also probably be very useful to a lot of us competition newbies so please, any information you can give us would be great!

Please don't think you need to answer all my questions, just pick the ones you know about or feel like answering and that'd be more than excellent!


Also, if you have any tips or tricks or useful information or pitfalls youve encountered that we should avoid, please share it! You don't have to stick to my questions!

Thanks guys! The Miami Hotbox is gonna tear it up June 25th! First team competition for us!!!

[Brian Morency]

Too many questions phhww... Like Nike said, (JUST DO IT).

[Chris Herzog]

http://www.10thplanetjj.com/threads/...mpetition+prep

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

http://www.10thplanetjj.com/threads/...mpetition+prep

Awesome! Thanks coach!

[Enrique "Kiko"]

[Emir Mehovic]

What techniques work particularly well in tournaments and what techniques should I avoid? The answer is simple none, thats like asking what submissions work good whil your rolling with training partners its different for everyone

How important is it to understand the points system and tailor my game accordingly? (i don't even know how the points work in competition) Not important just remember to get the takedown that way you could relax and think of what your going to do next while your opponet is trying to play cacthup and will most likley make a mistake witch would be your cue to capitilize on it

What do you guys recommend eating the day of the tournament? The day before? How long before the match do you eat? Will I know the exact time of my match the day of? It depends when your weigh in is if its before your dinner than fill up on carbs that night that is if your stomach will allow it, if the tournement is the day of the fght that have a light meal some vegtebles and chicken not to much. The day of the tournement just eat fruit apples,bannanas,oranges,strawberries whatever fruits you want. Your last meal/snack before the fight should be an hour again your only eating fruit so its not like your gonna vomit so eat some frut 45 minutes-1 hour before your first match starts. You will knot know the EXACT tim but a verry close estimate, you should get to your ring 30 minutes before so you could get warmed up on the mats and what not.

How much energy do you try to conserve while in a tournament? Are the rounds short enough with enough of a break in between so that I can go 100% the entire time? Go at what ever percentage you feel like the most important thing is to not get jitters i know its really hard but it can affect your timing just relax think of it as a way to test your skill against other opponets nothing more nothing less

How difficult is it to hear your corner during a tournament? Do you think its really important to pay attention to your corner and follow their instructions, or more important to focus my opponent and if I hear my corner I hear my corner? It is not verry difficult to hear your corner remember your corner is just their to point stuff out for you. Go for what you feel is right to go for. Your corner is like an extra pair of eyes....

Do you prefer to compete in short sleeve rash guard? Long sleeve rash guard? No shirt? Gi pants? Competition shorts? Do you guys use a custom jiu jitsu mouth piece or is a cheap boil-and-bite from sports authority good enough? Are ankle and knee sleeves allowed, and if so you guys definitely use them right? Where a long sleeved rahguard if you can i always feel like wearing no shirt makes people look like a tool lol. As for the gi pants or competition shorts where what you feel most comfterbal with.

As far as submissions go, are you supposed to yank that shit 100% all out and force the instant tap and risk injuring your opponent or do you have concern for your opponent's well-being? Also, do I need to be careful to tap fast because other people are going to have no problem injuring me? Different people have different philosiphies on this i say if you think your opponet might get out of the submission but you still want to go for it go 100% if you feel you deffinetly have it go for it slow and give your opponet time to tap. You dont have to be carefull to tap fast. Trust me.

As far as strategy goes, is it best to worry about points or worry about going for the submission? Also, when it comes to starting the match, do you like to pull guard or do you like to fight for the takedown? How do the points work when it comes to takedowns/pulling guard? Always remember no matter what position before submission this applies for all grappiling tournements ecspecilly if their is a time limit if you dont feel their is a highly likely chance that you will pull off a submission dont go for it another acception is iif theirs like 30 seconds left and you know their is than go for all the submissions you can

Which of the 10th Planet techniques should I expect to be illegal in the rules? I wanna get my head around what I can and can't do. There is a good chance neck cranks wont be allowed so twister and in the begginer divsion most if not all ankle locks wont be allowed.

Do you guys find the refs/scoring to be biased against 10th Planet? I heard a lot of the 10th Planet sweeps don't get you points and that a lot of the subs we use are illegal in most competitions. I know the rules vary but from what you've experienced, what do you guys know as far as that goes? Absoutloutley not just to make sure try to have someone tape the match/s this way if they are you go up to the ref or the guy thast runs the tournement complain how they didnt count some of your sweeps and what not and show him the video and he will most likely fix the problem.

Good luck and remember just have fun everyone has their good and bad days. But their will always be more tournements and ways to grapple with people from other acedamies.

[Emir Mehovic]

What techniques work particularly well in tournaments and what techniques should I avoid? The answer is simple none, thats like asking what submissions work good whil your rolling with training partners its different for everyone

How important is it to understand the points system and tailor my game accordingly? (i don't even know how the points work in competition) Not important just remember to get the takedown that way you could relax and think of what your going to do next while your opponet is trying to play cacthup and will most likley make a mistake witch would be your cue to capitilize on it

What do you guys recommend eating the day of the tournament? The day before? How long before the match do you eat? Will I know the exact time of my match the day of? It depends when your weigh in is if its before your dinner than fill up on carbs that night that is if your stomach will allow it, if the tournement is the day of the fght that have a light meal some vegtebles and chicken not to much. The day of the tournement just eat fruit apples,bannanas,oranges,strawberries whatever fruits you want. Your last meal/snack before the fight should be an hour again your only eating fruit so its not like your gonna vomit so eat some frut 45 minutes-1 hour before your first match starts. You will knot know the EXACT tim but a verry close estimate, you should get to your ring 30 minutes before so you could get warmed up on the mats and what not.

How much energy do you try to conserve while in a tournament? Are the rounds short enough with enough of a break in between so that I can go 100% the entire time? Go at what ever percentage you feel like the most important thing is to not get jitters i know its really hard but it can affect your timing just relax think of it as a way to test your skill against other opponets nothing more nothing less

How difficult is it to hear your corner during a tournament? Do you think its really important to pay attention to your corner and follow their instructions, or more important to focus my opponent and if I hear my corner I hear my corner? It is not verry difficult to hear your corner remember your corner is just their to point stuff out for you. Go for what you feel is right to go for. Your corner is like an extra pair of eyes....

Do you prefer to compete in short sleeve rash guard? Long sleeve rash guard? No shirt? Gi pants? Competition shorts? Do you guys use a custom jiu jitsu mouth piece or is a cheap boil-and-bite from sports authority good enough? Are ankle and knee sleeves allowed, and if so you guys definitely use them right? Where a long sleeved rahguard if you can i always feel like wearing no shirt makes people look like a tool lol. As for the gi pants or competition shorts where what you feel most comfterbal with.

As far as submissions go, are you supposed to yank that shit 100% all out and force the instant tap and risk injuring your opponent or do you have concern for your opponent's well-being? Also, do I need to be careful to tap fast because other people are going to have no problem injuring me? Different people have different philosiphies on this i say if you think your opponet might get out of the submission but you still want to go for it go 100% if you feel you deffinetly have it go for it slow and give your opponet time to tap. You dont have to be carefull to tap fast. Trust me.

As far as strategy goes, is it best to worry about points or worry about going for the submission? Also, when it comes to starting the match, do you like to pull guard or do you like to fight for the takedown? How do the points work when it comes to takedowns/pulling guard? Always remember no matter what position before submission this applies for all grappiling tournements ecspecilly if their is a time limit if you dont feel their is a highly likely chance that you will pull off a submission dont go for it another acception is iif theirs like 30 seconds left and you know their is than go for all the submissions you can

Which of the 10th Planet techniques should I expect to be illegal in the rules? I wanna get my head around what I can and can't do. There is a good chance neck cranks wont be allowed so twister and in the begginer divsion most if not all ankle locks wont be allowed.

Do you guys find the refs/scoring to be biased against 10th Planet? I heard a lot of the 10th Planet sweeps don't get you points and that a lot of the subs we use are illegal in most competitions. I know the rules vary but from what you've experienced, what do you guys know as far as that goes? Absoutloutley not just to make sure try to have someone tape the match/s this way if they are you go up to the ref or the guy thast runs the tournement complain how they didnt count some of your sweeps and what not and show him the video and he will most likely fix the problem.

Good luck and remember just have fun everyone has their good and bad days. But their will always be more tournements and ways to grapple with people from other acedamies.

I hope that helped!