SO YOU WANT TO COMPETE IN BJJ AND GRAPPLING TOURNAMENTS

In all fairness, I haven’t competed myself in a long time (since US Open XIII in 2003). This is largely because with all the running around and stress on the day handling OntheMat duties during tournaments, I don’t have the energy or mindset to get on the mat as well. However, I miss competing quite a bit and have to admit to going a bit bonkers sitting on the sidelines. Before this whole OTM even started, I was known as one of the biggest mat rats around, competing in just about every tournament that comes around.

More than that however, I’ve watched a lot of people compete and I’ve now coached and talked to a lot of highly successful competitors. There are definitely things you can do to make your competition experience more successful and enjoyable.


WHY COMPETE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Why compete? Because it’s fun! Leave your ego at the door (because it’s very likely to get squashed), you are ultimately on the mat to have a good time. Even the very top competitors do this largely out of the love of the sport first and foremost (the amount of work you have to put in for the tangible reward is almost negligible compared to many other pursuits). People compete because the love this sport and competition against worthy adversaries is the ultimate expression of our sport.

Moreover, competition is laboratory to gauge one’s own skill and effectiveness in a more neutral setting than the dojo. After month or even years of training against the same people day after day, you are likely to develop a game and mindset specific to your (well known) opponents. In competition however, you may not know anything about your opponent previous to actually first physical contact with them. You’ll be able to really test out your technique and learn how you might react against unknown factors.


THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU COMPETE.


Talk it over with your instructor:

The first thing you should do before you plan on competing is to talk it over with your instructor or coach (or if you are the instructor, an equal level teammate). Your instructor will more than likely be happy to give you advice or help you prepare for the tournament (after all, you will be representing them and their teaching abilities on the mat). Your instructor will also be able to help you work on any holes that might be in your competition game and polish you up for the big day.

Note that cleaning up holes in your game is different than learning a whole bunch of new techniques for competition. I largely believe this is an ineffective strategy, in the time it takes to prepare for a tournament you shouldn’t be trying to learn any radical new stuff. In competition you’re generally going to wind up relying on time proven, academy tested moves and techniques as opposed the fancy flying attack you haven’t quite gotten to work yet. Rather, ask your instructor what you need to work on, specifically as relays to competition. Whatever level you happen to be at, it’s always helpful to get an outside opinion of your strengths and weaknesses so you can adjust accordingly.

Your instructor may also discourage you from competing for one reason or another, or may not think you are ready for competition at a given time. If you trust your instructor (and really, you should trust your instructor or else you don’t belong in that academy), you will take their advice seriously, but it’s also okay to ask why they feel you shouldn’t compete, because that can be a learning process as well.


Understand and study the rules before entering a competition:

As much as we’d like and hope, there are no unified rules for BJJ or Grappling right now, and promoters may even change and refine their own rules in between their competitions. It’s your responsibility as a competitor to know the rules before you enter a competition, and if you have any questions, be prepared to ask them. Most often the rules can be found on the registration packet or online.

Some very specific rules to make sure you are clear on before entering competition:

What (if any) leg attacks are legal in your division? Most every division will allow for the straight ankle lock. In higher divisions you will see the toehold and straight knee bar allowed. Twisting knee attacks such as heel hooks are rarely if ever allowed in BJJ competitions and only in the most advanced no gi divisions.

Is slamming in any form legal? In most tournaments slamming is illegal, however in some tournaments it is a legal way to escape a submission and in others it is legal to advance position.

What constitutes an advantage point (do they even have advantages)? Usually this is defined as a submission attempt (or sometimes other maneuver) that doesn’t otherwise score, but must be vigorously defended.

What constitutes a takedown? More importantly what does not constitute a takedown? You would think the answer is obvious on this, but sometime guarding pulling or otherwise landing in certain position may result in extra points or no points at all.

What happens in the event of a tie? This happens almost every tournament, when the match is dead even and time expires. The choices are usually set overtime, sudden death overtime, or referee’s decision.

Being forewarned of the tournaments nuances will allow you to prepare and train correctly for the tournament.


How long to prepare for competition:

I know guys who won’t know if they are competing until the day of who then enter and do well, but they are the exception rather than the rule (and mind you, they are always seasoned competitors and are always in top shape anyway). Most of these same people will tell you however that for competitions they take seriously, it’s about 4-8 weeks of prep time. Preparation in this case means watching what you eat, conditioning work and plenty of hard mat time.

The last week before a competition it’s time to taper off the hard training and keep yourself moving and loose. You want to go into the competition relaxed, ready and most importantly injury free.


Conditioning