logo
logo
AI Products 

SHOULD YOU COMPETE IN BJJ?

avatar
waqas anwar

        

Although most of us BJJ folks do not start training to be champion competitors, competition is still a big part of overall Brazilian Jiu Jitsu culture.

Understanding the role of competition in BJJ and how it affects your personal development is crucial for a beginner player.

Overall, I believe Jiu Jitsu is a great sport for both recreational and professional BJJ practitioners.

There are some reasons you might not want to compete or make competition an integral part of your Jiu Jitsu experience.

This article will give you my opinion on whether or not BJJ is for you.

 

What is BJJ Competition?

Unless you sign up multiple people from the same gym, you will be competing against someone from another gym.

Competition is almost always more intense than training at home.

Traditional tournament format: You will first wrestle your opponent. Then, the winner will then grapple the winner of another match in your section until only one player remains at match. This will earn them the gold medal and the top rank on the podium.

Round-robin tournaments are where all the players in a division wrestle each other. The player with the most wins overall wins. Double-elimination allows you to play a second match even though you lost your first one.

Finally, 'super fights' are competitions where one opponent is facing each other, usually on a stage or inside a cage. It's similar to a MMA fight night, but with BJJ.

All of these formats can be considered BJJ competition. However, the most popular format for tournaments are the single- or double-elimination bracket.


BJJJ COMPETITION - THE BENEFITS

BJJ competitions are a great way to improve your skills and to practice in a more real-world setting than just at the gym.

Since you are generally facing someone of similar skill level and size, this eliminates most of the advantage/disadvantage that comes with being bigger or smaller, respectively.

You aren't likely to train with your opponent often so there is little to no camaraderie. The pressure can be even greater than a hard roll at the gym.

This gives you an accurate comparison of your skills with other gyms.

It can be difficult to feel confident when you are constantly compared against the same people at your gym.

You are more familiar with your partner's game, and you feel less pressure to play against someone completely new.

All that noise is drowned out by competition.

Competitors are more likely to be motivated to train and have more skill, which can lead to more mat time.

This results in more active competitors becoming more active over time, possibly leading to a quicker rate of development and higher ranking.

Hard competition can also reveal the weaknesses in your game that you might not have noticed before. This will give you an insight into what you should be focusing on to get to the next level of BJJ.

Competition can be a major boon for your game and your development as a Martial Artist.

Competing more will help you improve faster at BJJ.


BJJJ COMPETITION - THE DOWNSIDES

Although BJJ competition does provide excellent benefits to your game, there are some downsides to be aware of when considering the role of competition in your training.


DO YOU NEED TO COMPETE IN ORDER TO RANK UP

Competing can speed up your skill in BJJ. A stellar performance in your bracket may encourage your coach to promote your skills sooner than you might expect.

But, I have never been trained in a BJJ school with a strict requirement for competition to be promoted.

Even at the most competitive school, I would encourage dedicated students to show the skill and dedication worthy of the next rank.

Your coach may decide. However, while your school might be different, it will not prevent you from advancing in your belt rank.


Shop BJJ GI and other equipment at summosports.

 

collect
0
avatar
waqas anwar
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more