How to prepare for Jiu Jitsu competition
By Shane McCarthy
Jiu Jitsu competition is an excellent opportunity to test your skills against live, resisting opponents who share the same passion for the sport. Whether you’re a first-time competitor or a seasoned veteran, success hinges on your preparation. In this guide, we’ll delve into the specifics of each crucial step to ensure you’re well-equipped for the challenge of competition.
1. Set Clear Goals: Begin by establishing clear and realistic goals. If you’re a first-time competitor, your objective might be gaining experience and testing your skills. For seasoned competitors, goals could range from winning a specific competition to refining and testing certain aspects of your game, such as guard play, passing, or takedown techniques.
2. Consider External Commitments: Review your schedule leading up to the competition. Avoid conflicting events that may hinder your preparation. Do you have a vacation planned? An upcoming wedding? Birthday party? While we wouldn’t suggest you live like a monk leading up to the comp, these types of events can potentially throw you off track. Understand that sacrifices might be necessary to fully commit to your goals.
3. Choose the Right Competition: Carefully select a competition that aligns with your goals. For novices, tournaments featuring round-robin brackets or multiple matches provide invaluable experience. Two examples are Grappling Industries, or Jiu Jitsu World League. Consider the frequency of competitions, your experience level, and the event format when making your decision.
4. Familiarize Yourself with Tournament Details: Thoroughly understand the tournament’s logistics. Know the location, which weight class you’ll compete in, and registration deadlines. Neglecting these details can lead to unnecessary stress and complications. Most importantly you will need to read the rules of the specific tournament. The last thing you want to do is lose a match because you thought you scored a point when you didn’t, or worst case scenario; you are disqualified for using an illegal move.
5. Seek Guidance from Coaches: Engage in a detailed conversation with your coaches. They are invaluable resources for guidance. Discuss your competition goals, seek advice on your strengths and weaknesses, and formulate a game plan tailored to your individual profile.
6. Increase Training Workload: Effective preparation requires an intentional increase in your training workload. Add extra training sessions, incorporate additional rounds, and focus on specific techniques relevant to your competition strategy. A solid workload would be 4-5 training sessions a week. Start each round on your feet. Track points as you score them. Add additional drilling time to streamline your gameplan. Modify intensity to an appropriate level* and consider adding a steady state cardio based working session to increase your work capacity.
6a. Modify Intensity to an Appropriate Level: This section needs a sidebar to explain what is appropriate intensity. Think of how an engine works in a car and how you can shift gears to get more output. If you train every round in the gym to max effort and you redline each roll, the chance of you burning out, injuring yourself, or injuring others is very high. However, if you train an hour straight and treat each round as a flow roll, you won’t have the gas tank or reaction time needed for competition. If a grappler has five gears, I find it’s most effective to train mostly in 3rd and 4th gear. Constant movement forward will develop a pretty strong gas tank and reaction time for competition.
7. Prioritize Recovery: Recognize the importance of recovery during intensive training. Prioritize sufficient sleep, rest, and proper nutrition. Incorporate stretching and recovery practices into your routine. You are asking a lot of yourself by adding additional workload, so make sure you recover well enough to prevent injury and burn out.
8. Week Leading to Competition: Gradually lower training intensity in the week before the competition to ensure physical freshness and minimize the risk of injuries. In the week leading up to the competition, maintain a moderate training intensity. Continue drilling techniques, simulate live experiences, and be mindful of your body to avoid burnout or injuries.
9. Prepare for Competition Day: Schedule out your competition day. Allow ample time for arrival, parking, check-in, and a thorough warm-up routine. I would say arrive an hour and twenty minutes early. The twenty minutes will account for parking, checking in, etc., I have found myself having to rush through a warmup because I couldn’t find parking near the arena. Pack essentials such as two gis, a fresh belt, water, snacks, and anything else you think you may need. Also, don’t arrive too early. If you find yourself there hours before your match pacing backing forth, you’re adding unneeded stress.
10. Competition Etiquette: Pay attention to when your name is called to check in. Wait for the ref to call you onto the mat. Shake the ref’s and the competitors hand. Once the match starts, do not talk to the ref, only listen to their commands, as well as your coach’s commands. This is where learning the ruleset ahead of time will be beneficial. You won’t be confused when they give a command. When the match is over shake the ref’s hand, shake the competitor’s hand, and shake their coach’s hand.
11. Post-Competition Reflection: You did it! You competed! You should be proud of the hard work you put into yourself leading up to the competition, win or lose. I always find myself eager to get back to work post competition. Engage in a comprehensive post-competition conversation with your coaches. Whether you win or lose, seek feedback, analyze areas for improvement, and apply the lessons learned in subsequent training sessions. Repeat the competition cycle to continually enhance your skills and performance.
By diligently following each step in this comprehensive guide, you’ll find yourself well-prepared and confident as you step onto the mats, ready to face the challenges and enjoy the journey of jiu-jitsu competition. Good luck!