I recently got a question on my podcast about this topic and you can listen to the episode by clicking the link but I thought I would write out my response as well because it would be easy for people to refer back to.
So, the question I got from IG was, “I have my first IBJJF tournament coming up, it's a big tournament, and I’m very nervous, what can I do to relax and perform at my best?”
This is a super common question, from everyone I coach that competes whether it's jiu-jitsu or wrestling or if it was judo or MMA back in the day.
Advice for Competitors
Change Your Perspective
The first piece of advice I can give is try your best to not qualify events as either “big” or “small.” Instead, think of it like this: the effort that you put in every single time you step on the mat is what's important.
Avoid Initial Paralysis
A lot of times, guys/girls don’t perform at their best because of the weight they put on the event. For example, for something like the International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation (IBJJF) tournaments which the message asked about, those 5 letters give people what I call “Initial paralysis” because their mere inclusion before a tournament can cause people to lock up and make it something more than what they are.
Understand the Circumstances
Now it is true that the circumstances of the tournament certainly change. For example, at this year's ADCC, which is basically the world championship of no gi grappling, there were 12,000 spectators, it was broadcast on flograppling, there was a ton of production value lights, music, etc.
Same goes for the postseason in wrestling. The gyms are larger, there's more competitors, maybe more events surrounding the tournament but at the end of the day what does it break down to?
- A mat
- You
- Your opponent
- The Ref
- Scorer’s table