Tips for Competing in Jiu-Jitsu

Competing in jiu-jitsu can be one of the most challenging, rewarding, and fun things you can do. It's a great way to judge your skills and see where you're at in your training. It can also be stressful and nerve-wracking, but it doesn't have to be. At No Limits Grappling Academy, we focus on mental preparation for jiu-jitsu competitions to help our athletes succeed.

Ignore the result

Now, let's be clear, when we train, we train with the goal to win. We talk about winning and what it takes to win a lot. But the fact of the matter is, we have zero control over if we actually win or not, so we don’t focus on it. The focus is simple: it's going out there and being the absolute best grappler that we can be on that day... No more... No less.  If we win? Awesome. If we lose? We’re going to take a little bit of time to be upset.. Go back to the gym, fix our mistakes and get ready for the next one.

Try not to make it bigger than it is

Part of the reason that people find it hard to deal with the anxiety of competition is that they treat competition as a “special” thing. 

• They take in more caffeine than normal
• They listen to different music
• They up their carb intake
• They Pace back and forth and try to psych themselves up

They do all these things outside of their usual actions which in turn puts more pressure on themselves and increases the anxiety.

You want to normalize the act of competing as much as possible. Famous Japanese Swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi has a quote that my Coach Josh Saunders has become quite fond of using and its:

“A bullet fired from a gun can not distinguish training from combat”

Contrary to what many people believe, the only real differences between training and competing are a ref, a scoreboard, a different venue, and the perceived importance you place on the result.. That's it. If you take those things away.. Its a mat on a floor and you and another person rolling just like any other day.

What Competition really is.

If we look at training for what it is.. The process of skill development.. Then competing is just simply the process of expressing those skills.  That's not to say that winning doesn't matter or that its not important, or that you can't be bummed if you don’t do well , far from it,  but more important to realize  that training and competing are all intrinsic pursuits and all of the things that we think do matter, the name of the tournament, our opponent’s rank, the gym where our opponent’s train, any of the people watching, don’t.   

Perspective is important

We make no secret of the fact that, as we continue to build No Limits, we want to be known as a competitive gym. Not only to help our athletes find success and accomplish great things , but for the Skills and values that competing helps to cultivate. Part of building fierce competitors though is to help them develop and establish a mindset to regulate their emotions and keep perspective to deal with both successes and failures. This allows  our athletes to compete unencumbered be less nervous, have more enjoyment and not personalize results 

Mental Preparation for Jiu-Jitsu Competitions

When we train, we train with the goal to win. However, the fact is, we have zero control over whether we actually win or not, so we don’t focus on it. The focus is simple: going out there and being the absolute best grappler we can be on that day. If we win? Awesome. If we lose? We’re going to take a little time to be upset, go back to the gym, fix our mistakes, and get ready for the next one.

Normalize the Act of Competing

Part of the reason people find it hard to deal with the anxiety of competition is that they treat it as a “special” thing. They take in more caffeine than normal, listen to different music, up their carb intake, pace back and forth, and try to psych themselves up. These actions put more pressure on themselves and increase anxiety. Normalize competing as much as possible. Famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi has a quote: “A bullet fired from a gun cannot distinguish training from combat.” The only real differences between training and competing are a ref, a scoreboard, a different venue, and the perceived importance you place on the result. Take those things away, and it's just a mat on a floor with you and another person rolling like any other day.

Understanding Competition in Jiu-Jitsu

If we look at training for what it is, the process of skill development, then competing is simply the process of expressing those skills. Winning does matter and is important, but it's more crucial to realize that training and competing are intrinsic pursuits. The name of the tournament, our opponent’s rank, the gym where our opponents train, and the people watching don’t matter as much as we think.

Perspective is Important

We aim to be known as a competitive gym, helping our athletes find success and accomplish great things while cultivating skills and values. Building fierce competitors involves helping them develop a mindset to regulate their emotions and keep perspective to deal with both successes and failures. This allows our athletes to compete unencumbered, be less nervous, have more enjoyment, and not personalize results.

Key Takeaways:

1. Embrace the Challenge: Competing in jiu-jitsu is both rewarding and challenging. Use it as a measure of your training progress.
2. Mental Shifts: Focus on being the best version of yourself on competition day. Effort and skills displayed are what truly matter.
3. Normalize Competition: Treat competition as another training session. Avoid drastic changes to your routine to reduce anxiety and pressure.
4. Intrinsic Pursuit: Remember, the intrinsic value of competing lies in skill expression and personal growth, not external validation.
5. Keep Perspective: Develop a balanced mindset to handle both victories and defeats, fostering long-term growth and enjoyment in the sport.

For more tips and training insights, check out our training programs and join us at No Limits Grappling Academy.

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