There are some myths surrounding the world of Jiu Jitsu competition and these myths have the unfortunate effect of keeping people who would greatly benefit from taking part in these competitions from actually trying their hand at them. So, let’s take a little time out to dispel some of these myths.
First, you do not need to be a “great” competitor in order to enter into these competitions. All you need is the right desire to give a competition a try. Most competitions due not attract world class level athletes. Those competitors look for the high profile events such as the world or national championship events. The average tournament is for, well, the average person.
You also won’t run too much of a risk of being outmatched. The divisions of competition are based on belt rank. So, you will not have to worry about being completely overmatched although it is true some people are more advanced within their belt rank than others. For example, someone who was promoted blue belt two months prior to a competition will not have the same skill level than someone with two years in rank.
Additionally, weight class and age play a factor in how fairly matched up you are in a Jiu Jitsu competition. There are adult divisions (usually 18 – 29), Masters (30 – 39), and Senior which is over 40. There are even Senior II divisions in certain competitions where people over the age of 45 will have their own division.
When you are able to match yourself up in the right division by age, weight, and skill you will discover the potential to succeed on the mat is possible. One thing to be wary of is whether or not you are in the right weight class. If you are too heavy for the bout, you undermine your chances of winning since you would be at a strength advantage. You might find you do much better when you are at the right weight.
You may even walk off the match with one of the three medals which are Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Perhaps you may enter a Jiu Jitsu competition that offers both Gi and No Gi matches. You could walk away with two medals from the same event. Granted, you have to compete in twice as many matches to do so but that is a large part of the fun.
And here is a bit of an open secret to ponder – when you take part in competition, you increase your ability to learn and gain a higher level of proficiency in the art. People who compete generally find their training to be an accelerated learning program which can lead to a great enhancement in skill when all is done.
Being Prepared: Jiu Jitsu Competition
As long as you do what is needed to properly prepare for a Jiu Jitsu competition, you will find your ability to succeed in a match improves immensely. So, why not do a couple per year? It may only benefit you.
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