Competitive Concepts to Help You Reach the Next Level in BJJ

If you’re a competitive grappler, these 5 concepts will help you take your game to the next level.

Pacing.

If you get tired, you will start to make mistakes. Technique fades when fatigue takes control. It’s important to improve your cardio through training, but just as important to learn how to set a pace you can manage for however long the match is. It is also important to know how to impose your pace, not accept your opponent’s.

Taking the match where you want it to go.

If you’re really good at something (ie, leg locks) but never get the opportunity to show that because the match “never went there”, that’s on you. Controlling the flow of the match is a skill in itself.

Not freezing up due to anxiety.

Everyone gets adrenaline before they compete. It’s just part of the experience. It’s important that you learn to manage your adrenaline/nerves so that you don’t have a freak out on the mat. Take your “nervous feelings” and stuff them down – do exactly what everyone says is bad to do.

Learn to play the ruleset.

Part of learning to compete in BJJ is learning how to win at various rulesets – IBJJF, ADCC, EBI, or etc. Different rulesets require different approaches. Most people spend more time complaining about rulesets than they do learning them.

Studying your opponents.

A lot of people look their opponents up online, but they don’t actually study them. They look at what medals they’ve won, but not what techniques they try to do. Learn to study your opponents without psyching yourself out.

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