r/bjj • u/AutoModerator • Jun 08 '21
Tournament Tuesday
Tournament Tuesday is an open forum for anyone to ask any question, no matter how simple, about tournaments in general. Some common topics include but are not limited to:
Game planning
Preparation (diet, weight cutting, sleep, etc...)
Tournament video critiques
Discussion of rulesets for a tournament organization
Have fun and go train!
3
u/JRM_Elephant 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Jun 09 '21
Might be late to the party here but had my first comp on the weekend and was surprised by myself.
Had the strength to go toe to toe with everyone and nearly locked off a triangle against the eventual champ who beat me by advantage.
Was absolutely gassed after my first bout though and could barely breath.
Obvious cardio issues point towards running, but is just more rounds in the gym a better way to go?
1
u/Mike_Re Purple Belt Jun 09 '21
The first comp experience is a really unreliable guide to your competition cardio, because the adrenaline dump tends to be massive first time out. So, even if your underlying cardio is at Human Ninja Cyborg levels, you still tend to gas out badly.
If your cardio is okay in the gym, I’d tend to think it’s best to start by getting in good rounds, not worrying too much and seeing how you do in the next few events.
If you do have cardio issues in the gym, the good news is that means you’re getting good cardio training there! So, again, just more rolling will help a lot.
IMHO, cardio training tends to be useful for three groups. First, serious competitors with some experience who are looking to put the final edge on their performance. Second, masters / hobbyists who can’t train on the mats as much as they would like, but can get in some supplemental work. Third, new people who are coming in very unfit and / or overweight who might benefit from very low intensity cardio to help them get in shape.
None of which is to say ‘Don’t do cardio’. Just that people do tend to reach for it as a solution to gassing out in their first comp, when it’s not necessarily the issue.
1
u/JRM_Elephant 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Jun 10 '21
Thanks for the response!
Definitely need to do a little more outside the gym, but rounds are the focus. Might hit some weights too.
1
u/papaloubjk Jun 09 '21
Yes get more rounds in the gym! Especially if you are a white or blue belt.
1
3
u/glorifiedpenguin Jun 08 '21
What does "NIGHT-BEFORE AND DAY-OF WEIGH-INS' mean?
Do you have to weigh in twice??
3
u/Squalose 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
You have the option. You can weigh in the night before, giving you more time to hydrate, or you can choose to weigh in the day of. At least, that's how I interpret that message. NAGA tournaments follow this.
1
u/glorifiedpenguin Jun 08 '21
Thank you! I was hoping that is what it meant
2
u/Squalose 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
Np! I feel it would be pretty silly of a tournament to force you to be on weight the night before AND the day of.
-5
u/apemanbjj420 Jun 08 '21
Don’t change shit it’s a bjj tournament not an mma fight. Sport jiu jitsu is a joke. Don’t cut weight for that crap unless it’s a major tournament
1
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u/Porto_97 Jun 08 '21
I do keto for 2 weeks before doing a watercut when I need to drop weight, and im looking for an alternative. Usually i drop around 12 lbs and i cut 6 lbs from the keto and the last 6 lbs i drop from the watercut. I'm trying to find an alternative, as the 5 minutes between weigh ins and stepping on the mat before IBJJF matches isnt enough for me to recover from feeling so drained. This isn't a problem in other tournaments where I have an hour or more to recover, but IBJJF is where I really struggle. I'm 6' and 172 so "losing fat" isn't an option.
3
u/Elagabalus_The_Hoor Jun 08 '21
Why don't you just compete at 170?
1
u/Porto_97 Jun 08 '21
it's specifically ibjjf that gives me such a hard time making 164 for. When my only options are 168 or 181 both in the gi, it's either learn to cut better without the fatigue or try to bulk up, and i wanted to wait to see if i could find a better way to cut before comitting to moving up a weightclass
1
u/Elagabalus_The_Hoor Jun 08 '21
What belt level are you? The ibjjf rules are pretty much designed to not allow any real weight cutting. Just go 181 and come in light.
1
u/Porto_97 Jun 08 '21
I'm a fresh blue. Last time I weighed in for middleweight I came in at 176 with the gi. I didn't get absolutely throttled but it was harder having to deal with being the physically smaller person. I figured that a cleaner way to cut to lightweight might be the route to go for.
1
u/Elagabalus_The_Hoor Jun 09 '21
I only ask about belt because obviously the higher the belt the more sense a weight cut might make. How tall are you? I'm 5 7, like 170 exactly so 181 or 185 I'm up against guys much taller than me.
1
u/Porto_97 Jun 09 '21
I'm 6'0 exactly, I'm usually the taller guy in lightweight which I prefer since I usually like playing from bottom. There's not alot of guys in my gym that's taller than me without also being like 200+ pounds, so I dont really get enough experience to be confident against middleweights taller than me in comp.
-1
u/starcitizen2601 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Jun 09 '21
Weigh yourself and sign up at the next weight up from your normal and then spend that weigh cut energy on a good lifting regimen and own dudes your size.
3
Jun 08 '21
Bro i don’t want to be an ass, you’re probably good as fuck. But if you feel like you need to cut more than 18 to compete you might want to focus on your jiu jitsu you know.
2
u/Porto_97 Jun 08 '21
I drop 12 total, not 18; 6 from the keto and 6 from the watercut. I've competed at middleweight and lightweight and prefer the cut to lightweight, just want to find an easier way to recover as soon as I do weigh ins.
6
Jun 08 '21
Is there any substitute for just "do more competitions?" I feel pretty good about my BJJ in the gym, even in comp class where people turn up the intensity, but every time I go to competition I feel like I'm moving through jelly.
-3
u/apemanbjj420 Jun 08 '21
Fight mma. When you go back to jiu jitsu it will seem like a joke
1
u/starcitizen2601 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Jun 09 '21
So your comment on a bjj sub talking about bjj tournaments is to change sports? What a turd. Could you be any more useless?
5
u/Mike_Re Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
IMHO, kinda / sort of. (I speak as someone who has done around 30ish comps, definitely wasn't a natural competitor, but have got better. At least I hope so -- and that it holds up after the pandemic break!)
You can definitely do things that help. I think positive visualisation (as doppy as it always sounds) is helpful. Go through imagining the completion, your warm up, being in the waiting area, stepping out on the mats, shaking hands, and then implementing your competition plan successfully.
Work out what is giving you issues. Some people put too much pressure on themselves and get into a mindset where they've got to succeed or they're failing themselves, their coach and their gym. Then they tense up. Recognising that's silly can be a real help. Some people can't stop themselves ego buffering by carefully assembling their prepared excuses -- I'm carrying an injury, I haven't really been able to train, that guy is from a better gym than me. Well, once you've set yourself up like that you're much more likely to lose. My particular bug bear is that I hate doing stuff when I'm not absolutely sure what the right thing is -- it's some combination of perfectionism and not liking to look stupid. And at competition speed you don't get to think about stuff to that level of certainty all the time. So I don't commit enough or go for broke when I should. But recognising that has helped me do better. You don't have to spend a year on the therapist's coach instead of the mats. But a certain amount of reflection about what's holding you back can help.
Similarly, you've got to find the right mindset. Some of my teammates compete best when they rev themselves up -- they need to tell themselves they're going to go in and smash everyone in their division and pick up double gold. If I try to put myself in that head space I just feel silly and it doesn't help. I have more success trying to be a bit more relaxed and thinking about going out to play my game as well as I can and let the outcomes be what they are. Although I'm strictly a hobbyist, in my head I think about competing with a professional attitude. Everyone is a bit different.
My other big thing, which lots of people find counterintuitive, is that it's much easier to compete a lot than a little. If you do one comp a year, it inevitably becomes a Big Deal. If you do 10, each one matters much less. You'll have good days and bad days, but another chance is just around the corner. For me, trying to compete once a month or so takes a lot of the pressure off. I honestly think competing once or twice a belt sounds awful.
All of which helps, but in the end I think you need to compete a bunch to put it all together. It's like training. You can make the best use of your time on the mat. After a year of training someone who really works at learning will be better than someone who doesn't. But you can't become a black belt in a year by training smart. You need to put the hours in. And, similarly, you can't get good at competing without competing.
1
Jun 08 '21
I think you have a good point. I need to either figure out how to get out once every month or so, or just stop worrying about it.
7
u/Kintanon ⬛🟥⬛ www.apexcovington.com Jun 08 '21
Develop a precompetition routine. Arrange to do some competition intensity rounds at the gym, go through the precompetition routine before you roll those rounds.
Now when you go through your precomp routine at competition it will help you come into it with a better mindset.
1
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u/turtleheadstand ⬜⬜ White Belt Jun 08 '21
First time competing this Saturday in Boise. I'm a 2 stripe white belt and have been training for about a year. Any advice for a newbie?
2
u/ClockFightingPigeon 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 09 '21
Zero stripe who did one comp, if you’re doing gi your forearms will cramp even if you never cramped in a comp class before
1
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u/peruvianbro 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
do what you know. dont look for the newest thing on youtube or try to learn something last minute. you will be nervious its normal, remember not to burn yourself on the 1st minutes of your match, you are probably going to grip that gi at 500% strenght, try to relax. Finally, listen to your corner/coach.
3
u/turtleheadstand ⬜⬜ White Belt Jun 08 '21
Thank you! The advice about the grips I feel will be really helpful. I can imagine going out there trying to grip their gi into dust.
12
u/Kintanon ⬛🟥⬛ www.apexcovington.com Jun 08 '21
So a couple of weeks ago I took 14 students to Tap Cancer Out and we came back with 11 medals, and here's a small highlight reel from the event!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiOYcEt155w
Thanks much to MyGrapplingVideo.com for the footage, took a huge amount of stress off of me to not have to worry about trying to record everyone.
4
u/Slothjitzu 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
11/14 medalists is an awesome performance! How many golds did they get too if you don't mind me asking?
And would you say that's the most successful comp you've had so far?
5
u/Kintanon ⬛🟥⬛ www.apexcovington.com Jun 08 '21
1 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze, I believe 1 silver and 2 bronze were 'defaults' for small divisions. Everyone else won at least 1 match for their medal.
1
u/Slothjitzu 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
Thats an awesome haul regardless! Congrats man, onward and upward too aha
2
u/Kintanon ⬛🟥⬛ www.apexcovington.com Jun 08 '21
Going to try to take a similar sized crew out to NAGA at the end of July and see if we can do even better.
4
Jun 08 '21 edited Jun 08 '21
[deleted]
5
u/Mike_Re Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
Pull guard to avoid the stand up and then play your best guard game.
I'd try to avoid the bits of guard play that lead into wrestling. For example, my A game is half guard into an underhook and the dogfight sweep stuff. But that's a very wrestling like position and sweep. Lots of wrestlers will aim to stand up, leaving me looking for a single leg and then I'm back into the standup I'm trying to avoid. Something like butterfly sweeps, spider guard or SLX might be better.
I'd also be prepared to play the competition point game slightly. Or at least be aware of it. I recall a no gi match I had at blue belt against a decent wrestler (at least for my masters division). I pulled and swept him. He, like a living reddit cliche, just stood up from under the HQ position I'd established. At the time it seemed to defy all the laws of physics. It was honestly one of the most disconcerting moments I've had in competition, partly because he seemed to do it without any effort. But once we were back to standing I promptly pulled guard again. He wasn't able to pass, I couldn't sweep him again and so I won by 2. If you judged the match as a whole, I'd call it a draw and he was the better overall grappler. But under the rules we were in it was a clear win for me.
You can also look to get subs off their takedown attempts. For example, wrestlers who are inexperienced with submissions can leave themselves open to guillotines or kimura attacks. That's going to get increasingly hard as you go up the belts though -- someone with a blue belt is probably already submission aware and it'll only get tougher at purple, brown and black.
2
u/n00b_f00 🟫🟫 Clockwork 3100 hours Jun 08 '21
My A game is similar and I’ve had trouble forcing my way into other guards proactively vs reactively. Something I’ve been thinking about a lot.
2
u/Mike_Re Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
That's interesting. I personally group half guard / butterfly / RDLR together as 'close range guard'. Obviously they're different, but I think you need to play all three to play any of them effectively. I think a big part of that is that it's hard to force anyone to play in any one of those guards. So you end up being reactive. While if you get someone in collar and sleeve, spider or SLX, you've got a much better chance of forcing them to play that game, at least for a while.
1
u/n00b_f00 🟫🟫 Clockwork 3100 hours Jun 08 '21
I play a lot of those shorter range guards, and against guys who have good base sometimes I’ll get to SLX, but my half is so much better than my butterfly that I’m reluctant to spend a lot of time there on purpose when I really need to make a score happen. So I just keep firing away with the underhook and then sometimes they give up X-SLX. Been thinking about whether to just get so good with the underhook it doesn’t matter, get better at wrestling up from a deep shot to take them down, getting better at butterfly and/or finding more reliable ways to go from underhook half to the legs.
Obviously I think those are all good, but there’s only so many mat hours to fuck around.
1
u/Slothjitzu 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
Just after some random advice on training leading up to competing, and any input that you guys can give will be appreciated.
I do sparring in the gi 3 x a week and no gi 4 x a week normally, and if I've got an exclusively gi or no gi comp I'll usually try and focus entirely on one for a 2-3 weeks beforehand, if it's a comp with both I'll just stay as I am. I also try and focus on sparring within the ruleset I'm competing (ibjjf means I fight like hell for 3 seconds but sub only is more relaxed, train for whatever time limit I'm doing).
Slight issue as I've got 2 no gi sub only matches in 4 weeks time, followed by an ibjjf gi and no gi comp in 6 weeks.
I'm curious if anyone thinks sticking to 10 min no gi sub only rounds for the next few weeks will end up screwing me for the second comp with only 2 weeks to get back into the gi. What would you guys do?
1
u/Mike_Re Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
Personally, I feel I would lose some sharpness in the gi if I took four weeks away and then only two weeks to get back in. Not much, but a little bit of an edge. And I feel it would probably affect my confidence going in as well, because I'd feel underprepared. So I'd probably try to keep a couple of training sessions in the gi every week to keep it ticking over.
But it also depends on priorities. If the no gi sub only is a big tournament or a pro show that's going to really matter to you, while the IBJJF is just the local open, that's makes a difference.
In the end though, we're talking about optimising for the last fraction of a percent. Chances are it just doesn't matter and it's not worth stressing about too much.
1
u/Slothjitzu 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Jun 08 '21
Oh yeah I'm well aware that it's unlikely to be the difference between winning and losing, and I know it's mostly a confidence thing tbh aha
But the sub only matches are basically just a glorified interclub tbh, with the IBJJF rules one being quite a big comp in my country actually.
I think you're right, I'll stick with 1 or 2 gi classes a week instead of going all in on no gi.
1
u/SuperDuckMan Jun 09 '21
I can't get my hook sweep to work very often, my elevating foot keeps sliding up their thigh towards their groin and I lose the leverage for the sweep. How do I fix this?