Within the realm of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu there is a natural need for competition. While not every student will want to go on to compete in tournaments, providing a platform for those who do, both as recreational and professional athletes, is an essential component to building a strong Jiu-Jitsu organization.

First brought to the Gracie Barra mats in 2008, CompNet (Competition Network) tournaments offer valuable opportunities for students, athletes, Instructors, and School Owners. These tournaments, organized by Gracie Barra, are professionally operated and support the core values of Gracie Barra.

The Value of Competition

The Latin roots of the word compete mean to strive together. Yet recently there is much conversation about what role, if any, competition should have in society. Indeed some communities are turning childhood sport teams into even playing fields, in every sense, and doing away with keeping score or declaring “winners”. Despite this almost fear of competition, research and evidence shows that competition, when pursued in healthy contexts, offers many benefits.

One such supporting theory about healthy competition is known as the contesting theory. This theory says that we can look at contests in one of two ways:

1. A form of battle or war, where the contest is not about the pursuit of excellence, but about demonstrating the ability to be victorious.
2. A form of partnership in which the individuals competing promote some form of excellence. The effort of each participant to defeat the other is actually a mutual exchange in the pursuit of excellence during the competition.

Continue reading the exclusive article CompNet – Tournaments for Building a Competitive Spirit at vhq.graciebarra.com