The advice may seem very simple but if you follow it you’ll find tournaments much easier to get through and you may even begin to see improvements in your overall performance.

1. Listen to your instructor: Sounds obvious but the amount of competitors I’ve seen who don’t listen to their instructors is mind-blowing. As much as you think you know, you don’t know as much as your instructor. They’re there to help you not hinder you so you’d do well to heed their advice and instruction as 99.9% of the time it’s going to help you win the match.

2. Don’t rush things: Rushing in and looking for early constant submissions or takedowns is a good way to gas out and make yourself vulnerable for the remainder of the match/fight etc. The phrase slow and steady wins the race usually holds true in BJJ and Wrestling. If you can keep the match at a tempo you prefer it allows you to think through set ups takedowns and submissions at your own pace as opposed to split second reactions to your opponents advances.

3. Keep it simple: Combat sports all have their basic move sets and then off of these basics branch more complex techniques. However in sports like Jiu Jitsu  basics will always beat flashy over the top techniques.Control first , attack later!

4. Always warm up: I cannot tell you how hard it is to compete if you don’t warm up properly. Your muscles won’t react as quickly, you’ll be less flexible, more susceptible to injury, and you’re probably going to lose the match you’re in. When you first get to the competition take a light jog around the area for a few minutes, then allow for a good 10-15 stretch, and then do some light rolling with team mates to help acclimate your body to competing. Also stretch before and after each match to help stay limber as you don’t want to cramp up.

General Tips:

Beware the adrenaline dump, whether you like it or not your first match is usually followed by severe exhaustion afterwards.

Go with what you know, if you have good takedowns, try them, if you have a nasty triangle set it up on the ground etc etc.

Work on cardio, most tournament style competitions are long drawn out affairs so make sure you have the cardio to keep up.

Eat healthy and get a lot of sleep the week of the tournament, nothing worse then coming in and throwing up the fast food you just ate.

Have fun! Sounds simple I know but some people treat these tournaments as life or death and competing is less desirable if you can’t have any fun doing it.Try your best out there and you will always win something!!

That’s about all I can do for advice for any of you younger competitors or first timers out there. Here is a cool video from our competition training in the GB HQ this morning. Enjoy 🙂

GB CompNet Staff.