I was talking with a white belt after class the other evening. He had only been training for a few weeks, was curious about competing, and wanted to know what I thought.
As someone who competed in his first jiu-jitsu tournament less than a month after his first jiu-jitsu class, I was more than happy to help.
Below is a summary of what I shared:
The Six Things You Need to Compete in Your First (and Last) Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
1. A way to get the fight to the ground
2. A way to reverse from the guard
3. A way to pass the guard
4. A way to get to your dominant position
5. A way to finish from your dominant position
6. A way to recover your guard if you lose it
That's it. It is very easy to overthink things. But if you boil down any sport into its essentials, you'll find a breakdown that's comparable.
What makes the sport beautiful are the near-infinite variations on these goals that individual competitors pursue. But make no mistake: these are the goals, and if you have a sound, practiced way to achieve them, you'll be surprised at how successful you are when the referee shouts, "Combate!"
