It seems that everytime we talk about BJJ tournaments here, there are complaints about how badly organized they are. And to hear that the Black Belt Open division final (the big one) at this weekends Pan Ams was only starting at 11:15pm on a Sunday night is hard to believe. My own experience of tournaments is not good either....hours of waiting around, no one knowing anything, inexperienced referees, dodgy weight brackets etc.....so...
Are Judo tournaments well organised? Anyone here competed at both? What are your views?
for the most part, judo tourneys are never that disorganized. I have been to some that have been, but nothing on the level of most bjj tourneys I have attended hands down. For instance, I have NEVER heard of a judo tourney starting black belts at night, esp 11:15 pm like in the pan ams or at the arnolds.
Judo tournies run like anything Japanese - a fast moving, efficient, well organized machine.
The judging is almost always spot on and always have corner judges.
they're very cheap too!
I thought that the Pan Ams were pretty well organized, but there was some bs that had more to do with ethics than organization.
From my experience they are well organized. There can still be running behind. I liked the way they were running the last one I went to. It was a small one by comparison to some of the large events out there. Double elimination, running 3 brackets on a mat at a time, so you got a little bit of a rest between fights. Seemed like they were running it very efficiently, but it was behind schedule anyhow probally due to being double elimination, so each bracket took a lot more matches to get done.
Matches can be over quicker though in judo, since you can win by throw and pin as well as submission, so one unlucky or lucky exchange in throws and it's over.
Andre, although you say the Pan Ams were well organized, maybe you mean well run, because I cant imagine a well organized event (especially the biggest BJJ tourny of the year in USA) having finals at 11:15pm on a Sunday night if it was well organized. From the reports I have read, the place was mostly empty and who ever was left actually circled around the mats for Roger vs Xande in the absolute final.
I competed in a judo tourney last year. I think the entry fee was $25 (and they apologized, because it had been lower previously).
It began around 11:00 with the kids divisions, and my division ran somewhere around 12:00 or 12:30. The whole tourney was done by about 2:00, and we went out to lunch.
I later discovered that this was the CT state championships.
My only complaint about the whole thing was that there were not enough adult competitors, so they threw out the weight brackets and put us into a couple divisions of 4 each. I had weighed in at 160 (because it was advertised as the cutoff for lightweight) but then fought 3 guys who were all about 6'2" and 185-195. They all had ridiculously long arms. It was really difficult to grip fight with them.
OK, well, if I had another complaint, it would be that I was trying to finish a gi choke from crucifix when they started awarding my partner "holddown" points. I was watching his head turn purple, but had to release the choke before they gave him the win.
I would totally do a judo tourney again.
Japan=organised
Brasil= disorganised
But isn't this part of the reason we all love BJJ !
Judo = One large organization with voulnteers. Almost every sensei has a day job.
BJJ = Businessmen with selfish interests. Everyone trying to keep what is rightfully theirs.
BJJ could learn a lot from Judo. 2 judges on every mat with the ref and much better organization.
So why then, don't the organizers of the Pan Ams/Mundials/ANY BJJ tourny go along to a big Judo comp and see how it's done. Maybe they just have more voulnteers who also all know what they are doing. Lets face it, alot of the judges/volnteers will have come up through the Judo system they are now running, therefore they run it as they themselves were subject to.....if that's the case, then that's not good news for BJJ as everyone coming up through now would be involved in a disorganized event.
Even small things like in BJJ the refs wearing their jeans and a t-shirt, I mean we should make an effort on every level. Admit it, who's been to a tourny where they don't even have enough refs organized and you see lower rank belts who aren't competing and have never competed, being asked would they mind doing referee....I certainly have seen it.
what CGJJ said.