How do you do it?
One thing I have struggled with most in BJJ is fighting someone I know, let alone a team mate.
I use to be quite friendly before a tourney..running around making friends with my opponents and shit.
Until one day one of my team mates was like: dude, shut the fuck up and quit bonding before you get on the mat.
And I did.
And it worked WONDERS.
When I get on the mat, aside from a handshake I do not want to have anything to do with my opponent until after the match is over.
It gets me in my zone. To where I can focus on the win at all costs.
But you put a team mate on the competitive mat with me and all that psyching goes to shit in a handbasket.
That is why I never do an in-house tournament. And I forfeited a match in the open at last year's NoGi worlds to a girl I knew very well.
This year some changes put myself and 2 other team mates in the same weight class at the ongoing pans, Which would have led to one of us fighting the other. So I did not go. Not the main reason but a big one. I competed for 15 years in a sport where I have never had to go against a team mate. Ever. Not under any circumstance. I am having trouble reconditioning myself.
Not really sure if that is a virtue or a fault. Any feedback and opinions on similar experiences would be much appreciated.
SS
It's just a crappy situation. I've been there quite a few times. I just suck it up and compete.
joshjitsu - It's just a crappy situation. I've been there quite a few times. I just suck it up and compete.
I tried, Doesn't work. At all.
i don't really understand the issue grapplers have with competing against each other unless its your instructor. i can understand how fighters wouldn't want to fight teammates because of the striking.
i'm curious as to what the issue is? the way i look at it is its no different than training hard. i mean i'm sure there are times at the gym when you are going at each other at 100% right? so whats the difference? there are just a few more people watching
I don't have a problem with it at all. It bugs me when people do. We're grappling not "fighting".
Sober - i don't really understand the issue grapplers have with competing against each other unless its your instructor. i can understand how fighters wouldn't want to fight teammates because of the striking.
i'm curious as to what the issue is? the way i look at it is its no different than training hard. i mean i'm sure there are times at the gym when you are going at each other at 100% right? so whats the difference? there are just a few more people watching
I cannot answer that question. Do we go hard at the gym? Sure. Do I go 100% at the gym? Never. I am still learning and the fact that I outweigh and out muscle most men and women in this sport makes it diffiuclt for me to go all out in training for fear of making a mistake that could be detrimental to both myself and my opponent. I roll safe all the time in class and rolling safe generally does not contsitute going at 100%. I am sure someone out there can understand this conflict.
so go 100% from time to time to see that you're not really going to hurt yourself/your teammates? that way you might get around this issue. it would probably be safest for everyone invovled if you did this with upper level belts. b/c even if you can outmuscle them they will be able to use technique to defeat the strength or be smart enough to realize they are in bad spots.
i mean honestly i'm not satisfied with my training session if i don't get in a couple of rolls at 100% or close to it. i'm usually one of the smaller guys in the gym but i prefer for larger/stronger teammates to go 100% b/c it helps me perfect my technique. i mean thats the point of jiu jitsu right? to defeat a larger stronge opponent.
also...you said that these teammates would be in the same weight class right? so they're your "size" even if not your strength etc. you're doing them a disservice if you don't let them train against you going 100% b/c they can learn a lot from having to deal with a stronger opponent.
No the part that sucks is paying money to grapple people that I grapple all the time. That part sucks. 
haha yeah i'd be pissed about that. they usually do a good job of keeping teammates on other sides of the bracket. not sure if they try to do that at those big tournaments or not. but i don't think thats what shes talking about
Sober - so go 100% from time to time to see that you're not really going to hurt yourself/your teammates? that way you might get around this issue. it would probably be safest for everyone invovled if you did this with upper level belts. b/c even if you can outmuscle them they will be able to use technique to defeat the strength or be smart enough to realize they are in bad spots.
i mean honestly i'm not satisfied with my training session if i don't get in a couple of rolls at 100% or close to it. i'm usually one of the smaller guys in the gym but i prefer for larger/stronger teammates to go 100% b/c it helps me perfect my technique. i mean thats the point of jiu jitsu right? to defeat a larger stronge opponent.
also...you said that these teammates would be in the same weight class right? so they're your "size" even if not your strength etc. you're doing them a disservice if you don't let them train against you going 100% b/c they can learn a lot from having to deal with a stronger opponent.
Well I have many factors to take into account when I roll. One of them being the fact that I need to pace myself in order to get some decent rolls in throughout the entire training session. I certainly try not to hold back when rolling with people comparable to me in size however, in my weight class anyone over 163lb is a heavyweight and I am a good 50lbs heavier than our heaviest female. Besides, I dont see how rolling in class translates into competition at all. Complete different mindset.
joshjitsu - No the part that sucks is paying money to grapple people that I grapple all the time. That part sucks.
Oh that too. Especially at a large tournament.
Well Sis steel, mayb u answered ur own question.. Mayb u need to take a couple min out of class to train like u would in tourny. Mayb just few times a week..
Cuz u should train how u would compete if u want to be best. Even if u must roll with someone bigger than u..
The Mongoose - Well Sis steel, mayb u answered ur own question.. Mayb u need to take a couple min out of class to train like u would in tourny. Mayb just few times a week.. Cuz u should train how u would compete if u want to be best. Even if u must roll with someone bigger than u..
I do not train in the same manner I compete. I never have. Usually people get injuired doing stupid shit in training when they try to go all out.
That has nothing to do with getting over the mindset of being unable to compete against a team mate in competition though. I have enough of the best guys pushing me to my limits daily. Rolling aggressively is not the issue here. Its rolling against a team mate in competition. That would usually entail rolling against the same gender.
The best advise is just quit thinking so much and just go. It's just grappling, nobody is getting KO'd.
like my coach says, when you get to that point. It usually means you and your teammate cleared the whole division.
Which means not only have you repped yourself youve both repped your school and your teammates. Probably the best case scenario IMO if you reframe the scenario. Equivalently saying that the final fight of the division is something that occurs daily on the training mats at the school which is probably the best marketing for the school at the tourney.
Of course if its your first fight of the tourney, it sucks badly.
Veek - like my coach says, when you get to that point. It usually means you and your teammate cleared the whole division.
Which means not only have you repped yourself youve both repped your school and your teammates. Probably the best case scenario IMO if you reframe the scenario. Equivalently saying that the final fight of the division is something that occurs daily on the training mats at the school which is probably the best marketing for the school at the tourney.
Of course if its your first fight of the tourney, it sucks badly.
See in the women's ranks there are usually very few of us. So if you have 6 women who registered for a weight class and 3 of them are on the same team...see what I mean?
starhunk - Only time I wouldn't go to a tournament because I'd have to fight a teammate... Is if I knew he was gonna smoke me.
Um... rest assured that that is certainly not the case where I am concerned. :)
Judo Scott - I don't have a problem with it at all. It bugs me when people do. We're grappling not "fighting".
agreed. But then again in judo for instance you compete against academy members at times and nobody gets butthurt when they lose. You share division spots if you are kids as you have no control over your emotions. As a adult, compete to win or don't even show up. Period.
Your team mate called you "dude" ?
Blue belt grappling = Serious business!!!