I'm 36, competing in the white belt masters division.
Training a little over a year now, feel pretty good against the white belts in my gym but haven't got to try myself against others. So I really don't know what to expect.
I'm mainly doing this because for some reason it scares me and I just want to set a good example for my son. I can't preach to him if I wasnt willing to do it.
Should I even concern myself with getting the takedown? I feel like my uchi mata and single legs are pretty good but I don't want to wear myself out trying for a takedown.
I feel weakest in side control (bottom).
Any tips?
Stay calm, do not get tense, pay attention to that and stay calm and loose. You tense up you will be gassed and grips fatigues by the first minute.
if u don't have the best take downs go in there and get a feel for him, if u don't think u can get him down or he feels real strong then just pull guard but practice pulling guard, u wanna at least be good at it if u go for it.
but if u go for the take down do not gas yourself out trying to get it. U don't wanna be done before it even starts.
on the mat just stay calm and play your game, be patient and just think it's any other day in the gym, the guys just going super hard.
another thing is don't go in there with big expectations you're gonna win cuz you prolly won't. The first time is just to get a feel for it and some experience. The second and third time u can start expecting to medal. Good luck, the masters division might only be one other guy, just have fun with it and stay loose, that's important.
Go in there and treat it like any other day of training stay calm and stick to what u know best
Have fun. It ain't your career, so...
warm up significantly more than you think is necessary. to me this is the hardest thing for a lot of people. if you don't warm up properly, you will get a lactic acid dump and gas a lot quicker than normal. when I first started competing, I wouldn't warm up a lot b/c I "didn't want to waste my gas tank before competing". this was idiotic and I ended up gassing a lot quicker than I did in the gym.
Sober bathes in the correct
Because of all the adrenaline, your opponent will often feel VERY strong. You'll feel strong to him too. Most guys use 100% of their strength the entire match until they gas. IF you can avoid doing that, it would be good. How well you do usually rests MOSTLY on how well you handle this adrenaline and how good your cardio/conditioning is. How much jiujitsu you know is a distant third.
Adrenaline can also give you "bad ideas"; make you think you can do things you can't ("I'm gonna suplex this dude!"). Resist the temptation to invent on the spot or try out crazy new stuff in a tournament.
Don't worry if your opponent does something you've never seen. It doesn't mean he's better than you or that he knows more jiu jitsu. It just means he is from a different school. You may very well know things he doesn't know. Schools are different and they may emphasize other techniques you are not familiar with. Don't sweat it. You may be doing something he's never seen.
Don't be too concerned if you're winning OR losing. Just try to stay in the moment you are in and continuously ask yourself, "What can I do in THIS moment?"
Listen to your coach and try to do what he says!
Along the lines of what was already mentioned... one of my friends who is a great & successful BJJ coach tells his WB students, "I expect you to go out and lose and just learn what it feels like to be out there. That's it. If something else happens, great." He is all about taking pressure off, which I think is important. I have seen white belts be emotionally destroyed by losing their very first match --which is nuts! You should not "expect" to win at a sport you have never competed in before. So have fun.
Best part is, competing is easily worth a couple months of regular classes. No way you won't learn new stuff.
Awesome advice shen.
Fuck yeah man. Good on yer.
Read shen and listen to your coach. All I would add is don't give up grips from standing. Fight them and blow your opponents initial game.
It's all been covered already but I will give my 2 cents...
Focus on not burning out your grips.
Get the takedown. You're a white belt. (No disrespect)
DO NOT GET STUCK IN SIDE CONTROL
Prep starts a few weeks out.
First you have to tell everyone you know you have a "fight" coming up, people who don't train will need an explanation so tell them "it's like UFC".
Second you have to announce as often as you can that you're cutting weight and make sure you say your doing at least a ten pound water cut.
When you show up to the tournament make sure you have really big headphones on and as a white belt you have to mean mug everyone. Don't forget your pre-rolling workout shake and post match shake as well.
When you get on the mat for your first match remember to look really mean. Remember to forget everything you were taught and basically hug till you fall down.
Being this is bjj make sure you have excuses for if you lose. A good place to start is blaming the ref,after that the next one is to say your opponent was sandbagging. If you lose make sure you apologize to everyone on you team. Even though you don't need to they'll tell you it's ok and it will make you feel better. And most importantly if you lose make sure you give your opponent the greatest compliment in bjj "Boy you sure are strong".
FrancisDingo'dMyHonesty -Prep starts a few weeks out.
First you have to tell everyone you know you have a "fight" coming up, people who don't train will need an explanation so tell them "it's like UFC".
Second you have to announce as often as you can that you're cutting weight and make sure you say your doing at least a ten pound water cut.
When you show up to the tournament make sure you have really big headphones on and as a white belt you have to mean mug everyone. Don't forget your pre-rolling workout shake and post match shake as well.
When you get on the mat for your first match remember to look really mean. Remember to forget everything you were taught and basically hug till you fall down.
Being this is bjj make sure you have excuses for if you lose. A good place to start is blaming the ref,after that the next one is to say your opponent was sandbagging. If you lose make sure you apologize to everyone on you team. Even though you don't need to they'll tell you it's ok and it will make you feel better. And most importantly if you lose make sure you give your opponent the greatest compliment in bjj "Boy you sure are strong".
Hahaha. It is all very true,
Just have fun man and remember, a DQ's not a loss.
Relax, have fun, don't make shit seem like its life and death, and take your time as even w that low time limit it will seem like eternity. Use strategy instead of going buckwild and control your emotions.