As I mentioned in my Ontario Open re-cap, I went against a very nice woman who had been training for two months. Girl, if you are reading this, I am happy to have met you and I enjoyed talking to you. I commend you for competing, and choosing to do the absolute. I hope you keep training! But you also got me to thinking...
How soon is too soon to compete?
I was not very pleased with how the match against her went, mostly because I wasn't good enough to be comfortably offensive and end the dreadfulness of the match. You see, she was in my closed guard and tried to ezekiel choke me for the whole five minutes. (Well, there was a kimura attempt in there as well.) She also growled almost the whole time. No joke! After about four minutes of the choke attempt, the ref said that she's going to have to try to pass. Instead she kept trying to choke me and that is why I won by ref's decision. It wasn't about anything I did, but what she failed to do.
It's not that I didn't learn anything from the match, I did. But, I have to admit, it left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe two months is too soon?
My first tournament in February was after about a year of mat time, training on average about 2.5 times a week. I probably would have entered sooner, but things just didn't work out with injuries, and a random weekend class that was only once a month but managed to fall on two or three tournament days. (Go figure!)
But how much sooner would I have entered? Judging by how I felt at certain times, I am going to say no sooner than with six months of training. For me, that was sufficient enough time to gain an understanding of what the sport was about both technically and spiritually. (Though obviously I have a lot to learn on both levels.) When I thought about it any sooner than that, the butterflies were unbearable. But this is also coming from the girl who was downright determined not to be a spazz. So a tournament wouldn't have been a good scene for me with my level of docility in the beginning.
On the other hand, tournament rolling is definitely different than club rolling. So maybe it doesn't matter how long you or your opponent have been training. Maybe you should just be able to deal, no matter how spazzy they (or you) are.
So, yes, perhaps I'm being whiny, but there's a part of me that thinks the whole thing could have been a lot more meaningful, such as with more BJJ and less growling! But definitely part of the lack of BJJ was my fault, too, since I wasn't able to deal with it. So, heck, maybe it was too soon for me to compete!
What do you think? After how much mat time did you first compete? Do you think it is possible for it to be "too soon" to jump into the tournament scene? Is there an advantage to competing early on? To waiting?
[Edit: Please read the comments for some excellent discussion on these questions and my own opinions. tl;dr -- compete ASAP!]
[Edit: Please read the comments for some excellent discussion on these questions and my own opinions. tl;dr -- compete ASAP!]
That is a great question. I say as soon as possible. I waited a year and wish I didnt. But I would stress that a mentor must be on hand to help the first timer should they become discouraged or to remind them they aren't Rickson if they win and that they still have to train. Good thing she tried to choke you in your guard, now that you are exposed to it it will never be a surprise to you. Growling? She will drop that Im sure. I competed this past saturday and my performance was awful, I told my opponent Im sorry I didnt give him a good roll. It happens. Glad you are competing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Anon!
ReplyDeleteGood call on the mentor. I think they would be valuable at any stage of the game.
Exactly - it was definitely good exposure! I tried not to be too negative writing about it, because I definitely gained something from the experience, my opponent's time on the mat notwithstanding.
What do you think would be different for you if you hadn't waited a year to compete?
Thats a great question. Thats me up there that posted anon btw. I train under the Serra brothers Matt and Nick and Matt Serra says one tournament equals three months worth of training. I think of that each time I compete now. From March 5 until Sat April 9 I competed 3 times,won some and lost most but learned volumes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I began training bjj I used to swear I would never compete and once I started to it made me appreciate bjj and my training so much more. That is why I encourage new folks at the academy to compete. Like my friend says the idea is to compete, winning or losing is not in the equation. No one who competes sucks.
Each peson I have faced I owe a debt of gratitude to because they hsve made me a better person and bjj guy.
I know too that when I get back home from the competition I am better at bjj and life than when I left.
Nice -- three tournaments in just over a month. You compete as much as my boyfriend does!
ReplyDelete"No one who competes sucks." So true! I definitely have much respect for anyone who does so. It's much easier to not compete. But then you miss out on all the benefits. Considering that the only thing you have to 'lose', really, is money, it is definitely worthwhile.
Competing fostered a greater appreciation of training for me too. Though I learn a lot on tournament days, I think the most notable change for me was in regards to my training leading up to the events. I was training harder, more often, and with more focus. I think that lead to greater improvements. Not to mention, the drive that you have to train after you come back from the tournament is a great motivator and helps target your training even more.
I think everyone should try it whether your first time is after two months of training or two years. Just do it!
Agreed Ashley. Me and my tournament buddies were sitting around talking about our fights and were like 'oh yeah man that dude was tough, oh and so was he and so on...' then we stopped and said "I have never competed against anyone that sucks" We were all in agreement, competitors dont suck haha. I know competing is not a requirement and I used to swear I would never compete but it sure has helped me and my friends. Some matches might go the distance or I might get caught in 20 seconds. Its still three months worth of training:) Whats your next event?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious: why were you averse to competing in the beginning? What made you change your mind?
ReplyDeleteGrappler's Quest Toronto is at the end of this month but I am going to miss it due to moving and funds. (It's $100 for one event...yikes!) It's somewhat of a shame because there will probably be lots of women in it. Instead I am likely going to do a smaller tournament, Kombat Classic, at the end of May. Hopefully some women decide to do that one too!
I take it you have 20 more tournaments lined up before the summer's end? :)
Im not sure why I was hesitant to compete. Nerves I think. Fear. My first tournament when the adrenaline dump hit it scared me and I had to fight to not run off the mat. Seriously. Since then many have told me that is a normal reaction so when it came again on my second tournament I knew what it was and it went away.
ReplyDeleteAs far as changing my mind it was a combination of things. Matt Serra recommends and never pushes competing but he says it is great. I have had the opportunity to train in Rio and a Gracie recommended competition, I visited Team Megaton in Phoenix and many of them compete and Megaton Dias recommended competing. So Matt Serra, a Gracie, and Megaton Dias all recommending competition as beneficial was enough to sell me haha. Who am I to doubt those guys.
Yeah me and my teammates are on a competition caravan this spring and summer. We try to find the cheap ones. Big or small I have learned to be ready because folks come to get it on:) Enjoy the Kombat Classic. That sounds fun. What got you interested in competing?
Awesome. I bet you felt great after your first tournament! I know I felt a huge sense of accomplishment for finally facing tournament nerves. Many other challenges in life pale in terms of difficulty compared to the BJJ highs and lows, that's for sure. I think competing really highlights a mental and spiritual angle of BJJ that is really invaluable in that respect. It is extremely transferable to other things in life.
ReplyDeleteMy first exposure to BJJ was at a tournament, where I was impressed by how friendly everyone was. I think that helped. Similar to you, I was influenced by a respected professor of BJJ. My first BJJ coach made competing seem fricken fantastic. Ultimately, I think it eventually appealed to me, because of this influence, and the fact that I am secretly competitive. I actually blogged about it here. :)
Though, now I am hooked for very different reasons!
I had about 5-6 weeks of formal BJJ training at one academy and another week at my now-home BJJ academy when I did my first tournament. Prior to formalized BJJ training, I had some random nogi rolling in my prior martial art (kajukenbo) so that probably counts for another 3-4 weeks of exposure.
ReplyDeleteI don't think two months is too soon. I think the growling thing is hysterically funny though... and I am wondering why you didn't sweep her or armbar her. Don't take that as criticism-- I was a blue belt for TWO YEARS before I was able to successfully armbar from my guard when someone tried to choke me from within it. Anyway-- think of that match as a useful diagnostic of some things you should work on. And I would suggest working tournaments that are otherwise too expensive to compete in. Email the tourney organizers and tell them you want to work as a scorer or whatever... lots of times they'll pay you plus give you free entry fee.
Kudoes for putting it on the line girl :)
Thanks for the comment, Georgette!
ReplyDeleteI agree; two months isn't too soon. The match was definitely a good lesson for me. I think what I was most frustrated with was that I wasn't aggressive/risk-taking/comfortable/good enough to go for a sweep or armbar. Admittedly, the situation threw me off. I don't like that I wasn't cognizant enough to be more offensive, especially since the growling really ticked me off at the time and made me really want to be able to choke her! hahah Next time.
I know Julia is busy touring the east coast of the USA, but I would be curious to know what she thinks about this, considering her first tournament experience she ended up getting badly injured. (Though I think this was largely due to a number of bad calls made by other people.)
Good point with working the tournament. I know you make this suggestion to people frequently when they gripe about cost! I will be sure to keep this in mind for the future. This time isn't going to work out however...I am moving the weekend of the tournament. Also. The tournament is way too close now for me to be comfortable entering, haha. At the same time, I feel guilty missing out on a potentially large group of female competitors. whomp, whomp.
LOL.... well, good luck with having a smooth move. I know moving is pretty much the armpit of human society. There will be many other tournaments for you :)
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I spent >2 yrs being frustrated with my inability to sweep and/or armbar someone trying to choke me from inside my guard. It's NOT as easy (for me!) as it looks! One thing that helped me... you know how everyone says "move your hips!" Well, let's say you're swinging your head to your right and trying to armbar their right arm... the hip that needs to move the most is your right hip. In other words, it's NOT enough for your LEFT hip to come out from underneath their torso-- but your RIGHT hip has to cross all the way in front of their body and kind of be "poking out" free of the right side of their body in order to really be able to armbar their right arm.
I'm glad I wrote this post! The comment discussion really helped me sort out how I actually felt about it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Georgette. I'm not focussing on the in-guard choke just yet (I still much prefer fiddling with my open guard...) but that sounds like a good thing to keep in mind. One of those little detailed ways of thinking that makes a lot of difference!