When To Compete – Nick Albin

I was recently asked by John D, When will I know I’m ready to compete in BJJ?

This is such a common question I get from my newer students who haven’t competed in wrestling or other 1on1 sports.

The people that get into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that have competed in other 1on1 sports know that a part of it is simply doing it. You’re not going to know you’re ready. But you just do it anyways.

This is especially true for your first competition. You won’t know you’re ready for something you haven’t done yet. So it’s only natural that you’re going to second guess yourself and wonder when you’ll feel ready.

So for your 1st BJJ tournament you’re not going to know you’re ready. You just have to get out there and do it.

If you’re one of those people who is a little more anxious or an over thinker. Like me. Then something you can do is make a simple game plan outlining at least one move from every major position. Making sure you have at least 1 takedown, 1 guard pull, escape from every position, a sweep series, submission series.

In essence you want to make sure you know exactly how you will approach the match from start to finish.

You don’t want to start the match and wonder, “what do I do now?”

So there are a couple of tips.