With a lot of tournaments coming up soon, it’s been a lot of fun getting myself prepared and watching my teammates prepare for their tournaments. Tournament preparation creates a really cool environment when everyone is working hard towards a common goal.

The process of tournament preparation is so interesting to me. The way we peak at a certain time and try to capture ourselves in a most prepared moment is a skill I have not yet mastered. One element of preparation is mental. I think many people start to feel nervous about competition as we get closer to game day and everybody’s mental preparation seems to be a little different and unique. This nervous energy is a great force to be captured and channelled in a way that helps us prepare ourselves.

In general I think most people are nervous about results, the win or the loss. When thinking about the big picture tho, the result of the tournament is almost irrelevant. Everybody wants to win, including me but winning or losing the tournament isn’t what makes us grow as martial artists. When we lose, there are always big lessons to be learned. These lessons help us get better. However, where we really grow most is during the preparation. I think many people forget about this. That extra focus, drive, and determination that we have when getting ready to compete seems to be impossible to replicate in casual training. For me, the fear of not working harder than my opponents and the fear of losing makes me push myself harder when I know I have committed to a tournament.

I look forward to competing at my next tournament and am excited for all of my teammates as they prepare for different events. The overall experience of competition is difficult to compare with other things in life. The tough training leading up to game day, the nerves and excitement right before stepping out to compete, the fast paced battle on the mat, and the way I grow and get better from my experiences are all things that I love about Jiu Jitsu competition.

Coach Danny