The hack for quick progress

You've probably heard it before:

“There are no shortcuts. You just have to make a lot of mistakes.”

Yet we don't completely agree with that. There is indeed a shortcut. And that shortcut is: competing. We see that our members who compete often make progress faster than the rest. But why is that? There are 4 reasons.

  1. Focused training
    As soon as you schedule a competition, you'll notice that you train more focused. Not just being present to be there, but trying to get as much out of each session as possible.
  2. Training as a way to improve
    A problem you see in many gyms is that sparring is seen as the competition. This is often in schools where few or no competitions are held, and it's a recipe for injuries. When you participate in competitions, you learn that your teammates are your teammates, not your opponents. You're all there in training to get better.
  3. Clear benchmarks
    A competition gives you a clear benchmark. During training, you train with younger, older, heavier, and lighter partners, who may also have significantly more or less experience. In a competition, you compete at your own weight, gender, level, and age. There you can see exactly what your weak and strong points are.
  4. Choices outside the mat
    Competitions also greatly help with your choices outside the mat. A beer or a cola zero? Staying up all night or showing up at the open mat on Sunday? With a competition on your agenda, those are easy choices.

That's why the boys and girls who compete often make progress faster. But, of course, don't feel obligated. There are plenty of people who become very good and train with a lot of joy without competing. It's not for everyone. But if you're looking for a quick hack to improve, this is the best we can offer you. Besides our açaí, of course.

Written by Daniel de Groot, 1st degree black belt and head coach at Haven BJJ