We continuously receive questions from our members about how they can prepare for their first competition. In this video, we give you 10 essential tips to make your first competition a success.<\/p>\n
1. Read the rules
\n<\/b>First and foremost: read the tournament rules. Each organization has slightly different rules. You need to know how to win, what is allowed, and what is not. Are you in doubt? Ask your coach for clarification.<\/p>\n
2. Gameplan
\n<\/b>Create a simple gameplan. The most important thing is that you know how to start the match.
\nCan you consistently make takedowns on training partners of your weight during training? Then you can start standing. If not, it\u2019s smarter to pull guard and work from there. Choose a guard that you feel comfortable with and perfect it. Give yourself a mini-camp of 6 weeks where you consciously apply your gameplan during sparring.<\/p>\n
3. Know when you are ready
\n<\/b>This varies per person, but we recommend at least 6 months of experience. Additionally, you should be comfortable in mixed-level classes and be able to participate fully without rest rounds. If you can keep up well with people of similar weight at white belt level, and maybe even blue belt, then you are ready to compete.<\/p>\n
4. Outfit
\n<\/b>Read the rules for the details. A white, blue, or black gi is always good. For no-gi, some competitions require a rashguard in the color of your belt, others do not. We recommend wearing Haven BJJ team gear. This way, coaches can recognize you more easily when you step onto the mat. Especially useful at tournaments with many Haven participants.<\/p>\n
5. Don\u2019t cut too much weight
\n<\/b>This is often where things go wrong. People watch too much UFC Embedded and think they need to cut weight like a pro. That is not necessary. In BJJ, there is no weigh-in the day before the competition, and you are not a professional athlete. Compete as close to your natural weight as possible and cut a maximum of 1 to 2 kilos, especially for your first competition.<\/p>\n
6. Choose the right tournament
\n<\/b>Do your first competition close to home. Save distant tournaments for later. This reduces travel stress and ensures that there are enough coaches and teammates present to support you. Try, where possible, to compete in tournaments where you are sure of more than one match. At this stage, it\u2019s all about gaining experience: the more, the better. The tournaments we focus on are shared every week at the bottom of the newsletter. Choose one from that list, and you can be sure a coach will be present.<\/p>\n
7. Be on time
\n<\/b>Make sure you arrive at least 2 hours before your first match, preferably even earlier. Even if the train is not running, your car breaks down, or you forget your gi, you will still be on time. Being on time takes away a lot of stress.<\/p>\n
8. Listen to the coaches
\n<\/b>Our coaches have coached thousands of matches and have personally competed in hundreds. It would be a shame not to use that experience. Look for moments in the match to slow down and listen to the coaches. One of the biggest predictors of success in jiu-jitsu is how coachable you are.<\/p>\n
9. Bring food and drinks
\n<\/b>But don\u2019t bring everything at once. Better to be shy than to be shy.
\nBring snacks, drinks, and lunch, but keep it light. A full stomach is asking for trouble. Small bites, small sips. Save the big meal for after your matches (or better yet: even then in moderation).<\/p>\n
10. The most important thing: have fun
\n<\/b>You choose this for yourself, so don\u2019t suffer \u2014 enjoy. No one cares what happens in your first match. It\u2019s all about experience.
\nI didn\u2019t win a single match until I had been a blue belt for over a year.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all you need to know for your first match.<\/p>\n
Have fun and good luck competing!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We krijgen continu vragen van onze leden over hoe ze zich kunnen voorbereiden op hun eerste wedstrijd. In deze video geven we je 10 essenti\u00eble tips om van jouw eerste wedstrijd een succes te maken. 1. Lees de regels Allereerst en het allerbelangrijkste: lees de regels van het toernooi. Elke organisatie hanteert net andere regels. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n