Competitors vs non-competitors?

[Graciebarra 847]

Is there a huge difference between the skill levels and athleticsm of the competitors vs non-competitors at your academy?

I would say there is a big difference at my academy how about yours?

 

[rkobo719]

Athleticism- yes. Skill- No.

 

[Chalito]

Intensity, aggressiveness and an overall will to win. Usually thats what separates a competitor from a regular person.

 

[YeahBee]

no, there are a few guys that I think should compete, but we are not pro athletes, life gets in the way

 

[lechien]

Skills - yes
Althetism - Yes

 

[Sloth]

Athleticism sometimes, skill no. Also, there are guys who compete but are not competitors, imo.

 

[armtriangle]

Not really. At white and blue, yes. At purple-black, no.

 

[neomage2021]

My gym is mostly competitors. The non competitors aren't any where near as regular on their attendance as the competitors. At my gym the skill and athleticism between competitors and non competitors is huge.

 

[Half Amazing]

Yes IMO there is a difference both athletically and skill wise between the 'train everyday competition' guys and the 'train once or twice a week recreational' guys, even if they are technically the same belt level.

 

[hackenbush]

What about difference in age? I find younger people are more interested in competing.

 

[chris1190]

At my skill their is a massive difference between competitors and non competitors, the competitors train very hard every day, often twice a day, alot of them get in over 10 training sessions a week. The others who train 3-5 times a week just can't keep up. Our competitive blues can easily beat most of the non competitive purples, and the competitive purples can handle a lot of the black belts, so yeah, major difference.

 

[redaxe]

Yeah, the guys who compete seem more motivated and better able to perform under pressure.

We do have a couple of mat rats who have colored belts and do great rolling in class but don't compete because of lack of interest, other commitments, or just plain nerves.

And then the black belt instructors don't usually compete because they are too busy teaching/coaching/cornering/refereeing and there's hardly anyone else for them to compete against anyway

 

[armtriangle]

At my skill their is a massive difference between competitors and non competitors, the competitors train very hard every day, often twice a day, alot of them get in over 10 training sessions a week. The others who train 3-5 times a week just can't keep up. Our competitive blues can easily beat most of the non competitive purples, and the competitive purples can handle a lot of the black belts, so yeah, major difference.

A lot of our competitors are 3-5 per week guys. Actually 5x per week would be the very high end (maybe a few guys that train every night of the week). I train 2-3x per week, I compete whenever possible though.

 

[Brian2]

we all train together and learn the same things. The difference between our competitors and people who just train is typically mat time.

 

[Graciebarra 847]

At my skill their is a massive difference between competitors and non competitors, the competitors train very hard every day, often twice a day, alot of them get in over 10 training sessions a week. The others who train 3-5 times a week just can't keep up. Our competitive blues can easily beat most of the non competitive purples, and the competitive purples can handle a lot of the black belts, so yeah, major difference.

I would think it's like this at most schools! The purple belt who constantly wins major tournaments would probably be better than most blackbelts who don't compete or have lost that competitve spirit!

 

[JerseyTrash]

There's often a skill difference, in my opinion. People may want to deny it, but instructors often hold their guys back a little in regard to competition. They don't want a mid ranked blue belt, they want a 1st place blue belt.

 

[nefti]

being assertive with their games is the major difference. A competitor has his game and will try his best to assert his will over his opponent, most non competitors don't have this mentality. Don't get me wrong, some do. Competitors often have competition class that helps them also. But I will say this.

If there is a large gap technique wise between guys who compete and guys who don't and they train the same ammount... I would not consider that a good school

 

[KahleyTriangles]

Of course there's going to be a gap in skill.

Your competitor will be doing everything in his/her power to get a competitive edge. This can include, going to more BJJ sessions, going to wrestling/judo classes, eating a strict diet, running or doing extra cardio, and weightlifting.

Your weekend warrior will most likely do 1 maybe 2 of the above.

Technique may be the same, but the competitor's physical attributes/mental focus will give them an edge whenever they roll.

 

[FuneralPyre]

Yes to both skill and athleticism. People who compete are just better on average. That doesn't mean that the best guy at a ranking is a competitor though. Our school's best blue is not a competitor. So it's not that the competitors are the best in the class but they're usually above average for their ranking.