Does your school prepare you for tournaments

[Lookyoung]

I go to a gracie barra school and I notice are classes do not prepare us at all for tournaments. Our instructors really don't put a big emphasis on competing. Its great working techniques but I feel for a school to have success in tournaments you probably need to pull out the stop watch and train 5 minutes and make it with a ref and point scoring when rolling. Also they should have judo and wrestling classes at the school to prepare you for takedowns (My school doesn't have that. I feel that you will have more success at a tournament if you train with a purple belt as your instructor from your garage with a few sparring partners. My goal is not to win a ton of tournaments but I am going to compete soon and feel that I am not tournament ready.

Does your school train specifically for tournaments or is your school more laid back and is the rolling free? Do your instructors emphasize success in tournaments? At our school they could care less if you lose or even compete?

The advantage to the way my school does it is there are less injuries. The atmosphere is more friendly, and brazilian jiu-jitsu wasn't meant to have a time limit I feel. The way tournaments are set up its more of a wrestling match.

 

[UrbanSavage**]

We do a lot of matches in front of the class where everyone just watches two guys go at it tournament style while my instructor gives away points/basiclly serves as a ref. Doing that definetely helps a lot in getting ready for tournaments. Also, I'll stay after class a lot when wrestlers are there so I can drill takedowns.

 

[codemonkey76]

we learn takedowns in BJJ class, sometimes we will mentally keep score when preparing for comps. Also we do the occasional stand-up sparring, just for the takedown, and then reset on the feet.

Also leading up to comps we will do more positional sparring, start off mounted and work escapes, and once you escape, start mounted again, and stuff like that.

 

[vitor3000]

Nothing like a good shark tank imo

 

[damit2hell]

our school prepares for comps hardcore, and there is a big emphasis on doing well at competitions. From what guests and viewers have told us about our regular classes, we train normally what they do for comps, and when its comp time, it gets pretty brutal cuz our instructors aim is the training in the gym should ALWAYS be harder than any competition

 

[sprite]

only when my instructor "sponsors" a tournament do we prepare. i notice that there are only few tournaments where my instructor tries to rally the dojo. other times when there are tournaments he doesn't "sponsor" he doesn't even say anything.

but i don't need to rely on my school preparing me since i prepare myself.

 

[Halfbreed83]

Yes

 

[BANNANASPLEET]

i prepare myself like a spartan

 

[MokeGrappler]

We do a lot of matches in front of the class where everyone just watches two guys go at it tournament style while my instructor gives away points/basiclly serves as a ref. Doing that definetely helps a lot in getting ready for tournaments. Also, I'll stay after class a lot when wrestlers are there so I can drill takedowns.

Yeah, pretty much the same. And we'll do more cardio.

 

[PhillyD45]

No but we go live for about 45 mins to an hour every class.

It's only once a week so it doesn't help me out with cardio too much.

 

[Mohawk79]

We usually crank things up a month or so out before a competition. We practice a lot of take downs and throws, as well as go for five minute rounds, and sometimes setup matches the same as tournaments and keep track of points. I like it because it helps you get ready to compete, while also getting a really good workout.

 

[irc]

Meh, not really. We have a competition training day once a week, but its no different from doing successive 5 minute rounds. No emphasis placed on strategy or points, etc. We do drill some standup, but it's not enough to actually develop a standup game.

The thing is, most bjj guys are simply not athletes. So if you have a bunch of guys that are not athletes, that don't prepare themselves outside of bjj class, it is kinda hard to have a hard training session because guys just are not ready to go that hard. Really training hard for competitions requires damn good fitness.

I think out insatructors just basically leave it all up to us. They help out here and there, but on the whole really don't care at all.

Also, I think part of this is intentional on their part. My school is successful enough that they don't need to do well at comps. And I think they think that an emphasis on competition can scare people away. I heard one of them mention that sometimes students might leave BJJ entirely after preparing hard for a comp and getting destroyed, and then saying screw it.

 

[STFUjiujitsu]

We do no special preparation for competition. I was taught to never worry about points. If your rolling in an aggressive way You will either get your submission or win off points naturally.

My instructor pretty much says everyday training is preparing for tournaments.

 

[Davebjj]

We just competed in a comp this past weekend. I took 4 place just shy of getting on the podium.

I really noticed the problem in my game is the takedown and getting top position. I like to rely on my guard work too much.

Ive talked to my instructor about starting grappling from standing. The only problem is that standing takes alot of space so it can only be done at the end of class when there is more space

 

[Socal Duck]

In our school the guys that are going get extra attention and work together in mock matches with someone scoring. Our BBs work a lot with us also and the holes in our game.

The mats are set up in tournament squares so it's easy get a feel for the situation. (see pics on the web page San Diego Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu )

It works, I got a silver in the Pan Ams.

 

[Highway0311]

When big Comps are coming up that a good portion of the school is going to compete in yes we will train more specifically for that tournament. Also they will often separate the class and those that aren't competing go over different things.

I like a school that goes over everything take downs, gi, no gi, techniques, drills, etc. Take downs are a pretty important part of grappling in general, not just competitions. If you feel you're lacking either find a different school, Or ask your instructor to go over them more.

 

[krait]

We don't specificall train for competitions unless soemone has alrady signed up for tournament thenselves. If they have then usually the instructor will tailor the classes for those people and if anyone doesn't want to help them get ready they can just go hang out and roll with the white belts.

Typically all the upper belts will pitch in to help get a guy ready. We are a smaller school so everyone knows everyone pretty well.

He's not being a dick to the whitebelts or anyting, just that for people doing tournamnets we'll do a lot of man in the middle , takedowns and stuff like that. Things that 6 month white belt just isn't up for.

We've had a couple of local MMA fighters also come out and want to work their ground stuff for a fight and we'll do the same thing.

 

[Trickster***]

We have a weekly tournament class on Friday nights in which we have matches (point based) start from stand up, work takedowns etc.

I feel like you MUST start from stand up if you want to be ready for a tourney. The match can end very quickly if u get taken down and give up side mount.

My takedowns blow goat! I have a tourney this weekend and I am starting from my ass. I have more confidence in my guard than I do my takedowns and takedown defense. My only chance is a sprawl into a peruvian necktie.