First tourney - tips welcome
- Thread starter Cardio
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What RobT said. I haven't been grappling very long myself, but the guys I roll with have and they always tell me stories. Like, they say you're match is up at 1:00. 1:15 comes around so you jump rope for two minutes to kill some time. 1:45 rolls around, you drink a bit of water. Now it's 2:15 and you're just staring at a wall blankly while thinking about balloons or something.
Matt Thornton
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When's the tournament? If you have plenty of time, start upping the intensity when you train.
Understand that competition is going to be an entirely different beast from when you roll on the mat. I didn't really do any sports (other than Kindergarten-2nd grade) until I started martial arts, so I still struggle with the competition mentality (though I'm getting much better).
Since there's a time limit (I'm assuming), and since the other guy really wants to win, it's going to be INTENSE. When you get onto the mat, be ready to go all out. Be intense, but be smart. You should still be using your techniques, but just be ready to do it with maximum effort, and maximum speed. You're going to be way more tired than you get in the gym.
Eat foods with a low glycemic index, 1 to 2 hours before your first match. If you don't feel like looking up these foods, get something like a Power Bar, Cliff Bar, or Balance Bar (I swear by Balance Bars, they give me so much energy). You need carbs, but carbs that will burn slow. Avoid that energy soda shit. Gatorade and water are fine (but sometimes the competitions are in a basketball-type gym, and you can only have water.) Trail mix is also really good. Remember, 1-2 hours before. That's how long it takes to be digested.
When you're getting yourself pumped up, don't do it too early. Believe it or not, your emotions can actually burn more or less energy, depending on what they are. I usually like to listen to Hatebreed, Throwdown, Killswitch Engage, or other really hard bands. But I used to get myself pumped up from when I got in the car until I stepped on the mat. This really burns your energy. You can't just keep yourself in a rage all day. Stay relaxed until maybe 10 or 15 minutes before your match. Then put in the metal and get yourself pissed.
WARM UP. I can't stress this enough. You should walk onto the mat with sweat dripping from your forehead. To step onto the mat with cold muscles, and then exert yourself to the extreme degree you will in competition will burn TONS of energy, and you'll gas like crazy. You'll feel like crap and won't be able to perform your best. Jump rope, do some grappling drills, jog, whatever. Wear lots of layers so that you get your body heat up fast.
Make a game plan and VISUALIZE. Your plan should not be "I'm going to go out there and see what he does." No. Why should you play his game? You put in your time, your sweat, and your blood, like anyone else, and this is yours. When you're much better than someone, then you can play their game, in the gym, because they can't beat you anyways. But in competition, when you're evenly matched, you need to physically impose your will. Create a solid game plan based on your strengths and weaknesses. For example, my low single leg takedown has caught me in a guillotine twice in competition, because I didn't do it right. So, I avoid even doing those. Create a backup plan for everything that could go wrong. The more intricate and thought-out your plan is, the better chance you have of winning.
Once you come up with this plan, you need to VISUALIZE (for the second time). Run the match over and over and over in your head. Imagine it as vividly as possible. The more times you run through it, and the greater the detail, the more prepared you'll be to call upon your muscles to do it.
Don't doubt yourself. It's easy to do this. You're worried, you don't want to look bad in front of people, we all know how it feels. Have confidence in yourself. Remember that the other guy is nervous, too. He's human, and he's not infallible. You can submit him.
When you step onto the mat, whether you look into his eyes or not is up to you. Wanderlei Silva, as we all know, likes to try to intimidate his opponent. Other guys, like Kazushi Sakuraba, prefer not to look into their opponent's eyes, not because they're scared, but because it's widely believed that it works your nerves up and throws off your focus. It's up to you. When the match starts, remember your game plan. Stick with it. Use all the effort that you have. If something in your plan falls through, don't sweat it, just fall back to the next step in your plan.
Even though you should be going all out, personally, I've found that in grappling, you're better off waiting and anticipating your next move. In wrestling, we go all out, nonstop, but I've found that in grappling, if I just try to muscle through a move without stopping, the other guy knows it's coming, and defends it. If you instead anticipate every part of the move, make an opening or distract him, and then EXPLODE with the move, you have a much better chance of catching him. For example, I wouldn't grab his wrist and just start muscling it back into his chest looking for a triangle choke. He knows it's coming, so he's going to defend. Instead, I'd fake something else, or anticipate the move, and then SHOVE his arm back as fast as I could.
Relax a little bit, and observe your breathing pattern. I've rolled with guys who get so worked up they forget to breathe, or they sound like a suffocating bull. If you breathe, and control your breath pattern, you're going to expend much less energy.
And remember, have fun. I have a blast grappling. I like it so much more than wrestling. Whether you win or lose, just have confidence that you're going to do the best you possibly can, and that you're going to make it a great match. Some of the best matches I've ever been in, I didn't even win. But the match itself was great, and so I was happy. If you lose, don't doubt yourself or your ability, instead, see where you went wrong, shake your opponent's hand, and come off the mat with a smile.
If there's anything I missed, there are plenty of great tips on competition on www.grapplearts.com
Good luck!
Understand that competition is going to be an entirely different beast from when you roll on the mat. I didn't really do any sports (other than Kindergarten-2nd grade) until I started martial arts, so I still struggle with the competition mentality (though I'm getting much better).
Since there's a time limit (I'm assuming), and since the other guy really wants to win, it's going to be INTENSE. When you get onto the mat, be ready to go all out. Be intense, but be smart. You should still be using your techniques, but just be ready to do it with maximum effort, and maximum speed. You're going to be way more tired than you get in the gym.
Eat foods with a low glycemic index, 1 to 2 hours before your first match. If you don't feel like looking up these foods, get something like a Power Bar, Cliff Bar, or Balance Bar (I swear by Balance Bars, they give me so much energy). You need carbs, but carbs that will burn slow. Avoid that energy soda shit. Gatorade and water are fine (but sometimes the competitions are in a basketball-type gym, and you can only have water.) Trail mix is also really good. Remember, 1-2 hours before. That's how long it takes to be digested.
When you're getting yourself pumped up, don't do it too early. Believe it or not, your emotions can actually burn more or less energy, depending on what they are. I usually like to listen to Hatebreed, Throwdown, Killswitch Engage, or other really hard bands. But I used to get myself pumped up from when I got in the car until I stepped on the mat. This really burns your energy. You can't just keep yourself in a rage all day. Stay relaxed until maybe 10 or 15 minutes before your match. Then put in the metal and get yourself pissed.
WARM UP. I can't stress this enough. You should walk onto the mat with sweat dripping from your forehead. To step onto the mat with cold muscles, and then exert yourself to the extreme degree you will in competition will burn TONS of energy, and you'll gas like crazy. You'll feel like crap and won't be able to perform your best. Jump rope, do some grappling drills, jog, whatever. Wear lots of layers so that you get your body heat up fast.
Make a game plan and VISUALIZE. Your plan should not be "I'm going to go out there and see what he does." No. Why should you play his game? You put in your time, your sweat, and your blood, like anyone else, and this is yours. When you're much better than someone, then you can play their game, in the gym, because they can't beat you anyways. But in competition, when you're evenly matched, you need to physically impose your will. Create a solid game plan based on your strengths and weaknesses. For example, my low single leg takedown has caught me in a guillotine twice in competition, because I didn't do it right. So, I avoid even doing those. Create a backup plan for everything that could go wrong. The more intricate and thought-out your plan is, the better chance you have of winning.
Once you come up with this plan, you need to VISUALIZE (for the second time). Run the match over and over and over in your head. Imagine it as vividly as possible. The more times you run through it, and the greater the detail, the more prepared you'll be to call upon your muscles to do it.
Don't doubt yourself. It's easy to do this. You're worried, you don't want to look bad in front of people, we all know how it feels. Have confidence in yourself. Remember that the other guy is nervous, too. He's human, and he's not infallible. You can submit him.
When you step onto the mat, whether you look into his eyes or not is up to you. Wanderlei Silva, as we all know, likes to try to intimidate his opponent. Other guys, like Kazushi Sakuraba, prefer not to look into their opponent's eyes, not because they're scared, but because it's widely believed that it works your nerves up and throws off your focus. It's up to you. When the match starts, remember your game plan. Stick with it. Use all the effort that you have. If something in your plan falls through, don't sweat it, just fall back to the next step in your plan.
Even though you should be going all out, personally, I've found that in grappling, you're better off waiting and anticipating your next move. In wrestling, we go all out, nonstop, but I've found that in grappling, if I just try to muscle through a move without stopping, the other guy knows it's coming, and defends it. If you instead anticipate every part of the move, make an opening or distract him, and then EXPLODE with the move, you have a much better chance of catching him. For example, I wouldn't grab his wrist and just start muscling it back into his chest looking for a triangle choke. He knows it's coming, so he's going to defend. Instead, I'd fake something else, or anticipate the move, and then SHOVE his arm back as fast as I could.
Relax a little bit, and observe your breathing pattern. I've rolled with guys who get so worked up they forget to breathe, or they sound like a suffocating bull. If you breathe, and control your breath pattern, you're going to expend much less energy.
And remember, have fun. I have a blast grappling. I like it so much more than wrestling. Whether you win or lose, just have confidence that you're going to do the best you possibly can, and that you're going to make it a great match. Some of the best matches I've ever been in, I didn't even win. But the match itself was great, and so I was happy. If you lose, don't doubt yourself or your ability, instead, see where you went wrong, shake your opponent's hand, and come off the mat with a smile.
If there's anything I missed, there are plenty of great tips on competition on www.grapplearts.com
Good luck!
ColClaypool
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Dude, Iceman, that should be published. Make it a sticky so no one needs to ask that questions again.
TTT
TTT
S
Soulfly
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+1 Iceman.
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SUM A DAT WUZ KOO ICEMAN, KOO AS AYYCE. seriously, thanx and btw could you give me an example of a gameplan??? Do I imagine faking, going for a takedown, riding the back for a choke, if he blocks the choke, go for an armbar..
D
Dr. BadAss
Guest
Don't be afraid of anything. If you lose, you lose. So what? As long as you had a good fight and learned something, that's all that really matters.
My last competition, I went up against a guy who was a really good wrestler. Before my match, my coach warned me about his single leg take downs. This got in my head. He did get a single leg on me, and ended up in my guard. I went for about 3 or 4 submissions, but they all failed. There was a bit of a scramble and we ended up in my half guard. I'm not that good at half guard sweeps yet, but I could have easily gone to my knees and tried to take him down. But the problem was that in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about how he was a good wrestler and I didn't want to take the chance of him getting another 2 points. It didn't matter anyways because time ran out and he won 2-0.
I wish I had tried to get to my knees because you never know what could have happened. So my point is, don't work your game around his abilities, but your own.
My last competition, I went up against a guy who was a really good wrestler. Before my match, my coach warned me about his single leg take downs. This got in my head. He did get a single leg on me, and ended up in my guard. I went for about 3 or 4 submissions, but they all failed. There was a bit of a scramble and we ended up in my half guard. I'm not that good at half guard sweeps yet, but I could have easily gone to my knees and tried to take him down. But the problem was that in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about how he was a good wrestler and I didn't want to take the chance of him getting another 2 points. It didn't matter anyways because time ran out and he won 2-0.
I wish I had tried to get to my knees because you never know what could have happened. So my point is, don't work your game around his abilities, but your own.
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In my years of wrestling and competeing any many other sports gameplans are generaly a bad idea unless you know your opp. and have studied him. If we watch 5 or 6 matchs on a guy and i know what he does, i'll make a rough gameplan. But dont plan on just going out there and doing things in a set order, just act and react as it come to you. Once you get him in a position of donmence, then worry about how to finish him off. No point if going out knowing what your going to do when he shoots, and then he's a greco or judo guy and tosses ya off the mats. Just go in there relaxed and you sould do just fine.
S
Soulfly
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Cardio said:
Dude.. Just use your imagination. We can't always tell you what to think.
Get ready to hurry up and wait, last tourny i went to I was supposed to begin at 1:00 na ddidn't roll my first match until 8:15, and they started the gi division when I was starting my championship match of no-gi, so I had to pick one, not a hard choice considering I had already made it to the finals of no-gi.
NJCarder
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i've done this before just about every tournament that i could...(this is a direct hit or miss because as everyones said if you have to wait for too long then you are gonna have a hell of a lot of energy for no reason...take two red bulls and a 32 ounce gatorade pour out half the gatorade and pour in the red bull...i prefer the Fierce Grape gatorade cause it masks the horrible red bull taste but it'll give you crazy energy
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Iceman killed this thread....
Matt Thornton
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Kyle Johnson said:
That's cool, I respect your stance on that. But just know that when I say come up with a game plan, the purpose is more for visualization and memory.
For example, I'll say "Alright, I'll move in, clinch, and work for double underhooks." A number of things could go wrong here. Maybe he takes a shot, maybe he's a faster pummeler, maybe he pulls guard. The idea is to come up with an idea of what to do for each situation. It's pretty difficult to come up with an idea for every single possible situation, but the more you plan it out and the more you visualize, the more relaxed you'll be in the fight. In other words, you make the chances of having an "Oh shit, scramble" moment a lot smaller.
My first ever grappling match at a tournament, I really had no plan. I shot for a reeeallly crappy low single that I knew I didn't even have, and got caught in a guillotine. Immediately after that I jumped into another match, which I won, but after that I made a rough plan for myself. I though "Okay, no more low singles. Stick with your doubles, or be safe and clinch high."
So I think you might be misunderstanding me. You don't make a game plan based on how you think the guy fights. You form a game plan that's flexible so that it can apply to as many opponents as possible, whether they throw you with Judo or pull guard on you.
But, you're older than I am, and a fighter (I can't wait, I'll be fighting when I turn 18 in August). What you do works for you. I'm just stating what I've read and what I've seen that works for other people.
Matt Thornton
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NJCarder said:
If that works for you, all the power to you. But I'd really recommend eating low glycemic index carbohydrates, because they burn slow and clean. There are plenty of ways to get amped up without Taurine and Ginseng and loads of sugar. It's different for all people. I guess trial and error is the only thing to really recommend, but just going by how the body uses energy, and how I feel based on what I eat, I wouldn't recommend this alone.
I think if you're going to use drinks like Red Bull or Rockstar or whatever, you should use them in combination with lots of low G.I. carbs. For example, weigh in, eat a power bar, figure out when the matches are supposed to start, and eat some trail mix and energy bars 1.5 to 2 hours before the estimated time of your match. Then maybe, when you're sure your match is in about 15 minutes, do what NJCarder recommended, to give yourself that extra boost. But make sure to back up that energy drink with plenty of good food. And right after your match, recover with real food again, like trail mix.
I've read that Gatorade is more useful after physical exertion; use it after a match. So I usually go by that.
