If any of you are anything like me the days after you compete in a jiujitsu competition are very happy and content days, whether you won your division or got subbed your first match I think its important to recognize that you had the courage to step out on the mats and compete, that in and of itself is praiseworthy. For myself the days are also spent thinking about what I can improve on in my jiujitsu game. I feel like the list is endless but after competing I definately am able to refocus and walk into my next training session with a specific goal in mind.
As is probably obvious I competed in the S7 Submission Grappling Event this past weekend and had a blast. My record for the days was 2 and 3. I took second in the men’s blue belt welter weight division. I didn’t have much success in the Absolute division but I’m still glad I did it.
To give a brief overview, my first match I won via triangle about 50 seconds into the round. I gotta say getting such a decisive win right off the bat felt great. My second match was against a very talented kid who edged me out on points 3 to 2 at the last second. Of all the matches I’ve had this one was by far the funnest, it was very back and forth with both of us on top at some point. I attempted a cross collar choke from guard and he threatened me with a straight ankle lock several times. With about 20 seconds left in the fight he set up a great armlock which I was in the process of defending when time expired. That is a loss I can certainly swallow as I felt that we both fought hard and were competitive. My third fight was against a very tough opponent who had originally signed up in the 30+ blue belt division but since they didn’t have enough competitors in that bracket he stepped down to the 20-29 year old division. This guy was very talented and strong as an ox. I started out by just going to open guard and managed to get a sweep right at the beginning of the round, I quickly passed his guard and went to north/south I spent the rest of the fight transiting between north/south and side control attempting to sniff out my favorite choke. He defended it beautifully and it was all I could do to stay on top as he attempted to escape. I managed to win on points and that got me a silver medal.
My last two matches were in the absolute division and... Lets just say I learned a lot. Both my opponents were very skilled and both had a significant amount of weight on me, my first match I felt like a rag doll getting tossed around, I ended up tapping to a kimura. My last match was a bit more competitive and I was actually up on points before getting submitted with a nice straight arm lock. My opponent pulled guard early and I managed to pass his guard to side control but I made the fatal mistake of not keeping track of my arm as I passed and he capitalized on it. A lesson well learned and props to the other guy. Well played sir, well played...
I think one of the biggest things I learned in this competition was that often times your biggest enemy is you. We question and second guess ourselves and we end up psyching ourselves out but if we step out there with confidence and simply walk out with the knowledge that we do know jiujitsu, that we have trained hard to get here, and that we can impose our will on the other guy then all will be well.
I started out strong in this tournament and I slowly faded out. I could say that I was tired or that the other guys were bigger, stronger, etc but the reality is that I was in control of every fight I participated in and in the fights I lost, I was the one that gave up control. The take home lesson for me is, you start out in control of the fight, and the only one who can really give up that control is you. The other guy can try to take control but if you dictate the fight you will be the one moving forward and he will be backpedaling the whole time. In competition stay on the offensive and attack, attack, attack,never let the other guy get comfortable enough to were he can start attacking. If he is busy defending he probably isn’t thinking about attacking. Keep training all, Peace:)
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