Tournament Jitters

Lately I've had the opportunity to train with people from several different BJJ schools. During that training I've heard talk of different people getting ready for or considering competition. There was chatter about everything from Chicago IBJJF Pan Am, NAGA, Arnolds, BBJJO (Bluegrass Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open), and even some facebook chatter about Grappler's Quest. That's a lot of different tournaments from within such a small BJJ community. Of these people, most of them are not seasoned veterans and they probably get competition jitters.

I assume that most people are effected by tournament jitters to some degree. I also assume these people would like some help with controlling their minds and getting into the right mindset when it's time for battle. When I competed in BBJJO, NAGA, & our local Chokefest I was a mess. Before my tournaments my heart starts racing, my mind starts acting superstitious (which is ridiculous), I start doubting myself, and just before my match begins I start breathing heavy. Of course all of this is involuntary, it's my body's natural reaction to getting ready for combat  as "fight or flight" starts to kick in. I've tried to work on this myself and although a little better now than in the beginning, I still have a long way to go.

Recently I came across a product called Black Belt Psychology that may help out. I haven't purchased it yet but plan to as soon as the funds will allow. At first I thought this was just another entrepreneur trying to sell another BJJ gimmick but it has reputable names associated with it. Click here and to see the video that has testimonials from well known MMA trainers and to see the review from Gracie Magazine.

If you have problems with competition jitters then this might be a good solution to working them out. If you do purchase it, please send me your review of the system and I'll post it on here for others to see.


Click here for previous post on "Burpees for Grappling."