My First BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) Competition Experience After 8 Months in Training
Can a novice Asian female in her 30s compete in a BJJ tournament?
When I joined a BJJ gym nearby home, I did not know anything about Jiu-Jitsu. I never practiced martial arts nor competed in any physical matches in my whole life. I was a typical Asian female in my 30s with some grit to try anything on my mind. I never knew I was one of those who loved to compete in a BJJ tournament until I got myself to the mat.
The Preparation
After a few months into BJJ training, I realized that I had lean muscle mass in my body, which was crucial to protect me from getting hurt. BJJ requires lots of strength from your own body, which comes from your built-in muscle groups. Then, I signed up for individual physical training sessions with a professional personal trainer on top of BJJ training. I did physical training one to two times a week and BJJ three to five times a week. The BJJ class session included one hour of didactics and practice, followed by one-hour sparring sessions. On some days, I attended two class sessions because it was that fun and as long as my body could tolerate that amount of training. During these sessions, I learned to control, sweep, defense, and get to a submission. I was in an inferior position most of the time, especially for the first few months. As time passed, I got better at techniques like Lasso, De La Riva, and Spider from defense positions. I practiced a lot of knee-slide and toreando passes from the top position. I am still White Belt with three stripes, so I have not mastered any of these moves, but I thought I was good enough for the first competition.
The Competition Day
I fought in the 58.5kg White Belt Female division at one of the national BJJ tournaments in South Korea. I fought for five minutes, and it was the fastest five minutes ever. We started from a standing position, and I got my opponent’s collar and sleeve. She attempted to take me down first, but I stood firmly, and no one immediately initiated the guard position. I scored two points for the takedown after one minute mark. Then, I tried triangle for submission twice at the beginning of the match. After the submission attempt, I lost all of my energy as I didn’t realize that making a submission attempt takes a lot of strength that you will need later on. I lost the game by 4:10. She had more energy leftover as the game went on. It was my biggest mistake — do not try a submission attempt at the beginning of the match unless you are 100% sure to get her submitted with that one attempt.
Afterward
Right after the match, I was in sweat top to bottom, and my heart was pumping at a fast speed as I could hear it. I thought that winning was not the point, but learning and having fun was my goal to attend my first BJJ competition. Although the competition room had only a few staff members and competitors in my division, the whole game was live broadcasting via YouTube. Some of my friends at the gym texted me that they were watching and cheering me at their own homes. The competition did not allow visitors due to COVID-19. The following week, I went back to the gym like usual and continued my BJJ training to prepare for my second tournament coming up a month after.
In Conclusion
BJJ is a highly challenging sport that requires physical, mental, and intellectual strength. I can’t forget that thrill and excitement from my first competition. I believe that competition is a great way to improve your BJJ game and improve your mindset. I wish I started this sport early, like before my 20s, because I would have more time to enjoy this fun sport.
I kept this mindset throughout: I didn’t lose. “I either win or learn.”
Please applaud me if you liked this post! :)
