Can I get Good at BJJ without Competing ?

A common question that gets asked by newcomers to BJJ is whether or not you have to compete to be good at Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

This was the exact question I received from one of the viewers. He's curious whether or not he has to compete to become good at Brazilian Jiujitsu.

In the video I share my thoughts on whether or not BJJ competitions are a must for progression in the Martial Art / Sport.

I also touch on the ideas of how I think tournaments and competitions can be beneficial to someone's progression if not entirely a necessity.

I know that wrongly when I was a White Belt in BJJ. I thought that you had to do BJJ competitions.

As I've gotten older with years of experience under my belt I've realized the error of this thinking.

If you're someone who is interested in BJJ competitions or curious about their necessity , I hope this video is helpful to you!

Thanks for watching!
-Chewy
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If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.

[tamara]

I was a national competitor in both gymnastics and spring/platform diving all through out my childhood and throughout high school. I turned down scholarships because I had decided college wasn’t for me and choose to go into the Marine Corps. I say all of this because I have been training in jiujitsu for about a year and a half. I haven’t competed because I didn’t see the point since at my age I’m too old to take it to another level other than just casual competitions. A buddy at my gym just did a competition recently and I asked him why since he is 10 years older then me. His reply changed my mind. And it was very similar to some of the things you just said. One thing he said is that he wanted to feel the thrill of competing again. To pressure test your knowledge and techniques. So I will be doing my first competition in April! Love your talks, drills and training keep it coming. Thank you for all you are doing.

[ALECSF]

Competing usually makes me better, even if I lose. It’s weird

[JordanHix]

One of the most valuable things I've gotten from competing is learning from my losses/mistakes. Losing in competition shows you the holes in your game that you were probably unaware of. Once you're aware of the holes, you can begin work on fixing them and improving your overall game.

[mybjjdiary]

Been training 15 months and competed 4 times. Love it. Learnt a lot at comps. Made good mates. I have to admit I have a little bit more respect for my team mates that put themselves through the pressure of competition. As opposed to other team members that go all out on lower belts on the mats but never put themselves out there. It’s not easy. It takes guts. I respect that.

[matthewlaplant]

I haven’t competed in tournaments but train 2-3 times a week for a couple years. I have found that I lack a reason to train at times, which causes my desire to train to wane. However, that disappears when I am helping others prepare for a tournament. Thus, the tournament gives you a reason to get better (or a goal). Your thoughts are spot on Chewy and I appreciate that you’re addressing it.

[shanenewell]

that happens to me ina tournament, i had a guy beat beat on points and with in the last few seconds he submits me with a rare nicked choke, i did-dent realize time was almost up, but i never got rare naked choked again. except from some very experience bjj guys. you win or learn.. I would advise every one compete at some point in there jiu jitsu jurney, but enjoy the experience, dont take it too serious and always support your team member who do compete regularly. great vids chewey..

[SonnyBrown]

I think it's a great idea to help other people in your gym get ready for competition. It makes you a good teammate and you still get hard competitive rolls.

[MegaMrsuperawesome]

I've never done bjj before but this transfers over to all martial arts and you're just awesome as hell.

[joshlcaudill]

This is a pertinent question for me because my Saturdays are taken for spiritual reasons and it seems that all bjj tourneys at least start on a Saturday.

[raywill]

Question: what is the most important thing you’ve learned about being an instructor? I want to start teaching more consistently at my school and I need all the help I can get.

[mgojich]

Every time I compete I learn something big.

[zivot]

In my opinion you do not need to compete to be even the best at it.. my main focus is learning and improving with training camps.. Also main part of being good how coach Zahabi said is IQ.. and i can confirm that since my aproach to bjj is way over the most of the people who get into it or train even for ages.. I try to understand all aspect of the move. I like bjj as a game.. but all depend what do you want to do or for what do you have time

[mysticnal]

I've been training Muay Thai for years and got bored, I think I need to find something new. I want to start train BJJ but I'm 26 yo. Am I too late?

[asdfkhieee]

I have a major injury (Shattered Forearm) from when I was young that if I went full out with someone I could re-injure, and it cost me 150, 000 to fix last time so I don't even want to know what it cost if I hurt myself again. I also can't be missing work do to a major injury. Got a wife and kid to feed.

[MrDanielWP]

I suspect that competitions offer a chance for validation and it exposes you to new people with styles. That WILL give you information that can help you. Spoken as a novice at BJJ, but have some experience with such things as competitions.

[justinbutcher]

This video makes me really want to compete now.

[athay]

DUDEBRO when do you know when you're ready to compete? Im guessing you're never really ready but any general points would be appreciated. White belt with less than 2 months training. Just want to experience a comp to figure out if its for me. Thxs.

[richardlancelot]

I'll be having my first competition ever in around two months, a no-gi IBJJF-rule tournament plus a minus 72.5kg open. It's weird, because I have never(or barely ever) competed in any kind of sport let alone grappling, so I imagine this will be a huge step outside my normal comfort zone. I'm super-excited in a way, but I know that I will be extremely nervous as well.

I'm not sure where to stay mentally though. I'm quite quiet and humble about my BJJ, I don't like to brag etc, and I often think to myself that I will be happy if I just survive for a minute or two... But part of me also knows that the right mentality is probably to be more self-confident(which I'm definitely not, I hate myself), and to think that I'm gonna win the whole thing, and go into each match with that mentality... This combined with potential expectations about how things will go has messed with my head a lot. Any tips? Sorry about the long rant.

[leonardofavaretto]

Another benefit from competing: not think that you are less skilled because you don't compete.

[davewinston]

My school dont give a stripe if you dont compete... there is this guy at my gym almost 2yrs with no stripe but so tough. What do you think of this chewy?