This weekend several of my teammates are competing at the BJJ US Open XIV in Santa Cruz, California. I am rooting for them from far away, but I know they have prepared well for this event. I wish I could be there with them competing. I have a feeling one of my teammates is going to be getting his purple belt here real soon.
When I return back to the states, I plan to start competing more often. I think it is important for all BJJ practitioners to compete in tournaments and main events like the BJJ US Open. One thing I like about competing is whether the outcome is a win, lose, or draw, you always learn something about yourself and your BJJ skills.
I still remember losing at the Oregon Open 2008 to something that should not have been too difficult to get out of. No one even really saw what happened. I tapped to a reverse triangle. I know you are probably saying to yourself, I could have got out of that one. I know. But, it was a good experience, and one thing I came away with, well there were actually a few, but one that I will always remember is that I should compete more often.
My record is 2-1. But, who really cares. What I want is to be a BJJ Black Belt someday. You want to know who lost a whole lot matches, yet became a BJJ World Champion, Felipe Costa. He has a great story and I hope to attend one of his camps someday.
So, if you are on the fence about competing, let me encourage you to get out there and compete. Whether you win, lose, or draw, you will be proud of yourself for doing it. Get out of the stands and onto the mat and like my instructor Roy Dean likes to say, “Discover Who You Are”.
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