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The sport of Jiu Jitsu is both physically and mentally challenging. In fact, many refer to jiu jitsu as physical chess! What is wonderful about this sport is that even if you are physically the best player out there, you can still be beaten by your opponent if he is stronger mentally.
If you go back to the early 90s you can see a great example of this in the UFC fights of Royce Gracie. He was always the smaller and less athletic guy, but he ended up winning UFC 1, 3, and 4. It was amazing and clear that he had skills that other fighters didn't know what to do with.
But what does this mean for you?
Preparing for a fight mentally is as essential as preparing for it physically. Understand what you are good at and what you need to work on. Understand what the other guy is good at and bad at, too. Lay out your jiu jitsu plan that is going to benefit what you are good at and prey on what your opponent is bad at. Then, all you have to do is make it happen.
If you are a small and fast guy, don't play bottom against someone much stronger. If you are heavy, be sure to utilize your weight when playing top. If your best submissions are arm bars, stick to them and make them even better!
Now don't mistake this tip for making your game one dimensional focusing only on what you are good at. Your jiu jitsu foundation should always be as broad and deep as possible so you understand the full breadth of your art. Instead, use this as a motivator for actually thinking about how you approach competition and live training. If you use your brain you'll be ahead of half of the other guys out there!
I suggest you write the following down on paper: your strengths, your weaknesses, your top two specific techniques you want to work on. Now practice the two you want to work on. And after every roll, see what falls under your strengths and weaknesses. Once these are written down you are committed, so hold yourself responsible for working on them.
If you go back to the early 90s you can see a great example of this in the UFC fights of Royce Gracie. He was always the smaller and less athletic guy, but he ended up winning UFC 1, 3, and 4. It was amazing and clear that he had skills that other fighters didn't know what to do with.
But what does this mean for you?
Preparing for a fight mentally is as essential as preparing for it physically. Understand what you are good at and what you need to work on. Understand what the other guy is good at and bad at, too. Lay out your jiu jitsu plan that is going to benefit what you are good at and prey on what your opponent is bad at. Then, all you have to do is make it happen.
If you are a small and fast guy, don't play bottom against someone much stronger. If you are heavy, be sure to utilize your weight when playing top. If your best submissions are arm bars, stick to them and make them even better!
Now don't mistake this tip for making your game one dimensional focusing only on what you are good at. Your jiu jitsu foundation should always be as broad and deep as possible so you understand the full breadth of your art. Instead, use this as a motivator for actually thinking about how you approach competition and live training. If you use your brain you'll be ahead of half of the other guys out there!
I suggest you write the following down on paper: your strengths, your weaknesses, your top two specific techniques you want to work on. Now practice the two you want to work on. And after every roll, see what falls under your strengths and weaknesses. Once these are written down you are committed, so hold yourself responsible for working on them.
About the Author:
While John normally sells for used autos in Houston, he loves to practice martial arts and lives that passion. Just remember to give him a shout if you are ever looking for Houston used auto sales!
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