Competition

Your First BJJ Tournament: What You Need to Know

November 07, 2024 5 min read

I remember it like it was yesterday. Five of my friends (with very little wrestling and jiu jitsu experience) decided to sign up our first BJJ tournament in Lansing, Michigan.

We were all ecstatic to compete, but dread soon followed when we realized we had no idea what we were doing.

With only one month to prepare, we looked up the highest percentage submissions and drilled them every day until the tournament.

Long story short, we showed up in Lansing, we all made weight, and we competed hours later. Four out of five of us ended up getting medals, with one even winning gold!

We performed decently, but looking back years later, I realized two main things.

One, that tournament was the easiest in history.

And two, we did so many things wrong. Nearly everything, for that matter.

Now, after competing in over 15 tournaments and winning a medal in each one, I can tell you all the things you should know before your first BJJ tournament.

Are you ready?

I am not a believer in waiting until you are “ready” to compete. You will never be truly ready, and readiness is subjective anyway.

If you feel comfortable on the mats even a little bit, you should compete. This means understanding when to tap to an armbar, what your primary takedown is, what your favorite submission is, etc.

Competition is an extreme catalyst for progress. Compete as soon as you can.

Where to Find Your First Tournament

Now, where to find your first BJJ tournament. The first place I would look is SmoothComp. This will give you a massive list of all the tournaments around you.

Before you just choose the first tournament you see that is closest in proximity or date, be aware of the different tournament brands and their difficulty.

Brands that are easier: Fuji, GrapplingX, Grappling Industries (medium difficulty), AGF, or any local tournaments.

Brands that are harder: NAGA, Jiu Jitsu World League, IBJJF, ADCC.

If this is your first jiu jitsu tournament, avoid the hard list and look for a tournament that is close enough to you and entry-level enough.

How to Prepare

As you prepare for this tournament, there are four main things you need to focus on: the scoring system, your wrestling ability, your primary submission, and your primary takedown.

There is much more that goes into competing, but you can compete with knowledge in these areas coupled with training.

If you have a place to train or mats at home, perfect. Find a friend or several who are willing to help you prepare (or preferably compete as well) and train these four things as well as other common BJJ positions.

If you want a guide on how to train 6-8 weeks before your jiu jitsu tournament, click here to read our guide

Weight Class

If this is your first tournament and you have never cut weight, do not choose a weight class where you have to.

It will be a nightmare.

Choose a weight class that is either above your weight or one that is 5 lbs or less below your hover weight.

If you have to cut some weight before the tournament, refer to this article where we go over how to cut weight properly before a tournament.

Matches

When you show up at the venue and weigh in, the first thing you should do is check SmoothComp, or whatever website the tournament info is on, and see around what time you will be competing and on what mat.

Jiu jitsu tournaments move fast and sometimes unpredictably. Sometimes it will say you’re scheduled for 4:35, and then it jumps to 1:30! You have to be ready to compete at any time. Smaller tournaments are especially notorious for this movement of times.

As you are in your match, keep your calm. You do not want to exhaust yourself in the first minute trying to snap your opponent through the mat. Take your time, be patient, try to get reads on your opponent, and work your offense.

Remember this: over 80% of the time, the person who gets the first takedown wins.

Rest After Matches

Another thing to consider is the time of the match and the rest time afterward. Each match (in beginner) is only 5 minutes. And you are only guaranteed 5 minutes rest after that match. For those who haven’t competed before, that is NOT much.

Sometimes you will get more time, and sometimes not. You have to be ready to go again quickly. That is why conditioning is so important.

Conclusion

Competing is a skill in itself. This article alone will not get you to master the skill of competition. However, this is a good start for those who want to get into competing for the first time.

We wish you all luck in your first BJJ tournament! You’ll do great.

Or maybe you won’t, and that’s okay!

BJJ is a long, long journey with many ups and downs, many wins and losses. But that is the beauty of it. It teaches you so much about yourself. And specifically, competition reveals even more.

Enjoy the fight!

FAQ

Porrada is a Portuguese term commonly used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Brazilian culture to describe a tough, intense, and gritty style of training or fighting. The direct translation of porrada from Portuguese to English is "beating" or "brawl." It embodies the spirit of going all out, giving your maximum effort, and pushing through challenges. In BJJ, practicing porrada means training with high intensity and determination.

This website is a collection of resources curated by grapplers, for grapplers. Our goal is to provide you with all the information you need to succeed. Whether you want to learn about nutrition, training on the mats, lifting, or anything in between, we are here for you. We want to see you on the podium most of all, and we hope to help you do exactly that. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email or DM us on any of our social profiles!

There are two main ways you can get started with training: 1) You can find a BJJ gym near you and do a trial day, or 2) you can create your own mini home gym and start training with friends. Option #2 is how our team at Porrada got started! We ordered 1-inch thick puzzle mats in a 10’x10’ square and began training using online resources. If you do start with the second option, we recommend eventually finding a gym down the road in your career. It will help you by allowing you to roll with more people and receive high-level instruction.

BJJ is quite similar to wrestling. Both start standing and use takedowns as a method to score points. Both use very similar mechanics overall. The main differences are that there are no pins (you can be on your back in Jiu-Jitsu), BJJ involves submissions, and the points system for each is very different. BJJ grants points for takedowns/sweeps, back control, mount, guard passes, and knee on belly. Wrestling grants points for takedowns, escapes, and back points (back exposure for freestyle).

BJJ is a very unique sport in many ways. There are so many incredible benefits to training Jiu-Jitsu. The biggest reasons we advocate for it are the mindset training and the added ability to defend yourself. In BJJ, you are forced to humble yourself over and over again, every single day. This sport is a great way to mature rapidly and generally become a better person (in our opinion). You will also have a better ability to defend yourself than 99% of the population—a pretty big bonus.

You’re never too old to start training! We see people on the mats of all ages and sizes. Large and small, old and young can, and should, train BJJ. If you are on the older side, it is perfectly acceptable to take it slow and learn at your own pace. You don’t always have to go full speed—don’t worry. There are typically also classes that separate people by goals. Certain classes are for those who want to compete, some are for general instruction, and some are specifically for self-defense teachings. There is a place for everyone on the mats.