TFS#61: Competition Nerves

Most people want to win their competitions but forget the small things.

The reason why I emphasize this is because on a hobbyist level, your opponents aren’t doing this. So these extra efforts will give you the edge.

And as we all know, small daily improvements will add up over time.

Mindset

I really dislike it when people tell others: “Don’t worry about the results. You either win or you learn.”

As soon as you accept this mindset, you’ve already accepted losing.

If you’re signing up to compete, your goal should be to win. Set your mind to win.

Only after your match you  should assess what went right or wrong.

Also, who ever said you couldn’t win and learn?

Check out this 6 minute video on the illusion of competition.

Breathing

This actually gets overlooked a lot of times.

You hear the typical “just breathe” or “slow your breathing down.” But what does that even mean? It’s hard to slow your breathing down when you’re gassed.

The reason people breathe the way they breathe is due to the habit they’ve built.

Your breathing pattern wasn’t built to handle stressful environments but rather to be functional enough to get you through day-to-day.

And it’s not always efficient. To really build your body to soak in quality air is a skill that must be built.

Here’s a quick exercise you can start now: inhale for 6 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds. The inhaling part is easy, let it happen naturally. The exhaling part is where the work needs to be done. When you exhale, exhale deeply, pushing all the air out of your lungs as much as possible. Do this for 5 minutes every morning after you wake up and every night before bed.

Not only are you trying to soak in quality air, you need to make room for it by getting rid of all the “old air” in your lungs.

Nerves

Accept that your nerves are real and unique to you.

You can talk to coaches, read articles (or this newsletter), but at the end of the day you need to understand your own nerves.

Put yourself in situations that make you nervous and watch how you react and how your breathing changes.

It’s important to find how you calm yourself down.

Some people meditate, some people get away from the crowds and some people even have a teammate keep track of when/where they need to be. Outsourcing the stress can be one solution.

It also helps to talk to your coaches and teammates. Physically hearing yourself admit it to yourself and to others can help you accept the reality of your nervousness.

It’s okay if you’re an emotional person, it’s okay if you get nervous, but ultimately you have to find your own solution.

You’ll need to be patient about finding what works for you.

Closing Remarks

These don’t just apply for competition nerves.

These practices can help you with how you spar in your day-to-day class.

Before sparring, I’d close my eyes and imagine I was going into a competition round. I intentionally made myself nervous so I could work on calming my nerves.

All this is part of your story, part of the training, part of your craft. So don’t neglect this part of your Jiu-Jitsu.

And that’s all the words for this week.

As always, I’m rooting for you.

For The Dedicated

→ For white belts: Make this a habit now while you’re still new. Make maintaining the back your priority.

→ For the bolo: It’s a good introduction to a system that might take your game to a new place.

→ For your pass: Some times the solution is right in front of us.

→ For blue belts: It’s never too early to start preparing yourself for what’s next. Some times, it’s the preparation that makes you ready for the next step.

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