Here is a little guide to help not only you as parents but help your kids prepare for the tournament as well – and a little insight on what to expect.
Planning:
- Make sure your child is eligible to compete – check with their coach to ensure they meet the requirements.
- Make sure your child is consistently training and attending advanced classes.
- Ask yourself if they are focused and working hard?
- Does your child want to compete? Or do YOU want them to? It’s ok to give them some encouragement but pushing them too early may result in negative associations with competing.
- Sign up for the tournament and also at the front desk.
- Go over the rules with your child. Review which submissions are legal and illegal. More importantly, study the point system and how the scoring works.
- Please check the competition website for all rules and regulations pertaining to the upcoming tournament.
- Grappling Industries
- We will also go over the points and rules during advanced class. Make a note of any other questions you might have, if we don’t know the answer, we’ll study up and get back to you!
Please note that every tournament can have different rules. For the tournament on February 14th, 2021, here are the rules:
Weight class:
- Choose a weight class that is appropriate for your child (they should NOT be cutting weight, it is very dangerous for children).
- Register your child based on their belt rank and weight.
- They will be matched up against other children by weight and belt class.
- Please tell the children they may be competing against boys and girls. We’ve noticed the younger ones are completely fine with this but the almost teens tend to struggle so it’s best to give them a heads up.
- The “weigh in” will either happen the day before (more common regionally) or the day of the event (more common at higher levels and globally at bigger tournaments.)
- Arrive at your scheduled time, check in, weigh in, go eat a well balanced meal, and get some good rest (it’s going to be a long, exciting, and exhausting day!).
Tournament day:
- Eat breakfast, preferably something small and easy to digest. Coach Robin suggests, “a turkey sandwich or oatmeal and blueberries. They will need the energy to scrap later!”
- Show up early! Parking can be tough. The earlier you are there, the better. We start warming up as a team about 30 minutes before the tournaments begin. You don’t want to miss warming up to get your child’s body ready, but also their mindset.
Be prepared:
- Wear warm up clothes – jacket hoodie/sweatpants/socks.
- Wear flip flops or shoes that can easily be removed on and off the mat.
- Your gi should be patched with the High Altitude Yeti or Easton patch.
- You should wear your ranked rashguard.
- Bring snacks and plenty of water. Tournament days can be long and you or your child may get hungry.
- Don’t forget their mouthpiece.
- Don’t forget masks for the everyone in attendance.
Here we see ‘Mat Number 2’. The orange number below that is the match number (in this case, match 67) and below that, the score of 6-0.
You should find your name, mat number, and match number on the wall by the restrooms or online (the service tends to be spotty so try to get this after weigh-ins). Tell the coaches your assigned mat number and match number. Your match number will change as the day progresses so be sure to check back regularly. After each match the table workers will tell you what your new number is. Don’t forget it! Be sure to stay close to your mat; the order of matches can sometimes skip around and some matches can go short, so you want to be ready.
Feel free to rest in between your matches but stay warm. You will be competing at least twice with some down time in between.
Mindset:
- Try to stay calm and composed, trust in your child to take on this challenge and our coaches to help them.
- We totally understand your desire to cheer your child on, but leave the coaching up to us. It will already be distracting with other matches, the other coaches, and the crowd cheering them on.
- We are representing ourselves and the academy every time we compete, so it is important to show good sportsmanship and standards of etiquette. If there is ever an issue, please grab a coach.
- BJJ tournaments can be scary and a bit intense but they are wonderful opportunities for your child to test themselves – test their mental fortitude, training, skill and intelligence. Coach Robin says “ every time I have competed I have learned about myself, jiu jitsu and oftentimes made new friends!”
- Encourage your child to stay calm, to breathe, to listen to their coach, to try their best, and most of all, have fun!
- Mentally prepare for a hectic day. There are hundreds of competitors, coaches, spectators, and referees. Coaches run from mat to mat, literally, they run.
- We ALL have to be patient as this is the first tournament since Covid-19.
“Effort over outcome” is what we like to say, You cannot always control if you win or lose and fixating on that is stressful and can be paralyzing, but we can always focus on taking it one match at a time and simply trying our best. We often surprise ourselves with the result if we do. Your kids may get a medal and they may not. Stepping on the mat to compete is a win in itself. There is no winning or losing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, just learning.
