Mental Recovery/Reflection
There can be a lot of shame attached to losing and for many reasons. Whatever the reason is, there is no shame in losing. Everyone loses and most people don’t get a win in their first tournament. You don’t let anyone down by losing, your coaches and teammates want you to win but they feel no disappointment in your loss. The most important thing is that you challenged yourself to get out there and compete which most BJJ practitioners never do. You should feel very proud of yourself for the work that you put in to prepare and the effort you put into competing. From here, hopefully you have recorded your matches so you can rewatch them and learn what your mistakes were and how you could improve.
Next Tournament
It is very important that you do not let the result of your first tournament discourage you from doing more. Ultimately, you don’t lose, you learn. You will improve with each tournament so long as you stay consistent. Competition experience grows as does your game. Keep training and you will evolve into the martial artist you want to be. If you are waiting a year or multiple years between them, you may lose the memory of what competition is like and the confidence you developed as a result. Try to compete every 4-6 months or 2-3 times while you are a white belt. Hopefully, future tournaments will result in more wins or even some medals if you continue to improve your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Joe Rogan once said “martial arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential.” First you walked through the doors of a martial arts academy. Then you stepped onto the mats at an organized tournament to test yourself amongst other trained competitors in front of hundreds of spectators. You overcame the fear, that anxiety. You can overcome fears and obstacles in your life off the mat as well. Continue setting and reaching goals in martial arts and in life!
