I competed in a recent Jiujitsu tournament and took home two silver medals.

I posted a video of my match here.

You can follow my Jiujitsu journey here.

During my first match, I was up against an American fighter larger than me. Feeling intimidated, I attempted a baseball choke from a standing position, even though I wasn’t in the right position to execute it properly. Despite this, I held on and refused to let go. Unfortunately, the timer ran out, and I lost the match based on points. To make matters worse, I burned my grips from grabbing onto my opponent throughout the long match, which would hurt my future matches.

After my first loss, I took time to rest and recover. I noticed my grip strength was already limited during my takedown attempt. My second opponent was also a takedown specialist, and I ended up in his guard. I waited for an opportunity to present itself, and he eventually attempted an armbar. I used this moment to pass his guard and gain side control. I held my opponent down in a chokehold and attempted to finish with a straight armlock or Americana, but I had trouble and instead transferred to a North-South position. From there, I grabbed his lapel, returned to side control, and finished with a bread cutter choke. The referee had to dive in to stop me as my opponent tapped out, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

I didn’t have enough time to recover for my third match, which was only ten minutes after my second. This match was a takedown battle, and I was already exhausted. Despite my opponent’s repeated takedown attempts, I managed to fend them off and hold my ground. However, I knew I didn’t have enough energy to take him down myself. Eventually, my opponent attempted his fourth takedown, and I seized the opportunity to reverse it and take him down instead. Unfortunately, we were out of bounds, and my points didn’t count. Despite being in a better position, we were reset, and the match went into overtime. With no energy left, unable to defend my opponent’s last takedown attempt, the referee awarded the points to my opponent, leading to my defeat.

What did I learn?

Training for the competition was a series of challenges, but it taught me valuable lessons. With only a few months of jiu-jitsu training and about 50 sessions total, I had to study online and practice at the gym whenever I could. Losing 10 pounds in a short period of time for the competition made it difficult to maintain my strength and stamina, adding to the pressure. To prepare, I had to build my game plan for different positions. Despite the difficulties, I was fortunate that it all came together in the end.

Despite my loss, my first match taught me an important lesson about the need to improve my positional escapes. In the match, I found myself in a bad position and struggled to escape due to a lack of confidence in my defense. From this experience, I realized the importance of being able to escape and counterattack in these situations. This skill will not only help me become a better competitor but also give me more confidence in my abilities. I am determined to work on my defense this year and become more confident in my abilities to escape bad positions.

The second match taught me the importance of focused training. I had drilled a specific set of techniques repeatedly, and it paid off in the match, allowing me to secure the victory. Going forward, I will continue to refine those techniques, improve my execution, and expand my arsenal of moves to stay ahead of the competition.

The third match taught me the importance of strategy and reading up on the rules. Despite being exhausted, I could have won if I had executed my strategy correctly. I should have taken the initiative to dive for a takedown after blocking my opponent three times and taking advantage of his position resulting in a beautiful counter. If I had studied the point system better, I could have contested the lack of a point that I deserved. These are valuable lessons that I will take with me into future competitions.

Here are some questions that you can also ask yourself.

In what area should you be excelling but are currently neglecting? What mistakes are you making because you lack confidence from your weaknesses?

What strategies or tactics have you used successfully in the past, and how can you apply them to other opportunities or situations to achieve success?

Can you recall any situations where you missed an opportunity to take action and attack, and how could you have acted differently to achieve a better outcome?

Although I was disappointed with the outcome, I’m determined to turn my losses into lessons. I’m committed to identifying my weaknesses and improving my skills to prepare for the next competition. With a positive mindset and dedication to my training, I’m excited to see how I will perform in the upcoming competition.

I posted a video of my match here.

You can follow my Jiujitsu journey here.


Thank you for reading.

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