5 Common Mistakes People Make At Grappling Competitions

Every time I referee at a grappling competition, I see certain behavioral patterns among BJJ competitors.  These are things I know that I have done, and sometimes still do, and some of these behaviors are mistakes.  I’ve identified 5 common things competitors do that are counter productive:

Too much time on the feet

I get it.  You don’t want to get under someone who wants to be on top of you.  You think that maybe, just maybe, you can get them to pull guard first. Here’s the thing...the most competitive BJJ matches have a time limit of less than 10 minutes, and you only get 2 points for the takedown.  If you don’t see an easy opportunity for a takedown why not just pull guard and get things moving?

From watching BJJ competitors of all levels I’ve noticed that if someone pulls guard in the opening moments of a match they are more likely to win than if they wait a while. And if someone lets themselves get taken down before attaining a guard their statistically likely to lose.  I’m not saying everyone should pull guard, but a transition should be made to the ground as quickly as possible and if you’re not going to take the other person down, maybe just pull guard.

aces bjj takedown practice

Impatience/not securing position

As a referee my obligation with scoring points is to give the defending competitor a 3 count to escape.  Also the positions of back control, mount and knee on belly require certain factors before the referee will award points.  For example: if Joe takes Bob’s back, holds position for 2 seconds, and then crosses hit feet, no points will be awarded. If Joe then uncrosses for a second and recrosses, STILL no points will be awarded.  The position needs to be held per the competition guidelines for the entire 3 seconds. If there’s a transition to a submission and the the attacker gets bucked off… guess what? No points unless position was held for a three count.

Not understanding the rules

This applies in so many different scenarios.  Sometimes heel hooks and/or reaping are legal when you wouldn’t expect them to be, sometimes they’re forbidden.  Sometimes the BJJ point system isn’t what you’re used to. The competitor is responsible for understanding the rules, and if they have questions those questions must be asked prior to competing at the rules meeting.  Don’t expect the referee to educated you. Their job is strictly to officiate the match and score it.

Texas BJJ Aces Jiu Jitsu Club
Luke Wear BJJ Competition

Getting emotional

As a referee in the BJJ scene, I watch people all day. And I see the ones who are letting their opponents get in their heads.  I had a situation on one of my mats at a recent event...one of the children competing was doing great, winning every single match, then he slammed another little boy, so I had to disqualify him.  He was very upset by this and started crying.

I came over and told him that he didn’t do anything morally wrong. It was obvious to me that the slam was not malicious but was certainly a against the rules. I told him to take a deep breath that he had plenty of matches left.  He came back and lost most of the rest of his matches. He allowed his one mistake to ruin his day. If you lose, don’t let that set the tone for your whole day.

Not having a clear strategy

Again, as a referee I understand what I’m watching.  Some competitors come out onto the competition mat and it’s clear that they have a plan for how they want to win.  Others, not so much. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. This includes communicating with your coach, having an understanding of the rules and literally everything else imaginable.  Competition, especially in BJJ is a game, some people play that game better than others and those that do, win.

Refereeing is a difficult job, but I learn a lot from doing it.  I highly recommend that anyone purple belt and up try their hand at refereeing as it will lend perspectives that may not be readily available from the sidelines or as a competitor.  

Watching competitions from the middle of the mat one sees a lot of minute details of competitor mindsets and conduct.  What are some things you’ve noticed about competition? What are mistakes that you’ve made or seen made on the competition mat?