Friday, August 6, 2010

First Tournament - Louisiana Open 11/13

I have my sights set on the Louisiana Open for my first tournament. The date - November 13th - is two days shy of my 7 month training mark.

The Super Heavy division threshold is 221lbs compared to 207.5lbs for the Heavy division. I weighed in at 218lbs (with gi) a couple times last week. I could try to shed 11lbs or so before 11/13 or not sweat it and just make sure I'm under the 221lb threshold. Not sure. Wonder if I should compete at weight and absolute. That might be best if I'm somewhere around 210lbs come tournament day.

Need to start researching first tournament training tips. I'd like to set goals for nutrition, sleep, non-BJJ cardio, solo drills, and in-class training. Wonder if there are any articles or pointers on how to set realistic goals for a first tournament. I also need to take some judo or find someone to work take down or guard pull techniques. I've never sparred from stand up before...always from guard or knees.

Lots to think about and look forward to. I'm excited for the challenge.

2 comments:

  1. G-Money,

    In March I put together what I think is a pretty good list of blogs about tournament prep here:

    http://devbjj.blogspot.com/2010/03/tournament-prep-next-chapter.html

    I absolutely recommend reading through the links. There's a lot of fantastic advice from a lot of very smart people. And I've got some advice in there too. :)

    One thing I would absolutely start you off with is this thought:

    THE FIRST TOURNAMENT IS NEVER ABOUT WINNING. It's about experience. It's about seeing how a tournament is set up and run, how matches are different than sparring, and how much stress you can REALLY pack into your body before you step on the mat. If you win, great. But I would never give someone that extra pressure - you're going to be peeing yourself with all the thoughts running through your brain. Once the fight hits the floor, you'll be fine, but that first tournament is all about understanding how the entire thing happens, so that you have that as a base when you compete for REAL.

    Just my $.02.

    As far as weight goes, it's up to you. I don't know if you're 218 with a lot of muscle, or if you're just 218. If you're comfortable there, then I'd say go with your natural weight. But if you've thought at all about dropping some weight or body fat, then I would tell you you have a couple months to drop 15 lbs, which is absolutely reasonable. And healthy.

    As a personal trainer, my first step would be to tell you to look at your diet. Slowly cut back on sugars and starches, eat 5 small meals instead of 3 large ones, and have a small amount of protein with each meal.

    Lots more stuff I could talk about, but if you're interested in other ways of working out aside from jits, glance over here:

    http://devbjj.blogspot.com/2010/02/seminar-concept-of-working-out-at-home.html

    And shoot me an email at devbjj@gmail.com if you're really interested in some more thoughts.

    Beyond that, good luck, train hard, and have fun!

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  2. Dev, can't thank you enough! I've gone through about half of the information so far. On vacation now, so simply making 3 classes a week is chore enough. As for weight, I was very flabby. Getting a bit of muscle back, but still have a way to go. Good news is I seemed to have lost some weight (finally). Should only need to lose 10lbs before 11/13. I think it's doable! I'll certainly be in touch should anything come up between now and 11/13 (I'm sure it will!).

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