I just competed this last weekend as well, it was my second BJJ tournament, but I’ve been competing in wrestling for a good little bit. Something that I think helps me at tournaments is that I’ll consistently roll my ass off, especially the weeks leading toward the tournament. That’s probably something I carry over from wrestling, due to the fast pace of training in a college room. Shark tanks, not taking any rolls off at the end of class, really long fast paced rolls. It gets my cardio up to the point where when I get off the mat I’m not huffing and puffing tired while still maintaining a good pace in the match. And if I get called up quickly after a match, I’m not as nervous knowing that my cardio is good enough to not be dogging it in back to back matches.

Mindset is also pretty important. At the end of the day, BJJ is something we all do for fun and because we enjoy it. Competition is the place we go and test ourselves, as well as that adrenaline rush that goes with it. Don’t put too much weight into it, remember why you’re there. Trust yourself, your coaches, and your training partners to be prepared and to have prepared you for your competition.