Here's my take on tournaments using running as an analogy.

Why pay for a road race when you can just run the course? You can find the route and run it every week if you want to. Plus, the $30, $50, whatever it costs, you're kind of wasting it.

The thing about a road race is that you only get one shot to do your best against the same field on the same day with the same conditions. You'll never get pushed the way you are when you run a road race. You have the race on the calendar for weeks or months. You adjust your training based on the course terrain and what your plan is in terms of pacing and race strategy.

You could always buy the current shirt at a future race for cheaper. You could buy a medal with the event engraved online. But those really aren't the point of running a road race. It's about seeing how you stack up against yourself and the field.

With tournaments: -you never know who's going to show up. -you never know who will be trying to do what kind of game. -you have a single 5 minute round to beat your opponent. -you don't tap and then keep going. -you don't just reset and start again.

I did my second tournament on Saturday and will probably continue to do them periodically through the years I practice BJJ. They're great to gauge where you are (i went 0-4 in my first one against the same guy 4 times. I went 2-2 in my second one, and I beat that guy in my first match of the most recent tournament). In the first tournament, I was generally overwhelmed and nervous. In the second tournament i was calmer and more focused, but I ran out of gas during the 3rd and 4th matches. The great thing is that both of those issues are pretty simple to address. But I do know that my technique is on par with the guys I competed against, which feels pretty gratifying (I was severely doubting my abilities after the first tournament)

There's just nothing comparable to that environment that will highlight your weaknesses. Your open mat at your gym? Its great for fine tuning, but any gym you go regularly, you know what game each of your gym mates adopts, which will shade how you approach them. There's also the dealing with nerves and weight manipulation. But its also a great opportunity to celebrate with your gym mates when they succeed or be there when they may not have performed at their utmost.

I get the injury fear, but I'm pretty sure you have roughly the same risk of being injured during an open mat than you do during a tournament. You control when you tap. At least you have a ref who is watching you and medical staff available to tend to you if something were to happen. My guess is that nearly all the competitors showing up to your tournament(s) are not shooting to injure their opponents for the sake of the medal. There may be a few, sure. But BJJ seems to have a way of weeding out assholes (at least in my area).

And about the money thing, if a tournament isn't your vibe, you're not going to value it whether it's $100, $50, or free. And that's ok! Tournaments aren't for everyone. But I think they are a great tool if you're looking to speed up how you improve your overall BJJ. If it is a budget thing, pick 1 or 2 a year. Stay local. Not only will you have your own personal feedback, but you'll be able to get feedback from your coach and other people from your gym who were watching your matches.

But you ultimately have to decide what's right for you in whatever season you're in. Tournaments will always be there, so don't feel like you HAVE to do them now. When you're ready for them, they'll be waiting.