Sharing my experience of competing at the Chicago IBJJF Tournament. With every tournament I set a goal beyond “winning gold.” That mindset helps me get the most out of the experience. This time my goal was to see how I would perform under real competition conditions so I would know what to expect from myself at World Masters. My nerves were high despite having competed many times before. Nerves never fully go away, but they always teach you something. This time they came from competing in a new city, at the Chicago IBJJF for the first time, in a “younger” Master 3 bracket against people I had never faced, and not knowing how I would be seeded. I went through with it anyway. I cut 5 lbs to make weight, somehow the 10-hour drive made me heavier (coffee and water, maybe?). When the bracket came out I was seeded last—the hardest path through the division. To win gold I would have to get through the top two competitors. Three fights. It was going to be tough. First fight: I finished him quickly without burning too much energy and felt good heading into the next one. Second fight: I faced the number-one seed, who was still fresh. It was a real battle. I caught him in several submissions, but we kept getting reset standing because we drifted out of bounds. He was tough—number one for a reason. I gassed out toward the end but still got the decisive win. Then came the final: Still gassed, but there was no turning back. I fought with pure heart and lost to the second seed by several advantages. I took silver, and I was happy and satisfied. I left it all on the mats. With a few tweaks to my training, I now know that I’m ready for World Masters. We ended the trip with good food and some sightseeing—the reward after a hard day’s work. Overall it was a great experience. I highly recommend this to everyone. Compete somewhere new, turn it into a trip, grow and making memories along the way.

We all love training... but let's be honest. What's the one part of Jiu-Jitsu you could do without? The warm-up? The drive to class? The training partner who says "let's keep it light" and then immediately forgets? 😆 The injuries? The laundry? The nerves before competition? What's the one thing you dislike most about the process? 👇

The athletes improving the fastest aren't always the most talented. They're the ones collecting information. A bad tournament gives them information. A great training session gives them information. A terrible night's sleep gives them information. An injury, setback, or plateau gives them information. The problem is most people only like information when it confirms what they already believe. What's one piece of feedback, data, or experience you've gotten recently that you didn't want to hear... but probably needed to hear?

A lot of master athletes start Monday thinking about what they need to do. I've found that sometimes the bigger question is: What did last week teach you? Maybe you learned you need more recovery. Maybe you learned you're stronger than you thought. Maybe you learned you're doing too much. Maybe you learned you're not doing enough. What's one piece of information you're taking from last week into this week?

Not the perfect answer. The honest answer. For me, it's probably mobility work. I always feel better when I do it. I rarely feel like doing it. What's yours?