Fighter

Regardless of the sport, competing is probably one of the most stressful activities a person can do. In a competition, you're putting your training to the test, you're pitting your skillset against another opponent or opponents, and you're often battling your own demons in the process. 

Especially in a jiu jitsu competition, your mental state of mind is probably the most important variable that you can control. Yes, you CAN "control" it, at least to some degree. Here's how: 

Know Your Competition Mindset

Sports psychologist Jim Taylor has identified three different pre-competition mindsets used by the best athletes in the world: aggressive, calm, and clear. You might be familiar with the "aggressive" one, especially on the jiu jitsu mat; a big, muscle-bound dude jumping up and down and slapping his own face to "amp" himself up. Of course that's on the extreme side of an aggressive mindset, but if that works for you, cool. If you like to chill out in a corner, listening to soothing music, then you're more on the "calm" side. Or maybe you like to take your mind completely off your upcoming match... then you prefer a "clear" mindset. 

Train Your Brain, Too

Just as you train your body, you need to train your brain as well. Yeah, jiu jitsu training does a marvelous job of doing both at the same time, but just as I've argued in previous blog posts, you should also seek outside resources. With the brain, you're looking to optimize your cognitive efficiency - basically, trying to improve the time it takes for your brain to assess an action and direct a reaction. Surprise, surprise... computer games are great for this, as they help to "improve pattern recognition, high-speed decision making and focus." This will allow you to make those split second decisions that put you a step ahead of your opponent. 

Develop Positive Mental Qualities

Slightly different from the "mindset" described above, it's important for you also to actively develop certain mental qualities that will keep your mind from sabotaging you leading up to, and during, your match. These qualities, according to Breaking Muscle, are:

• Persistence - endure to the end, no matter the setbacks
• Positive realism - make the best of a bad situation or challenge, and know where your limits are
• Humility - don't under or over-estimate your abilities
• Vulnerability - accept making mistakes, and learn from them
• No regrets - don't focus on what you did or didn't do in the past, focus on the now, and your future goals

Recondition Your Idea of Competing

You've probably heard this a million times, but your biggest opponent is yourself. You have no influence on your opponent, and as much as you might be able to study his/her game, odds are it won't play out exactly as you've imagined. So the best thing to do is essentially "forget your competition" and just focus on what you CAN control. If you're a top player, work on your takedowns and throws, your passes, your submissions, etc. If you're a bottom player, work on your guard pulls, your sweeps, your submissions, etc. If you worry about reacting to your opponent, you'll be a step behind him/her. Impose your game first.

Of course, no single way to prepare for a competition is "the best way". What might work for someone else, might not work for you, and vice versa. The only way to know for sure what yours is, is through experience... and the only way to obtain that experience is to get out there and just do it. 

Train on. Oss.

 Jiu jitsu is a lifestyle... and it comes with all the bells and whistles that come with it: a community of like-minded people, central meeting places (the academy), events, places to shop, brands that cater to your interests... and news sources. 

Even in today's day and age, you can still get your news from somewhere besides Facebook. Where, you ask? Check it out: 

Jiu Jitsu Magazine 

Founded seven years, ago, Jiu Jitsu Magazine basically did for the jiu jitsu community what Surfer did for the surfing community: bring high-level news and lifestyle content to your front door and the magazine rack. Not just a monthly print publication anymore, they also have a regularly-updated online site, and an app, too! And because they're based in sunny Southern California, they have easy access to ALL of the jiu jitsu greats - both based here and passing through - so they're never short on great content. 

FloGrappling

Since Austin-based FloSports entered the jiu jitsu scene, they've pretty much dominated the sports-based coverage at the major jiu jitsu promotions (think IBJJF, UAEJJF, F2W Pro, ADCC, etc). Dominated... and taken to the next level. Not only do they publish quality news and feature articles and technique videos, but they also provide live mat-side feeds, they have commentators covering the hot matches, they post ESPN-style match predictions and podcast-style commentary, they get on-the-spot interviews, create awesome highlight videos... and they do all of this on the daily. 

Gracie Mag

The oldest - and "original" - jiu jitsu publication, Gracie Mag has been doing this a long time. If you do jiu jitsu - sport or otherwise - and you've never seen or heard of Gracie Mag... you're living under a rock. Both print and online, they hit all of the standard media needs: news and feature articles, technique videos, interviews, technique videos, diet and training tips and tricks, etc. Originating in Brazil, they're also the only publication on this list that's bilingual, so you and your Brazilian mat brother can enjoy the same article. Sometimes their English translations are a bit off, but don't let that stop you from getting your read on.

Jiu Jitsu Style

Jiu Jitsu Style is like Jiu Jitsu Magazine's trendy European cousin. Printed on heavy, high-quality paper, with impeccable photography and deliciously long feature articles, you might find it hard to bring yourself to read it, lest you break the binding before you carefully arrange it on the coffee table in your chic downtown flat. Although the print version is definitely the highlight, they also post a lot of content and videos (not available in the print version, for obvious reasons) on their website. Polaris fan? They've got that event covered beautifully. 

Jiu Jitsu Times

Entirely online, Jiu Jitsu Times posts a much broader range of jiu jitsu-related content than the publications mentioned above. Yeah, they do sports and community news, interviews, and technique videos too, but they also dive into the MMA scene, publish results from a lot more promotions than Flo does, get commentary from jiu jitsu legends on controversial topics, post "as seen on Facebook" street jits videos, and pepper in some fun topics (What's the most "jiu-jitsu-y" animal? Let's just say the chameleon made the list).  

BJJ Eastern Europe

Like Jiu Jitsu Times, BJJ Eastern Europe (or more commonly known as "BJJEE") is also entirely online, and like the others provides great jiu jitsu industry news, interviews, technique videos, gear reviews, tips and tricks, etc. But where BJJEE has really made a name for itself is in being the first to tackle any new and juicy gossip running the jiu jitsu rumor mill. Want to know who the latest "fake blackbelt" is? Or what about which jiu jitsu fighter is hating on who via social media? BJJEE has got you, man. 

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but these are the major ones. Whatever your media taste is, odds are there's a online or print jiu jitsu publication out there catering to it. 

Read... and roll... on. Oss.

You've probably heard it before: "The only way to improve your jiu jitsu is by training jiu jitsu." Well, yes, that's true. You can't expect to get better at jiu jitsu by NOT training jiu jitsu. However, adding strength training to your regime provides a multitude of benefits, even if you're not a serious competitor.

Here are five reasons strength training can help your BJJ:

Muscle Endurance - We've all been there. After a couple hard rolls... or your first match at a major competition... your knees feel like jello and your grips are non-existent. Jiu jitsu can only go so far in developing your muscle endurance, and odds are, you're working only a select few muscle groups (those that you use with your particular game). A varied strength training program can take your muscle endurance to the next level and gives you control over your progress through increased weight and resistance.

Explosive Power - Whether you're a guard player or a top gamer, there are moments in which you need fast, explosive power behind your techniques in order to catch your opponent off guard and secure a more dominant position, or even a submission. Just as with muscle endurance, it's hard to consistently develop this just through jiu jitsu. Strength training enables you to develop your explosive power on a regular basis and in a controlled scenario, so that you can see and measure your progress.

Injury Prevention - Jiu jitsu puts you in some really strange positions - either by your own volition or because your opponent put you there. On top of that, regular training puts a lot of stress on your body, especially your joints. Strength training prevents injuries by strengthening the stabilizing muscles around your joints, providing added protection when you find yourself in compromising situations. Additionally, the stronger you are, the more you are able to control your opponent's movements, including any overly-aggressive and uncontrolled movements that could cause you harm. 

Injury Rehabilitation - So the worst has happened: you're injured. Whether it's a serious injury or a minor one, strength training assists in injury recovery in a number of ways. In the case of a serious injury, the muscles around the affected area weaken due to lack of use, while other muscles have become disproportionately stronger due to compensation. Strength training helps to correct this imbalance. Strength training also allows you to keep training - certain uninjured areas of the body, of course - and maintain a moderate level of fitness while you're recovering. Additionally, the stronger muscles you've developed prior to an injury also aid in injury recovery by providing added protection against further injury while you're healing. 

Expanded Range of Training Partners - Finally, simply being stronger will increase your range of potential training partners, as you will be able to train more effectively - and safely - with people who would ordinarily be much stronger than you. Yes, without strength training you are free to train with whomever you want, but the operative words here are "effectively" and "safely". If you're constantly being smashed because of your lack of strength, that training partner is doing nothing for your personal growth within jiu jitsu, and indeed may even injure you and set your training back.

We hope you've been convinced that a supplemental strength training program will aid in your jiu jitsu growth and development. 

Train on. Oss. 

Anytime you see a jiu jitsu gi model in its umpteenth version... you know it's a good one. Unpopular models fade and disappear from the market, while the popular ones get better and better. The Kingz Kimonos Comp 450 V5 is no exception. One of Kingz' most popular gis, the Comp 450 V5 is the best yet! 

Read on to get the scoop...

Material:

The Comp 450 V5 features a mid-weight 450 GSM (grams per square meter) Pearl Weave top, and 10 oz cotton drill pants, both made from 100% pure cotton. This gi is the perfect balance between weight and durability. While some practitioners may prefer lighter weight gis, those gis do tend to shrink more and they don't hold up as well when it comes to the daily grind. 

Cut: 

We love the Kingz cut. With the V4 and now the V5, they have improved upon their earlier versions with a nice tapered, streamlined profile. This is incredibly popular with competitive jiu jitsu practitioners as it provides less material for your opponent to grab, as well as non-competitive practitioners because, well... there's less material for your opponent to grab. Period. Just make sure you choose the size that's right for you, or you may end up looking like a hipster in your skin-tight gi. Luckily for you, Kingz offers a ton of great sizing options, including "H" (husky) and "L" (long) sizes.

Design: 

Kingz always strives to keep their gis looking fresh and modern. With the Comp 450 V5 they haven't strayed too far from the aesthetic of their highly-popular V4, but they've definitely given it some edge. You'll note that the medieval lion symbol that was on the skirt of the V4, is a more prominent element in the V5. It is included in the pattern of the yoke lining, in the newly designed jacket and pant labels, and is even embroidered on the inside of the Kingz Crown logos on the shoulders (the coolest part of this gi in our opinion!). 

FM Rating: 

We definitely give this gi a 5 out of 5, for both quality and creativity. 

Trian on. Oss.