If you want to reach your full potential you’ve got to hold yourself to a certain standard. To start, do not celebrate losses. It sounds like common sense, but many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) competitors do just that.
Because divisions in BJJ tournaments are separated by age, belt rank, and weight there are often divisions with only a few competitors. Which means an athlete can take home a medal by default (for example, Bronze in a 3 person division after losing to both 1st and 2nd place competitors).
If that happens to you, here’s what not to do:
- Do NOT wear the medal around for the rest of the tournament.
- Do NOT tell your friends and family that you won a Bronze medal.
- Do NOT post pictures of you with the medal on facebook or instagram.
Author Brad Court (second from the right) takes Bronze at the 2012 Pan after winning 2 matches.
Yes, there is value in a loss. One can learn many things about his/her technique and his/her mindset after experiencing a loss. But make no mistake about it, losing is losing whether you were given a medal or not. And losing is not something to be proud of.
If you are happy or satisfied with getting a medal without winning, what is the motivation to improve your results? What incentive is there for you to increase or modify your training? If you celebrate getting a medal by default you are setting your limits too low.
The value of a medal (or anything) is in the effort it took to earn it. Whether your goal is to become world champion or just compete and have fun, you will do better if you demand more of yourself.
Brad Court is a 2nd degree black belt, IBJJF National Champion and 2x Pan American medalist, and owner of Paramount Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Downingtown, PA (just minutes from both West Chester and Exton).