Test Yourself
Testing yourself in jiu jitsu comes in many ways, and can be done at any level in your jiu jitsu journey. Competing is the first example of testing ourselves and is most commonly thought about when speaking about this subject. Yes - competing will 100% expedite your progress due to having real time consequences and triumphs, and exposing you to many different type of opponents. This is a super good option for those that are capable and able to do se. Many of us know those in your gyms that compete weekly, every other week, once a month, or even once a year. These people will progress in skill rapidly compared to a person that just goes to class and maybe does some outside study or problem no outside study apart from class.
Some people will say if they cannot compete there is no way to replicate this expirence. They are correct in the sense that they will not be able to replicate the situation of competing when not participating in competitions. Such as packed crowds, loud music/venues, bright lights, cameras, friends and coaches literally yelling bloody murder. The one thing they are not realizing is that they can still rapidly excel their skill development by exploring other options.
For example a common thing I used to do when wanting to test new skills or techniques would be to go to open mats at my gym and at other gyms. Not to use this to simulate a match, but to see how other react to things I am doing. This I feel like is a very under utilized tool in training. Many competitors know this to be true but the newer grapplers and hobbiests tend to not do this as much I have come to realize. Going to new open mats or dropping into new gyms (cross-training) is a very strong tool many can literally start implementing as soon as possible. Do not be afraid to try new things and go to open mats or drop in to a gym when on vacation or out of town.
Don’t be afraid to go and test yourself and roll/train will many different types of people and body types. Grappling is very unique in the senes that body types and personalities can very strongly influence a persons game/style. Being able to experience as many different variations is great for the growth and being able to excel a persons skill development.
