Chewy what do you think about eating before competition and what are your thoughts on throwing up? Sometimes I've eaten too close to my match and it went badly but other times I've thrown up and it helped my performance. Sometimes eating helped me gain some energy but other times i did better on an empty stomach despite a small cut. Do you drink water or energy drinks or protein shakes on the day of the match? Thoughts?
Reminds me of an old book on Zen I read once. In it the author stated that to a novice at Zen: a river is a river, and a mountain is a mountain. To an intermediate practitioner of Zen, a mountain is so much more than just a mountain, and a river means so much more than just that. And to a master of Zen: a river is a river, and a mountain is a mountain again. Contradictory in nature, so is fear. Before you do martial arts fear can be helpful, helpful in recognizing you're in a bad environment and need to leave for example. In the beginning of martial arts, fear is bad, because it can paralyze you or make you panic, maybe tense up or gas out early. In the end fear goes back to being a good thing, because it helps you understand and respect the environment and situation you're in.
My favorite thing about competing in BJJ is that I can feed all that anxiety, “fear”, and stress into my actions. Always sweating bullets going to competition “why the fk am I doing this??” and would leave “heck yeah, let’s do it again”. This is in contrast with when I competed in Karate, where the tactics and constraints were such that I’d have to subdue my “fear”, it has nowhere to go. I only competed as a hobbies, but in both competitions I did very well usually (medaling gold/silver in my divisions). But first time I competed in BJJ, I just loved that part of the sport. With some skill, you can really go about as hard as you can with very little risk of injury to yourself or your opponent. And so the “fear” has somewhere to live and to drain away.
Spot on. When I have no nerves before a match, usually my worst performance. I think it might be because I then treat it as a regular roll in my gym, where I never go 100%.
I whole heartedly believe you should have a segment titled “Chew on this” Where you go into different BJJ topics and give your take on different aspects of the sport! I know you kind of already do that but the title “Chew on this” is my gift to you. Do with it as you see fit
The problem is with the "I'm really good in the gym" guy. Dude you're rolling to win against people who are rolling to learn, and when you roll against people who are rolling to win like you are you're getting smashed
Facts, Chewy. That anxiety keeps me sharp, but I sure hate how it feels. Like my coach (and many others) say, “Embrace the butterflies.” You’re anxious because you care.
I feel this whenever I roll with someone new. I always tell myself “imagine that they’re a world champion.” When I do, I’m calculated an cautious, and as a result generally do well. When I think that I’m too good is when I get whooped by everyone and their mama.
Rickson Gracie on fear: “Curiosity coupled with courage allows you to go beyond your limits, venture into the unknown, and establish new limits that you never thought were possible. My curiosity always overpowered my fear, but fear was also a good friend to me. People who say they are not afraid of anything are either crazy or stupid. Fear is a normal emotion that protects you, but sometimes you don’t need protection. There are times when you have to place fear on the shelf and take action without a moment’s hesitation. My insecure state of mind came from the fear of losing. If you fear something that has not even happened, then quitting becomes a form of self-protection. Fear is not the enemy; it’s simply a self-protection mechanism that must be managed. “
I find I prefer to be fearless. Martial arts matches, job interviews, lots of situations. Even in sudden, "real-life dangerous" situations like someone crossing the median in my direction on a rainy or icy road, having that fearlessness lets me react and take it seriously but not lock up or overdo all my actions. This might not be for everyone, but it feels like it works great for me. When I was young, I had to psych myself into it. Now that I'm middle-aged, it's just my constant state of being.
This is a really interesting one that I'd like to chime in on. I've been watching your content for a while because I do train BJJ, but my primary discipline is parkour. Parkour is all about overcoming fear. The idea is that if something scares you the right amount, it's a challenge worth overcoming because that's how you grow. If something doesn't scare you at all, it's considered to be in your comfort zone. If something incapacitates you with fear, there's probably a good reason for that and you should walk away. It's that middle ground where progress lives. I associate the rush of adrenaline with the line between "safe to push" and "walk away". My goal is NOT to feel the adrenal pump of anxiety, at least in the context of a jump, because that's when I start to feel out of control. I've performed pretty well in a couple minor street fight scenarios and I actually credit it to this practice of not succumbing to the fear, suppressing the adrenaline and being able to remain calm. I think this only works if fear is something that you're exposed to on a regular basis and at controlled amounts.
Also what Mike Tyson said:”why should I talk nice? Cuz if I was to speak eloquent you’d still think I was a scum bag” I feel your pain Mike. Good video chewy
Had a similar experience. Had been training and fighting MMA extensively and jumped into a bjj tourney for fun. A guy I had beaten 3-4 times in the past choked me out on my feet with a standing lapel choke. I didn't even get a chance to get the mat, lol.
I have almost never competed, but in sparring I have the opposite situation. I have a tendency to lose to people who are frankly not as good as I, but I manage draws or close losses against people who are much more advanced. It’s as if I can’t get that extra focus unless I feel that I’m in real trouble.
Well about to go compete for the 2nd time tomorrow. First tournament in January, I went 1-2. Only win was against my teammate LOL. Thanks for the advice and talks as always Chewy.
@@Chewjitsu I didn’t even realize the GOAT replied! Thanks brother. It was a single elimination tournament, ended up losing my first match by points 0-3 against the guy that won Gold in a 10 man bracket. Still back to the drawing board!
Interesting how you speak of "having your first wind out of you" before/when entering the mat. There's this phenom of the "second wind" and I guess it's highly advantageous to enter the mat with your second wind. There's some strange time between first and second wind (what's happening exactly in this period?)
This advice is much broader than just BJJ. Fear is a tool, and like all tools, you have to learn how to use it. The only way is to just get out there and face it. When used properly, fear gives you a respect for the situation and reminds you to be focused on the task at hand. I've competed in karate and BJJ for many years. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to go into a match with a light sweat already. It truly lets you get over the initial adrenaline wave out that comes with the prefight jitters, and you go in much more focused.
Old guy here. Learned about fear a a coast guardsman, how to use that fear to fuel your adrenaline. I’m 66 now, but at 60 entered a small Judo competition, as a white belt, and won beating two college kids in the progress. Use that fear.
Thanks for this. My 3rd white belt competition fell to pieces from anxiety. I was gassed from fear before I even stepped on the mat. Useful to have this insight going forward
Great advice! I suffered from anxiety at the only tournament I did, at blue belt, and now I'm training for my first MMA fight at purple belt. I know I'll be nervous and a bit shy to get hit(been KO'd in a street fight by getting stomped as a kid and had my septum deviated in training about a month ago), but I'm trying to learn how to ride the fear like a wave instead of trying to get rid of it completely, fear is not the enemy. It's keeping things in perspective and your body telling you "this is real, we need to be careful".
Awesome advice Chewy 💯 i have personally been through the same thing . Competed in Boxing an Jiu jitsu an had my nerves or lack there of get the best of me . I did find a little trick over the years that ill say helped. I found that if i actually expected to not sleep the night before or on the ride there ect an just actually did a bunch of other stuff that had nothing to do with the tourny. I would zone out to whatever or go play whatever sport an get crappy sleep an be like whatever. I actually found going into the comp over tired an without having over thought anything about it also walking in an getting that good little dose of fright actually made me better an sharper come match time. Just throwing myself in vs thinking way to much about it made it much easier. Idk maybe that might work for someone too. Food for thought
I love when I get the goosebumps form fear and anxiety before I compete it makes me grapple so much better. In the other hand when I fight a friend or in gym i never go that hard.
Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back - Marcus Aurelius
This one resonated with me. Underperformed in my last comp and I was feeling so confident going in I had no fear
Chewy becoming the most interesting Bjj and life content in UA-cam🙌🙌
Underperforming is my specialty. 😅
Me too. My wife agrees😂
Same
Great video. Competed last week and I was way too chill and relaxed. They were in 6th gear and I was in 4th. Got smoked.
Good luck in the future bro.
I always have an "aha" moment when whatching these videos.
Chewy what do you think about eating before competition and what are your thoughts on throwing up?
Sometimes I've eaten too close to my match and it went badly but other times I've thrown up and it helped my performance. Sometimes eating helped me gain some energy but other times i did better on an empty stomach despite a small cut.
Do you drink water or energy drinks or protein shakes on the day of the match?
Thoughts?
I'm always fearless, I'm also injured and on a losing streak lol
Reminds me of an old book on Zen I read once. In it the author stated that to a novice at Zen: a river is a river, and a mountain is a mountain. To an intermediate practitioner of Zen, a mountain is so much more than just a mountain, and a river means so much more than just that. And to a master of Zen: a river is a river, and a mountain is a mountain again. Contradictory in nature, so is fear. Before you do martial arts fear can be helpful, helpful in recognizing you're in a bad environment and need to leave for example. In the beginning of martial arts, fear is bad, because it can paralyze you or make you panic, maybe tense up or gas out early. In the end fear goes back to being a good thing, because it helps you understand and respect the environment and situation you're in.
That was amazingly put! Thank you
My favorite thing about competing in BJJ is that I can feed all that anxiety, “fear”, and stress into my actions. Always sweating bullets going to competition “why the fk am I doing this??” and would leave “heck yeah, let’s do it again”. This is in contrast with when I competed in Karate, where the tactics and constraints were such that I’d have to subdue my “fear”, it has nowhere to go. I only competed as a hobbies, but in both competitions I did very well usually (medaling gold/silver in my divisions). But first time I competed in BJJ, I just loved that part of the sport. With some skill, you can really go about as hard as you can with very little risk of injury to yourself or your opponent. And so the “fear” has somewhere to live and to drain away.
This could be applied to so many aspects of life beyond bjj
Agreed. A little fear keeps you sharp and focused. Too much will crush you.
Spot on. When I have no nerves before a match, usually my worst performance. I think it might be because I then treat it as a regular roll in my gym, where I never go 100%.
I whole heartedly believe you should have a segment titled “Chew on this”
Where you go into different BJJ topics and give your take on different aspects of the sport!
I know you kind of already do that but the title “Chew on this” is my gift to you.
Do with it as you see fit
Know what really helps is visiting other place’s open mat. Sparring with people you don’t know who are learning a different curriculum.
The problem is with the "I'm really good in the gym" guy. Dude you're rolling to win against people who are rolling to learn, and when you roll against people who are rolling to win like you are you're getting smashed
Facts, Chewy. That anxiety keeps me sharp, but I sure hate how it feels. Like my coach (and many others) say, “Embrace the butterflies.” You’re anxious because you care.
I feel this whenever I roll with someone new. I always tell myself “imagine that they’re a world champion.” When I do, I’m calculated an cautious, and as a result generally do well. When I think that I’m too good is when I get whooped by everyone and their mama.
Rickson Gracie on fear: “Curiosity coupled with courage allows you to go beyond your limits, venture into the unknown, and establish new limits that you never thought were possible.
My curiosity always overpowered my fear, but fear was also a good friend to me.
People who say they are not afraid of anything are either crazy or stupid.
Fear is a normal emotion that protects you, but sometimes you don’t need protection.
There are times when you have to place fear on the shelf and take action without a moment’s hesitation. My insecure state of mind came from the fear of losing. If you fear something that has not even happened, then quitting becomes a form of self-protection. Fear is not the enemy; it’s simply a self-protection mechanism that must be managed. “
I find I prefer to be fearless. Martial arts matches, job interviews, lots of situations. Even in sudden, "real-life dangerous" situations like someone crossing the median in my direction on a rainy or icy road, having that fearlessness lets me react and take it seriously but not lock up or overdo all my actions. This might not be for everyone, but it feels like it works great for me. When I was young, I had to psych myself into it. Now that I'm middle-aged, it's just my constant state of being.
This is a really interesting one that I'd like to chime in on. I've been watching your content for a while because I do train BJJ, but my primary discipline is parkour. Parkour is all about overcoming fear. The idea is that if something scares you the right amount, it's a challenge worth overcoming because that's how you grow. If something doesn't scare you at all, it's considered to be in your comfort zone. If something incapacitates you with fear, there's probably a good reason for that and you should walk away. It's that middle ground where progress lives. I associate the rush of adrenaline with the line between "safe to push" and "walk away". My goal is NOT to feel the adrenal pump of anxiety, at least in the context of a jump, because that's when I start to feel out of control. I've performed pretty well in a couple minor street fight scenarios and I actually credit it to this practice of not succumbing to the fear, suppressing the adrenaline and being able to remain calm. I think this only works if fear is something that you're exposed to on a regular basis and at controlled amounts.
Also what Mike Tyson said:”why should I talk nice? Cuz if I was to speak eloquent you’d still think I was a scum bag”
I feel your pain Mike. Good video chewy
Off topic question chewy .. but curious how much square footage is your entire gym? I love your mat space and changing and gym lifting areas. Curious
Had a similar experience. Had been training and fighting MMA extensively and jumped into a bjj tourney for fun. A guy I had beaten 3-4 times in the past choked me out on my feet with a standing lapel choke.
I didn't even get a chance to get the mat, lol.
Ingemar ”Ingo” Johansson! Swedish 🇸🇪 boxning legend!
idk. you are talking about healthy butterflies. fear makes you fast. anger makes you strong. ego makes you distracted.
good vid chewy. Coming for your ankles in a few months.
I have almost never competed, but in sparring I have the opposite situation. I have a tendency to lose to people who are frankly not as good as I, but I manage draws or close losses against people who are much more advanced. It’s as if I can’t get that extra focus unless I feel that I’m in real trouble.
Well about to go compete for the 2nd time tomorrow. First tournament in January, I went 1-2. Only win was against my teammate LOL. Thanks for the advice and talks as always Chewy.
Good luck bro!
@@Chewjitsu I didn’t even realize the GOAT replied! Thanks brother. It was a single elimination tournament, ended up losing my first match by points 0-3 against the guy that won Gold in a 10 man bracket. Still back to the drawing board!
Master Here. not nervous or fearful in a fight. my goal is to not hurt the person too much.
Good advice. Brian may also need to find his "competition gear."
Really reminds me of the first GSP Matt Serra fight.
Interesting how you speak of "having your first wind out of you" before/when entering the mat. There's this phenom of the "second wind" and I guess it's highly advantageous to enter the mat with your second wind. There's some strange time between first and second wind (what's happening exactly in this period?)
This advice is much broader than just BJJ. Fear is a tool, and like all tools, you have to learn how to use it. The only way is to just get out there and face it. When used properly, fear gives you a respect for the situation and reminds you to be focused on the task at hand. I've competed in karate and BJJ for many years. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to go into a match with a light sweat already. It truly lets you get over the initial adrenaline wave out that comes with the prefight jitters, and you go in much more focused.
Old guy here. Learned about fear a a coast guardsman, how to use that fear to fuel your adrenaline. I’m 66 now, but at 60 entered a small Judo competition, as a white belt, and won beating two college kids in the progress. Use that fear.
Awesome video!!! Thank you for sharing!!!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thanks for this. My 3rd white belt competition fell to pieces from anxiety. I was gassed from fear before I even stepped on the mat. Useful to have this insight going forward
Great advice! I suffered from anxiety at the only tournament I did, at blue belt, and now I'm training for my first MMA fight at purple belt. I know I'll be nervous and a bit shy to get hit(been KO'd in a street fight by getting stomped as a kid and had my septum deviated in training about a month ago), but I'm trying to learn how to ride the fear like a wave instead of trying to get rid of it completely, fear is not the enemy. It's keeping things in perspective and your body telling you "this is real, we need to be careful".
I think the key is like you said “getting comfortable” cause it can make you so nervous you can’t even think straight.
Frank Mir vomited before every fight bc he was so nervous
Awesome advice Chewy 💯 i have personally been through the same thing . Competed in Boxing an Jiu jitsu an had my nerves or lack there of get the best of me . I did find a little trick over the years that ill say helped. I found that if i actually expected to not sleep the night before or on the ride there ect an just actually did a bunch of other stuff that had nothing to do with the tourny. I would zone out to whatever or go play whatever sport an get crappy sleep an be like whatever. I actually found going into the comp over tired an without having over thought anything about it also walking in an getting that good little dose of fright actually made me better an sharper come match time. Just throwing myself in vs thinking way to much about it made it much easier. Idk maybe that might work for someone too. Food for thought
I love when I get the goosebumps form fear and anxiety before I compete it makes me grapple so much better. In the other hand when I fight a friend or in gym i never go that hard.
Rocky V "your best friend is a guy named frankie fear"
dude awesome advice.
Excellent advice
I fear for my opponents. After being in many real fights, this is just puppy play.
lol 🤦🏻
@@DoggosAndJiuJitsucareful bro when he gets mad he just sees red
@@sevourn 😂
@@sevourn you guys messing with him but that's good cope for nerves, pumping yourself up is a very legit strat.