Stuck In Your Head? Here's How I Beat Competition Anxiety For Good

How I learned to love competition - regardless of the results. (PLUS: My pre-match routine)

Photo by Tyler Murphy

Dealing with nerves in competition is one of the most common questions I get asked, and it’s also something that everyone who competes in BJJ has to deal with.

However, not everyone learns how to manage their mind for Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. Not everyone manages to keep it together. Some people go their entire careers and never figure it out.

I have a step-by-step system that I use to get myself ready to compete, and I’ll share that with you at the end of this article. It’s tragic to me when people start to hate competing because they can’t handle the natural anxiety that comes with it.

Competition is a nerve-wracking thing because engaging in it has inherent risks.

Injury, failure, judgment, and more.

But rather than wishing for relief from the discomfort of competition, it’s better to build a mind that is able to handle the stress of it.

Here’s how I built one for myself…