11/09/2026
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think the standard of competition Jiu Jitsu has gone up massively over the last few years.
There was probably a time where you could train a couple of days a week, enter a comp and still be reasonably competitive.
I think those days are well and truly behind us.
That goes for both kids and adults.
The athletes we are coming up against are training more, competing more often and preparing specifically for competition. The pace is higher, the technical level is higher and the difference between someone who simply trains Jiu Jitsu and someone who actually trains to compete is becoming much more obvious.
That means our expectations have to rise with it.
This isn’t about saying everyone needs to train four or five days a week. If you train recreationally, come as often as works for you, enjoy Jiu Jitsu and keep improving.
But competition is different.
If you choose to compete, there has to be a higher level of commitment to your preparation, your teammates and the coaches investing their time into getting you ready.
Turning up a couple of times a week and hoping to switch into “competition mode” when an event gets close just isn’t enough anymore.
We need to start treating competition as something you prepare for consistently, not something you simply enter.
As the level rises, our standards have to rise with it.
And if we want M9A athletes to walk into competition genuinely prepared, our expectations around training, consistency and accountability need to reflect that.
