Reading Dev's latest post really got me thinking again about competition. I wrote a rather longwinded article on this very subject almost two years ago (holy crap! I've been blogging for THAT LONG???). In that article, I gave five reasons that I believe competition is important to one's BJJ training, even if I hate doing it:

1:  Competing forces me to address my conditioning. I had three matches in February and was more gassed than I have ever been. The pace is higher, and the adrenaline and anxiety cause fatigue. I have to be in shape.

2:  Competing forces me to address my diet. In competition, there are weight classes. While I walk around at 184 lbs and compete at around that same weight, I want to be healthy and have enough energy to get me through. Others drop weight, and there are good and bad ways to do that. Either way, competition forces my hand. I don’t drink as much beer in the weeks leading to a competition. I try to eat less sugar and am just more mindful of my diet.

3:  I learned more about myself in one day on the mats, and in watching my videos from those matches, than I had in the 3 months prior. I saw gaping holes in my game, areas that were exploited. Areas to improve.

4:  I also saw things that I do well. Who knew?