To compete or not to compete, that is the question?

Competition time is always a strange

situation for a club. 

It creates excitement as it is a break from the monotony of training. 

Competition is great otherwise we just will be sparring each other's. Such type of training is not healthy as it tends to grind people spirit and it is boring as we already knew the pecking order after a couple of class anyway. 

So where does  the non competitors stand? 

They make up for the majority of BJJ.

 Looks at the competition circuit in nz and you  can tell that only marketing or attracting competitors to fill up your club is a route to disaster. 

Medals might great for advertising but the limited number of competitors will not make enough revenue to keep a club alive. 

It is interesting to see that such trend has changed throught the years. 

Back in the days we were all about putting the smack down on other martial artists. 

Then it became a sport with rules. 

Nowadays, it is about the lifestyle as we need to maximise numbers of students and retain them. 

Competition has taken the back seat. 

Competition also divides a club. We have competitors and we have students that are not interested in competitors.

As an instructor, I think it is important to cater for both needs. 

One group cannot exist without the other.