Competition Day

How to do it

Keep the night before normal

1. AfternoonPack your bag using the checklist at the bottom. Check your weigh-in time and the venue address once, write them down, then stop checking.
2. BracketsLook once, if at all. Who you fight isn't in your control. How you fight is.
3. DinnerA normal dinner you've eaten before, about two hours before bed. Nothing new. Under 18 there's no weight cut, so eat properly.
4. 1 hour outPhone away. Same rule as every night. Charge it in another room. Use your alarm clock.
5. Wind downRead, write, stretch. Read a poem from our mindset site, or a few pages of your book. Slow breathing: in for four seconds, out for six.
6. BedYour normal bedtime. Nerves are normal. If you can't sleep, stay in bed and rest. One rough night won't decide your day. A month of good sleep before it matters more.

Start the morning without the phone

1. WakeNo phone for the first hour. Same as always. Music is fine.
2. WaterDrink water as soon as you're up.
3. WalkGo for a little walk and get some sun. Light movement. Notice how you feel. Let the nerves be there.
4. BreakfastThe breakfast you always eat. Give yourself time to digest before your first match, about two hours, the same as before morning training. Pack snacks for the day.
5. CheckThe control check. I control my preparation, my effort, how I respond. I don't control the ref, the bracket, my opponent or the result. Let the second list go (see Mindset).

Plan your arrival around check-in

Work backwards from your match time, and build the logistics in first. Check-in, registration, weigh-in and gi check all take time, and every event runs them a little differently.

• Know your event's rules. Some events ask you to be there an hour before your match. Add an hour of warm-up and you're starting about two hours out.
• If you're already checked in and weighed in, many events only need you there about 30 minutes before your match. Getting the boring stuff done early buys you that flexibility.
• Sort the boring stuff first: registration, weigh-in, the help desk if something's wrong, the bathroom, your mat, the test scale, gi check.
• Find your coach and your team. Sit with them. We're there for each other.
• Earphones in if you want. Your music, your space. No scrolling, no checking results, no reading comments. Read your book or your poems while you wait.
• Hungry means a bad mood. Tired means bad decisions. Keep eating small and sipping water.

Warm up for about an hour

In an ideal world, your warm-up takes about an hour and finishes just before you need to be at your mat. The goal is to arrive warm, sweating and moving well, not still cold when they call your name.

1. StartStretch, then the GB warm-up. Hips, hamstrings, low back, shoulders, neck, then get your heart rate up.
2. 10 minDrill block. Move through your whole game with a partner at light resistance, about 20 to 40%: takedown or guard pull, guard, passing, sweeps, submissions. The point is to get your body moving and shake the rust off, not to win. Get a sweat on. I like to wear a hoodie so I sweat without having to go as hard; that's personal preference.
3. 5 minBreak. Sit, relax, chat with your training partner.
4. RepeatDrill block, break, drill block. Three rounds of drilling and rest brings you to about an hour.
5. OptionalOne hard-ish roll. Plenty of our athletes like one higher-intensity round to open up their wind before the first match. It depends on your cardio and how you feel. If you're carrying an injury or aren't confident in your fitness, skip it. I don't always do it myself.
6. GoInto the warm-up area or bullpen. Ideally you're fighting within about 20 to 40 minutes.

Then the last two pieces, every time:

• Breathe: a minute of slow breathing before you walk to the mat. In for four, out for six.
• Your pre-match routine, the same one every time. If you don't have one yet, the mindset site has one to start from.

Stuck in the bullpen for ages? It happens. Brackets run late. Use your mindset tools to stay calm and collected, keep your body moving, stay warm, and refresh with a short burst of movement before you're called.

Reset between matches

• Water, then a small snack if there's time. Electrolytes if it's a long, hot day.
• Stay warm. Hoodie on, keep moving.
• One short note from your coach. Long instructions don't help in the moment. "Get up, get on top." Short and sweet.
• Leave the last match behind. Win or lose, it's done. The next one is the only one you can do anything about.
• Still no phone. Results, messages and videos can wait.
• Focus on yourself, focus on the first step, commit and do it now.

After, win or lose: we try, we learn

• Shake hands. Thank the referee. Even if you didn't like the call (see Team Standards).
• Stay for your team. Coach and support your teammates. We're not just there for us.
• Feel it. Losing hurts because you didn't get what you wanted. That's allowed. It says nothing about your worth.
• A win only proves you won that day, against those opponents. Enjoy it. It doesn't guarantee tomorrow.
• Don't post or message while you're upset. Tired, emotional thoughts after a comp aren't reliable. Sleep on it (see Mindset).
• Debrief within two days. Write the competition entry in your training log: what did I try, what did I learn, what's one thing for the next block? How you feel about the result goes in your weekly reflection; the debrief questions on the mindset site are a good start.
• Review your own footage with the routine in Technical Empowerment and add it to your competition entry.

Competition is hard for everyone, me included, and I didn't win straight away either. Look for the little wins: the guard pull you nailed, the sweep you finally tried, the nerves you sat with instead of numbing.