Competition

About the Competition category

Competition covers the sport at every level, from a student's first submission-only match to the professional events that shape how the whole grappling world trains. Posts here look at rulesets and prize money, what the biggest tournaments reward, and how the lessons carry back to a regular class.

Ground Game Theory runs its own submission-only invitational series in Miami, with round-robin brackets where every competitor faces every other and the most submissions wins. Several of these articles come directly out of organizing and coaching at those events.

The rules matter more than most people expect. A points system rewards control and stalling in a way a submission-only clock does not, and the format you train for changes what you practice. When we write about ADCC, CJI, or our own brackets, the underlying question is always the same: what does this ruleset make you better at, and is that what you want?

You do not need to compete to train here, and most members never do. But understanding competition makes you a sharper training partner, and if you decide to enter something, these posts are where to start.