Do you need to compete?

Those who’ve competed and still train, will say yes.

Those who’ve competed and quit, we don’t hear from.

Those who’ve never competed and quit, we don’t hear from.

Those who’ve never competed and still train, will say yes, no, or maybe.

People play golf without entering tournaments. People play pickup basketball without joining a rec league. People work on cars and don’t race. People take up weight training and don’t enter bodybuilding contests. And so on.

The other day, I heard someone say it’s important to compete because of the inherent intensity and anxiety a tournament produces. But that assumes all tournaments are the same, and they’re obviously not.

Train jiu-jitsu. It’s a hobby. It’s a potentially life-changing or even life-saving hobby, but it’s a hobby. Take it seriously or take it irreverently, or somewhere in-between. Just keep training.