Competition This Saturday 10/18/25

Maui Training Center, in Pukalani, is hosting another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition this coming Saturday, 10/18. Click Here To Register!***

NOTE: Starts At 9am. Please arrive by 8:30am. Last time, everything was said and done by 11:30am/Noon. This is a relatively small competition.

OTHER NOTE: If you register or plan to register, please let me know via text at 808-400-4185 so I can send preparatory materials, including a list of IBJJF rules for your child's age group and a link to the competitors' WhatsApp group.

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**We got late notice of the event, so apologies for the late notice you're receiving.

Should Your Child Compete?

Competitions are great for many students and for many reasons. They help students to "pressure-test" their skills, and give motivation for training hard.

They help students experience and endure the pressure and anxiety that anticipation of competition presents. And this capacity will surely serve them well in their adult lives.

Pressure makes diamonds.

At the same time, for students who are not athletically inclined, or who do not have a competitive spirit, competitions may be detrimental, developmentally inappropriate or "not yet" appropriate in their growth curve. And if so, they could lead to unnecessary self-doubt, shame, or self-criticism.

Minimum Requirements

I personally recommend that students will have been training in one of our older classes (Samurai Squad or Mindful Warriors) for at least a year and have received a rank of least 2 red stripes on their White Belt (10-Stripe White Belt or better). Students should also feel at least some intrinsic motivation to compete and not be unduly pressured into it.

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Is Mindful Martial Arts a "Competition Focused School?"

We are NOT a competition-focused school. We are focused on supporting our student's holistic personal growth—their focus, discipline, and confidence—through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Self-Defense, and Mindfulness training.

The evidence is clear: just 0.025–0.04% of the global population trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the self-defense scenario that our students are most likely to face will involve an un-skilled and emotionally dysregulated potential attacker who has given plenty of warning signs.

We are extremely powerfully preparing our students for these scenarios along all fronts (energetic, verbal, and physical de-escalation, physical self-defense, and Sport Jiu-Jitsu skills)

And it's worth noting this is at the cost of not being able to be solely Sport Jiu-Jitsu focused. So if you're child doesn't do as well as you (or they) hoped, please remember these higher aims.

Nevertheless, I expect our competing students to have fun, to be improved by the experience, to put up good fights, and to come away with a few meaningful wins. If it's the right thing for you and you're child, I hope you will prioritize it and register!

If you do enter your child in the competition, I will be there to coach and support them on the day, Saturday 10/18, and hopefully with Professor Rob and Assistant Coach Evan as well.

Thank you for reading, reflecting, and supporting us, your child, and through these, our greater community.

Lots of love and aloha,

Coach Gabe

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