I am entering Naga, (grappling tourney) any advice?
Naga, North American Grappling association.
I am probably going to be entering this tournament at the end of the month. I have only about months experience and instruction and am a super heavy by a long shot, about 265 lbs. I will be competing in the 6 months or less catagory and am getting good in gaining position and several subs from the top. has any one ever done naga before and how tough is the competition in the novice category???? Do I have a chance?
Depends, do you have any other background in grappling?
What happens is you have guys who were former Colleagic wrestlers, and Judo players enter in because they have less than 6 months of BJJ.
One thing I would stess above all else, is get your cardio right. Or as best you can. If you have never felt the intensity of a tournament then it can be a shock. Not to mention if you are used to rolling with lighter guys, taking on the much heavier guys is going to be significantly more draining.
Hard to say if you have a chance, with a month or so experience, kudos goes to you for stepping up and trying it out. You will at the very least learn a lot from the experience.
I have fought in a few NAGAs now, and won an Intermediate division. I can tell you that the majority of guys you face are coming from grappling backgrounds and are usually fighting a level below their real skill level.
However, there are many guys who actually fight in two different divisions, including weight wise.
One thing to work on for this month is to do have them do some mock tournament style rolling, learn to get used to the point system they use. Sometimes not being aware of them can lead to you getting outpointed even though by your thoughts you are dominating.
So take a look at the point system and start rolling to those rules, especially in regards to positions, and submission attempts, and takedowns. Realize that more than likely if you don’t have a grappling background, you are going to be starting from your back, and a point deficit as your opponent will probably win the takedown battle.
Good luck, and awesome job for attempting this so early in the game, you will honestly learn a tremendous amount and will walk away with a lot to work on, and probably a few tricks. Good luck!
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