First Tournament Playbook: Six Weeks, One Small Game, and a Day That Runs on Rails

Mat Manual companion guide to "Match Day Nerves: The First Tournament Problem Nobody Drills." Print it. The article explains why the event, not the jiu-jitsu, is the untrained part. This book trains the event: the small-game builder, the rules card, six weeks of pressure-proof drilling, the opening sequence, the day-of timeline, the between-match reset, and the review that makes the second tournament a different animal.

Competitor: ______________________________ Event: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Division: ______________

SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ Weight decisions follow the body's sense, not the bracket's temptation. For a first tournament, this book's rule is absolute: compete at your natural weight. No cuts. (Adults considering future class decisions get the full discussion in Part 12; children never cut, full stop.) ☐ The tap is rehearsed for competition speed: in the final two weeks, drilling includes verbal taps, because adrenaline swallows the physical tap's clarity. ☐ Between matches, food and water follow the plan in Part 9, not the venue's concessions line. A stomach is a performance variable. ☐ Any injury from the event is logged and assessed like training injuries in the rest of this library. A medal is not a diagnosis. ☐ Parents and coaches: the drive-home rules (Part 10) are safety rules too — for the competitor's next five years in the sport.

Part 1: The Rules Card (IBJJF-Style — Verify Your Event's Rule Set)

Print this page for the venue. Most first events follow IBJJF or a close cousin; where yours differs, pencil the difference on this card and the card stays true.

The two if-then rules this card buys you. (1) Tied or down by an advantage inside the last minute → you must be the one attacking; a referee deciding a quiet match rewards activity they saw last. (2) Up on points inside the last minute → positions are banks: consolidate, keep the 3-second rule working for you, and take no adventure that is not already won.