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Opinion: No Time Limit BJJ Matches Are Bad For The Sport

Opinion: No Time Limit BJJ Matches Are Bad For The Sport

The most recent Who’s Number One (WNO) tournament saw a main event between Kyle Chambers and Izaak Michell; a no time limit, submission-only match… That went on for more than two hours.
Michell eventually won, but the question arose among the audience: are no time limit matches a bad deal?

Nick “Chewy” Albin thinks they are. And not just for the spectators, but for the competitors as well.

 

NO TIME LIMIT MATCHES ARE A “BAD DEAL” IN JIU-JITSU

First of all, yes. The spectators can get bored out of their minds while watching a no time limit match. For, the competitors will not be giving their all in order to get the submission (or to win by points), as they would do in a – for example – 6 minute match. They’ll be looking to converse their energy.
The time incentive is an incredibly important one in BJJ competitions. The shorter the time frame, the more willing the athletes will be to give it their absolute all as soon as possible… Which makes for an exciting match for the spectators.

However, no time limit matches aren’t fair towards the competitors either. As a competitor, you want to know how to strategize – how and when to spend your energy. And for that, you need to know the time constraints you’re operating in.
Without time constraints, this can be tough to do. Chewy explains why this is the case in more detail on the video below: