There really isn’t such a thing as “competition season” for the Average Joe such as myself. There’s a judo or jiu jitsu tournament basically every weekend year-round within 2-3 hours of Philadelphia. Some are bigger than others. So mentally I prepare for the big ones, while competing at the small ones with the primary goal of relaxing and learning (as opposed to winning).

I took the last 2 months off from competition which for me is a very long time, and now I’m ready to get back out there and compete as often as possible. Here’s a list of competitions, training sessions, and clinics in the area in the next couple months. I keep this list mostly for myself but also for other people I train with as I work steadily to convince them to come along and split the cost of a car rental (and hotel if necessary).

Money is definitely tight for me. I’m still getting paid a student salary, so even though I’m being frugal for the most part, the cost of everything from training to diet is keeping me constantly at zero balance. I might do a few websites here and there that will help with the costs of travel and registration to these tournaments, but it’s still a constant pain. I hope I’ll be able to manage. The last thing I want to do is really want to compete but not be able to afford it.

The next big tournament for me is Starrett Cup on Jan 23. Again, check out the list of upcoming competitions. If you’re reading this, chances are I will probably be on your ass about coming with me to many of these soon.

Then again, the only people that read this are 1-2 bored friends and my mom who constantly tells me that I should be doing less judo and find myself a nice Jewish girl. PS: Love you, Mom.