There seems to be more and more footage floating around of individuals getting hurt (and most of the time quite badly) while competing and at the hands of a controversial “rule” break/bend. Even amongst very talented individuals with a great deal of experience. For example, Ben Eddy getting slammed and knocked unconscious in competition by a much bigger opponent. The move was illegal — that's unfortunate, but it's not really the point I want to make here. Ben Eddy isn't a new or inexperienced competitor; he's good. And that's exactly why this matters for everyone, regardless of experience level.
When you're preparing to compete, obviously you need to be prepared — that's step one, but it's not what this is about. Here's the real point: you can never leave your health in the hands of the rules or the referee. You should always compete as if the rules are not going to protect you, because sometimes, they simply won't.
Take a locked triangle where you get lifted into the air. In many rulesets, slamming is illegal — but you could be five or six feet off the ground when it happens. If your opponent slams you anyway, they get disqualified. That's not much comfort if you're the one who got hurt (and this has happened numerous times). The referee generally assumes both competitors are playing by the rules, because that's what good sportsmanship looks like. But you can never assume your opponent will actually be a good sport.
Even at the highest levels of any combative sport, rule-breaking is rare — but it happens, and it happens to some of the most decorated athletes in the world. Two clear examples: Mike Tyson biting part of Evander Holyfield's ear off in the ring, and Tonya Harding's involvement in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan that kept her from competing. Both are examples of world-class individuals, at the highest level of their careers, willing to put their entire reputation on the line for a win. Most of the time, elite athletes play by the rules because they've earned a reputation and have something to protect, but every so often winning becomes everything. This is real and can happen — especially against someone you don't know, someone without a reputation to lose, mixed into an open tournament — you genuinely don't know what you're going to get.
That's exactly the situation Ben Eddy found himself in: he jumped up onto a much bigger opponent, and got slammed, whether or not the opponent knew it was against the rules. It happened regardless.
So when you're competing: be well-prepared, and never put yourself in a position where your safety depends entirely on your opponent following the rules. There's almost always another technically sound path to the same result — one that doesn't require trusting a stranger's sportsmanship with your body.
Competition is one of the best things you can do for your jiu-jitsu. It motivates you, pushes you toward real goals, and gives you a genuinely fun, challenging environment — as long as you're prepared and you compete in a way that keeps you safe no matter what happens. That's what lets you build your competitive skill set and keep coming back to it, year after year.
Injuries will happen in our sport, but these kind are mostly avoidable and heart breaking to see. We have and had enough proof already. Next time you step on to the competition mats, don’t put your health in the hands of the rules or the referee it only takes a moment for these type of things to happen, but it could be with you for the rest of your life. Train Hard. Fight Hard. Be Smart.
See you on the mats.
p.s. My heart goes out to anyone who has been injured in situations such as these.
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