Do You Perform Better or Worse with People Watching?

One piece of advice I tell all the first-time competitors at Crazy 88 JiuJitsu is to not worry too much about winning or losing their first competition.  The first time you get out there is really just to get the psychological kinks outs.

A first-time competitor will oftentimes be unable to perform to his or her full ability – the nerves of competing for the first time will make them act crazy and cause their body to react nervously (adrenaline dump, etc.).  Luckily, all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments divide the brackets by experience so first-timers are usually facing other rookies.

One of the reasons for this nervousness is the fear of being observed and therefore evaluated by others around you.

Oh No! I have a tournament this weekend!

Social psychologists discovered that social facilitation (“the phenomenon where performance is altered due to the presence of another person or other people”) could have both positive and negative effects on performance.  For example, cyclists had better race times when observed or racing with other cyclists than when cycling alone.  However, individuals who were forced to perform new, more complicated tasks actually did worse when others were present.

What accounts for the difference is Dominant Response.

Social Facilitation enhances Dominant Responses and inhibits Subordinate Responses.  So… if your natural reaction is to do “ABC”, people watching will make you “ABC” even better.  However, if you are not good at “ABC”, people watching will make you do “ABC” worse.  What this means as well is that if your natural reaction is to do “ABC” but the situation requires “XYZ”, people watching will make “XYZ” worse.  In other words, if its something you already do well, you’ll do it better.  If the task is still new to you, you’ll do it worse.

This is one of the reasons, drilling and maintaining a clear mind are so important in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:  Drilling to create the proper Dominant Responses to situations and Clear Mind to know when to stop yourself from doing Incorrect Responses (i.e. a wrestler who forces himself not to turn to his stomach when on his back despite his natural reactions telling him to). So don’t neglect your drilling!

PS – MERRY CHRISTMAS from everyone at your favorite Howard County Martial Arts school.

Stay Safe This Holiday Season!

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