Novelty

There is something to be said for novelty as it relates to performance. If you introduce a new related skill, a different skill, or make something more difficult it can lead to better outcomes. Outside of grappling an example would be weighted bats in baseball, or sumo training in football. So maybe as a community we should do a better job of embracing the diversification and novelty afforded to us by the broad range of our activity. If competition is your focus in grappling, it would behoove you find as many grappling related competitions as you can. Not just jiu jitsu, but go to wrestling, judo, and sambo tournaments as well. Train no gi and in the gi. Especially as a child, the more exposure you have to competition the easier it will be, and in reality, your record only matters at black belt adult, so go forth and learn.