I competed in my first jiu jitsu tournament in November – the IBJJF NY Fall Open. I trained for 100 days in preparation, and my competitive experience lasted exactly five minutes. That's how it goes with single-elimination tournaments.

By contrast, Grappling Industries offers round-robin tournaments. Most entrants in a Grappling Industry tourney get four matches in the Gi, and four matches in No Gi.

I had the pleasure of photographing the Grappling Industries tournament in Manhattan in late mid-January. Below are a few of the stories, characters, and photographs of the day.

Please feel free to share any of the images in this story. I just ask that you credit @grapplingsdotcom.

Leora and Sam

Leora trains at Chicago MMA and started BJJ less than a year ago. A while back she reached out on /r/bjj looking for other women in the community who were training. Sam, a blue belt at Marcelo's, replied back, and the two became friends online. Leora made the trip to NYC to compete in her first tournament, and Sam cornered her.

Leo, Lydia, and Eddie

Eddie Gomez (blue gi) is a three stripe blue-belt at Marcelo's. He and Leo Gordon were the only two ultra-heavyweight blue belts to enter the tournament. Grappling Industries asked if they'd like to go best two out of three to get more reps in. Despite getting promoted to blue belt just last week, Leo managed to take one of the matches from Eddie, who ultimately won the set, 2-1.

The story's a bit more complicated though. Lydia Coleman is a purple belt who trained with Edie for years at Marcelo's. However, she recently said "Yes!" when Leo asked for her hand in marriage. So for all three matches, Lydia's in her fiance's corner, watching her good friend and finance try to strangle one another.

The Corners

Van, co-founder of Mastersya, consistently shows up for his athletes at these tournaments. Behind him is Shamil, who you should follow on IG if you're into jiu-jitsu photography. Corners are the unsung heroes at these events, shouting over the crowd to deliver instruction and encouragement to their athletes.

The Staff

Thank you to all the refs, scorekeepers, and other staff who this smooth event. Special thanks to Danny – the man with the mic. He served as tournament director, ran a smooth event, was kind to the competitors, and was generous in giving me access to shoot.

The Competitors

For anyone looking to do their first tournament, can't recommend Grappling Industries more highly – especially if you're a white or blue belt. It's less pressure than IBJJF and you'll get more reps.

Please feel free to share any of the images in this story. I just ask that you tag @grapplingsdotcom.