Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is one of the richest, deepest martial arts in existence — full of nuance, timing, and constant adaptation. Yet for many beginners, the journey is riddled with frustration, injury, and slow progress. Whether you’ve just joined a gym or have been rolling for a few months, it’s likely you’re making avoidable mistakes that slow your growth.
At Piratebjj Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gym, you may see newer students pushing too hard, overly relying on strength, or neglecting recovery. These missteps are common, but awareness is the first step toward improvement. In this article, we’ll explore ten of the most frequent mistakes beginners make in Jiu Jitsu and offer evidence-based, actionable advice to help you train smarter.
By avoiding these pitfalls, you can improve faster, stay injury-free, and enjoy the learning process more. Let’s begin by examining the first—and often most fundamental—error: relying on strength instead of technique.
Many beginners assume that raw strength and brute force are the keys to success on the mat. They grip hard, push, pull, and try to overwhelm their opponent physically rather than using leverage, angles, and timing.
Strength is immediately gratifying. If you can muscle through a movement once, it feels like a shortcut. Also, beginners often see muscular practitioners or “power players” and try to emulate that style.
Movement Art lists “Using Too Much Strength Instead of Technique” among the core beginner mistakes, emphasizing that energy gets consumed quickly, and that technical refinement is superior in the long run. MOVEMENT ART Similarly, many BJJ blogs urge white belts to trust technique over strength. Blythewood Jiu Jitsu+1
One BJJ reddit thread describes the error succinctly:
“A major mistake is to hold your breath while you squeeze… fix the problem, not just ‘try harder.’”
Tip (Actionable): In positional sparring, set a rule: “I may not exceed 50% strength.” Force yourself to rely purely on leverage, posture, and timing until the principles internalize
Beginners often skip the repetitive drills—shrimping, bridging, guard retention, posture control—and instead chase flashy submissions seen online. They neglect positional control in favor of submission attempts.
Social media and YouTube showcase spectacular techniques, making flashy moves tempting. New students also want immediate gratification, feeling “I should be able to do that now.”
Blythewood Jiu Jitsu emphasizes neglecting fundamentals as a key beginner error, urging consistent repetition of core drills. Blythewood Jiu Jitsu The BJJ Report recommends that new students resist the temptation of mastering many flashy moves at once, and instead focus on mastering few techniques with depth.
From reddit:
“Worrying about the ‘next’ submission instead of securing proper positioning and retention.”
Tip (Actionable): On a notepad, write “Today’s 3 fundamentals” (e.g. shrimp, guard retention, side control escape). At the end of class, review which ones you practiced and which need more work.
Under pressure, many beginners unconsciously hold their breath, tighten up, and gasp for air. They forget to breathe deeply, especially in defensive or strenuous positions.
The human fight response triggers tension and breath holding under stress. Newbies, nervous or focused on survival, forget to pace their breathing.
Movement Art lists “Holding Your Breath & Gassing Out” as a primary beginner error. Evolve MMA also notes tensing and breath holding undermine efficiency and endurance.
As one BJJ Report article says: “BJJ moves must be drilled for months … but many beginners forget to breathe properly, holding their breath through escapes and taps.”
Tip (Actionable): During warm-up, time 30 seconds of “breath-only” movement: move your hips, frames, shuffles—without resisting a partner—but keep breathing consciously.
Instead of tapping when caught in submissions, beginners often try to resist, fight, or “muscle out” of the hold—driven by ego or fear of losing.
Pride, competitiveness, or misunderstanding of what tapping signifies lead many to resist submitting. Beginners often see tapping as failure.
Hayabusa calls “Poor Tap Awareness” a frequent error for beginners, citing that adrenaline and ego push people to resist submitting. The BJJ Report also warns that submission resistance is a fast track to injury.
From Absolutemma:
“Tap early, tap often: Avoid injuries and learn faster by tapping when caught.”
Tip (Actionable): Before every roll, remind yourself: “If the submission locks in, I’ll tap immediately.” Make it a habit. Then, post-roll, ask your partner: “What did you feel locked me up with?”
Some beginners skip or half-heartedly run through warm-up and mobility work, believing their technique or rolling time should dominate training.
Time pressure, desire to roll immediately, or underestimating injury risk make warm-up seem “optional.”
10th Planet Banbury highlights that skipping warm-ups and recovery is a mistake many don’t realize they’re making. Pure Martial Arts warns about being unprepared physically for a class (not eating, hydrating) and skipping warm-ups.
Tip (Actionable): Arrive 10 minutes early and have a set warm-up you don’t skip. After class, program 5–10 minutes of targeted mobility (hips, thoracic, ankles) before leaving.
Beginners swing from long gaps between classes (inconsistent) to overexerting themselves in too many sessions (overtraining). Both extremes hinder progress.
Excitement leads to enthusiasm bursts, or life schedule interferes. Without planning, some overcommit, others skip sessions when discouraged or busy.
Movement Art and other BJJ blogs caution that too much or too little training hurts more than it helps. Infinity BJJ also mentions balancing effort and recovery in long-term progression.
Tip (Actionable): Use a training journal: log sessions, note fatigue, track improvement. Regularly assess whether you need to scale back or adjust intensity.
Many beginners focus almost exclusively on submissions or sweeps, neglecting defense, escapes, and safe positional play.
Adrenaline, ego, or social media influence pushes the mindset of “go for the kill.” Beginners also believe offense is more exciting and visible.
V.O.W. and other BJJ blogs list “Neglecting Defense / Chasing Submissions” among typical mistakes. The Infighting site warns of attacking from inferior positions without first establishing control.
Gracie Barra’s guide to guard passing notes that trying to submit from inside an opponent’s guard is a classic beginner error.
Tip (Actionable): In sparring, set yourself a rule: “First 2 minutes, I defend only; no submissions allowed.” This forces focus on escapes, base, posture, and safety.
Beginners may hesitate to ask questions, stay silent when confused, or assume they’ll pick up everything passively.
Ego, fear of looking foolish, intimidation, or respect for instructor hierarchy can all prevent a student from seeking clarification.
Hayabusa highlights “Not Asking Questions or Reviewing Technique” as a common mistake, stressing that many beginners skip this opportunity. Billywood and other BJJ resources echo this, saying you shouldn’t assume everything will click by osmosis.
Tip (Actionable): At the end of class, approach one instructor or higher belt, pose one or two specific questions (“How can I maintain base in that sweep?”). Do this consistently.
Beginners often compare themselves to faster learners or focus excessively on belt promotions rather than internal improvement.
Social media, gym culture of rank, and natural human comparison make it tempting to measure progress against others.
Absolutemma warns that comparing yourself to others is a recurring beginner pitfall, leading to discouragement. VOW BJJ lists it explicitly among their common mistakes.
Tip (Actionable): Keep a “progress log” where you record personal benchmarks (e.g. “escaped mount 3 times today”) rather than comparing who tapped whom.
Many new practitioners assume technique alone will carry them—and neglect strength training, mobility work, nutrition, sleep, and recovery.
Focus is naturally drawn to what happens on the mats. Beginners may feel they don’t have time or that the gym sessions are “enough.”
Infinity BJJ and other blogs emphasize that conditioning and recovery are essential complements to technique training. lythewood also warns beginners not to overlook conditioning and mobility.
Tip (Actionable): Add a “recovery day” to your week, during which you focus solely on mobility, stretching, and light cardio. Track your sleep and nutrition as part of your training log.
Conclusion
The journey through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is challenging, exhilarating, and deeply rewarding. But every beginner stumbles—often by repeating avoidable mistakes. From leaning too heavily on strength and neglecting fundamentals, to holding your breath, resisting taps, skipping recovery, or falling into the comparison trap, these ten errors can slow your growth, injure your body, or sap your enthusiasm.
At Piratebjj Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gym, embracing a smarter, more deliberate path will help you accelerate your progress and enjoy the art longer. Awareness is the first step; next comes practice, consistency, humility, and the courage to reflect and correct.
Begin by selecting one or two mistakes on this list that resonate most with your current training. Focus on them deliberately in your upcoming sessions, track your progress, and reevaluate monthly. Use your instructors and more advanced training partners as guides, not competitors.
In the long run, the difference between a frustrated dropout and a lifelong practitioner is not talent—but persistence, smart habits, and steady improvement. So stay curious, stay humble, and keep showing up. Your best self on the mat is still ahead.