Top 10 Mistakes Beginners Make in BJJ (and How to Fix Them)

Starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can feel like learning an entirely new language. You’re figuring out unfamiliar positions, techniques, terminology, and movements, sometimes while another person is actively trying to control you.

The good news? Every experienced BJJ practitioner was once a beginner. Making mistakes is part of learning Jiu-Jitsu, and many of the mistakes new students make are surprisingly similar.

Whether you’ve just signed up for your first BJJ class or have been training for a few months, recognizing these common beginner mistakes can help you train safer, learn more efficiently, and enjoy your time on the mats.

Here are some of the biggest BJJ beginner mistakes and how to fix them!

1. Using Strength Instead of Technique

One of the most common mistakes beginners make in BJJ is trying to muscle their way through every position.

When you don’t know what to do, your natural reaction might be to push harder, squeeze tighter, or try to overpower your training partner. While strength can certainly be useful in Jiu-Jitsu, relying on it too much can make you tired quickly and prevent you from actually learning the technique.

How to Fix It: Slow down and focus on leverage, positioning, and timing.

When a technique isn’t working, ask yourself whether your grips, hips, frames, or body position are correct before simply applying more force.

One of the biggest lessons in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is learning how to use your body efficiently. The sooner you start focusing on technique instead of trying to win through strength, the better foundation you’ll build.

2. Holding Your Breath

Ever finish a short round of rolling and wonder why you’re completely exhausted?

You might be forgetting to breathe.

New BJJ students often tense their entire body and hold their breath when they’re uncomfortable or trying to escape a position. That tension uses a lot of energy.

How to Fix It: Make a conscious effort to breathe steadily, especially when you’re stuck in a difficult position. Relax the muscles you don’t need and focus your energy on the movements that actually matter.

Learning to stay calm while someone is putting pressure on you takes time, but it’s an important BJJ skill. As your technique and confidence improve, you’ll usually find it easier to relax and conserve energy during rolls.

3. Trying to Learn Everything at Once

BJJ has an enormous number of techniques, positions, submissions, escapes, sweeps, and variations.

After a few weeks of training and maybe a few hours of watching BJJ videos online, it can feel like you need to learn all of them.

You don’t.

How to Fix It: Focus on building strong fundamentals first.

As a BJJ beginner, prioritize understanding basic concepts such as:

• Maintaining good posture
• Using frames
• Escaping bad positions
• Controlling your opponent
• Understanding guard
• Maintaining mount and side control
• Recognizing common submissions
• Knowing when to tap

A smaller number of techniques that you understand well will usually help you much more than dozens of techniques you barely remember.

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4. Treating Every Roll Like a Competition

Rolling is exciting, especially when you first start BJJ. But one of the easiest traps for beginners is thinking every sparring round needs to have a winner and a loser.

That mindset can lead to unnecessary aggression, poor technique, and even injuries.

How to Fix It: Think of rolling as live practice rather than a competition.

Instead of asking, “Did I win that round?” ask:

Did I successfully use the technique we learned today?

Did I recognize when I was in danger?

Did I escape a position I normally get stuck in?

Did I stay calmer than I did last week?

Those small improvements are what eventually create good Jiu-Jitsu.

5. Being Afraid to Tap

Tapping is not losing.

It’s one of the most important safety tools in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Beginners sometimes wait too long to tap because they don’t want to give up or think escaping at the last second will prove something. Unfortunately, refusing to tap can turn an ordinary training round into an unnecessary injury.

How to Fix It: Tap early and tap often.

If your training partner has a submission secured and you don’t know how to safely escape, tap and reset.

You’ll have thousands of opportunities to roll again. Protecting yourself allows you to keep showing up and learning.

6. Focusing Too Much on Submissions

Submissions are one of the most exciting parts of BJJ, so it’s understandable that beginners want to learn them.

But submissions become much easier when you first learn how to control positions.

Trying to attack an armbar while you’re losing your balance or chasing someone’s neck without establishing control can create opportunities for your opponent to escape or reverse the position.

How to Fix It: Remember the general idea — Position before submission

Learn how to establish and maintain strong positions before worrying about collecting as many submissions as possible.

As your positional control improves, submission opportunities will become much easier to recognize.

7. Comparing Yourself to Other Students

Someone who started around the same time as you might learn a technique faster. Another student might be stronger, more athletic, or have previous wrestling experience.

Comparing yourself to everyone around you can quickly become frustrating.

How to Fix It: Measure your progress against your previous level, not someone else’s.

Can you recognize positions faster than you could a month ago? Are you staying calmer during rolls? Did you finally hit an escape you’ve been practicing?

Those are meaningful signs of progress.

Everyone enters BJJ with different athletic backgrounds, body types, schedules, and goals. Your progress won’t look exactly like anyone else’s.

8. Skipping Class Because You Don’t Feel “Ready”

One of the biggest obstacles to improving at BJJ is surprisingly simple: inconsistency.

Beginners sometimes skip training because they’re sore, discouraged after a difficult class, or feel like they aren’t improving quickly enough.

But consistency is what allows all those confusing techniques to gradually start making sense.

How to Fix It: Find a realistic training schedule you can maintain.

For many beginners, two or three classes per week can provide a good foundation without making training feel overwhelming.

You don’t need to train every day to improve. You need to keep coming back.

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