As with any sport there are many mistakes that a beginner can make in BJJ, some of the biggest and most common can even result in injury. For that reason, it’s important to iron out any of these mistakes early on in your BJJ journey and doing so will only lead to a safer and more productive training environment. Many people start training BJJ for mental issues, physical health problems, for appearance, or self-defence; but also for self-improvement and competition as well. Fixing these mistakes early will not only lead to greater success in the training room, but also greater success on the competition mats as well.
5 Biggest BJJ Beginner Mistakes To Avoid
BJJ can often feel overwhelming in the first few months of someone’s journey, and it can be difficult to know where to even start. A beginner in the sport often struggle with identifying what bad habits or mistakes they need to address first in their BJJ journey, as it can sometimes feel that everything they’re doing is wrong or could be done a better way. Rather than concentrating on higher-level problems, these are the 5 most common and biggest BJJ mistakes that beginners make, along with how to avoid them.
Disregarding Safety
BJJ is a sport that can be dangerous if safety rules are not respected, especially for beginners (but also for higher belts). These rules are important because they are in place to ensure safety and prevent injuries. One of the most important things to pay attention to is movement, both during rolling and when walking around the gym while others are sparring. Being ‘careful’ in this sense refers to avoiding accidental collisions or falling on someone during sparring. It is also important for beginners to adhere to rules about control to avoid executing techniques too forcefully on the ground. It is worth noting that beginners should wear mouthguards if they wish to avoid dental injuries, as well as ear guards if they do not want to get cauliflower ears.
Not Understanding the Fundamentals
One of the biggest mistakes made by BJJ practitioners is not understanding the fundamentals of positions and how to transition from one position to another. Beginners should start by learning some basic positions, such as guard, side control, mount, and back control, and at least have a basic understanding of them. Knowing these positions will help you understand the main goals in each position and, if someone attacks you, you won’t be stressed because you already understand the position you’re in. Additionally, the fundamentals of movement, such as gripfighting, are important to learn as well. For each position, it would be helpful to continually investigate and have someone demonstrate a particular position so that you can better understand it. All of these examples will help beginners gain a better understanding of BJJ and its techniques.
Trying to Run Before You Can Walk
Many beginners, when they start training, try to learn techniques that are complicated and meant for higher belts before mastering the basic techniques. This is one of the biggest mistakes because, without a solid foundation, a beginner will have a hard time dealing with the more complicated BJJ techniques. Basic techniques that are simpler and require less movement should be learned first and then built upon with more complex techniques, such as armbars, triangles, kimura, Americana, arm triangle, and others… Basic techniques in BJJ include different types of grips, control, positioning, and escaping that control. Beginners should focus on mastering these basic techniques to create a solid foundation for further progression.
Lack of Conditioning
BJJ is an intense sport that requires a lot of strength, endurance, and flexibility. Many beginners come to training without preparation and expect to manage a full class easily. The lack of conditioning can lead to quick exhaustion, mistakes during technique execution, and an increased risk of injuries. To avoid this problem, beginners should work on their conditioning while also taking part in BJJ. This includes cardio training, but you also need to take part in as much sparring as possible in the beginning to get used to the physical activity in BJJ. Every day that you do one more round, your conditioning will improve.
Ignoring Mental Preparation
BJJ is a sport that requires full concentration and physical effort but also requires mental preparation. Many beginners do not realize how important it is to mentally prepare for training and competitions. One of the most important things a BJJ beginner can do to avoid many smaller common mistakes is visualization. Visualization involves creating mental images of techniques you want to perform and visualizing yourself successfully executing those techniques. This will help you feel more confident and secure when you come to training or competition. Also, it’s important to work on mental strength and resilience. BJJ can be a frustrating sport because progress is not always fast and easy. It takes a lot of effort and time to make progress. Therefore, beginners need to develop mental strength and resilience to deal with the challenges ahead.
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