Starting Jiu Jitsu is one of the best decisions you can make for your fitness, confidence, and personal growth. But let’s be real: the first few months are tough. You’re learning new movements, trying to remember techniques, and sparring with people who seem to know exactly what they’re doing while you feel like you’re just surviving. That’s totally normal. Every black belt started as a white belt, struggling with the basics.

But here’s the catch: a lot of beginners develop habits early on that hold them back. These mistakes aren’t just frustrating—they can stall your progress, cause injuries, and make training feel more overwhelming than it should. The good news is, most of them are completely avoidable once you know what to look out for.

In this guide, we’ll break down the most common mistakes beginners make in Jiu Jitsu and talk about how to avoid them. Think of it as the advice you’d get from a teammate who’s already been through those same struggles and wants to save you the extra headaches.

Mistake #1: Muscling Through Everything

If you’re brand new to Jiu Jitsu, it’s natural to rely on your strength. After all, when you don’t know the techniques yet, your body defaults to what it knows—pushing, pulling, and muscling your way out of positions. The problem is, Jiu Jitsu is built on leverage, timing, and technique. Strength has its place, but when you rely on it too much, you miss the chance to actually learn how the moves work.

Why it’s a problem:

• You gas out faster.
• You’re more likely to get injured.
• Your training partners won’t enjoy rolling with you if you’re treating every round like a wrestling match.

How to avoid it:
Focus on breathing, staying calm, and learning how to use your body efficiently. When you feel yourself tensing up and trying to brute-force a move, stop and think: Am I doing this with technique, or just strength? With time, you’ll realize that smaller training partners can sweep or submit bigger, stronger ones simply by applying leverage properly. That’s the magic of Jiu Jitsu.

Mistake #2: Holding Your Breath

This might sound silly, but it’s one of the most common issues. Beginners often get so caught up in defending or attacking that they forget to breathe normally. They hold their breath, tighten their body, and before they know it, they’re exhausted just minutes into a roll.

How to avoid it:
Make conscious breathing part of your training. Slow, steady breaths help you stay relaxed, conserve energy, and think clearly under pressure. A simple trick is to exhale when you’re applying pressure or transitioning and inhale when you find space. Over time, your breathing will become more natural, even in tough situations.

Mistake #3: Ignoring the Warm-Up

When you’re new, warm-ups might feel like wasted time. Maybe you’re eager to jump into drilling or rolling. But skipping or slacking during warm-ups is a fast track to injuries and slower progress.

Why it matters:
Warm-ups prepare your joints, muscles, and nervous system for the movements you’ll use on the mat. They also help you develop coordination and agility that translate directly into your game.

How to avoid it:
Treat the warm-up as part of your training, not just a routine to get through. Pay attention to shrimping, bridging, and technical stand-ups—these aren’t just exercises. They’re foundational movements you’ll use constantly in live sparring.

Mistake #4: Being Afraid to Tap

Ego sneaks in quickly when you start Jiu Jitsu. You don’t want to tap because it feels like losing, especially against someone smaller, younger, or less experienced. But refusing to tap is dangerous. Submissions are designed to stop blood flow or put joints in compromising positions. If you wait too long, you risk injury.

How to avoid it:
Tap early, tap often. There’s no shame in it. Tapping means you’re learning. Every time you tap, you’re gaining information about what works and what doesn’t. Remember, the goal isn’t to win every roll—it’s to improve.

Mistake #5: Trying to Learn Everything at Once

When you first step into a Jiu Jitsu gym, the amount of information is overwhelming. There are countless guards, passes, sweeps, and submissions. Beginners often try to remember everything, but end up forgetting almost all of it.

How to avoid it:
Keep it simple. Focus on the fundamentals: posture, base, frames, escapes, and one or two submissions. Build a small toolbox of reliable moves before worrying about advanced techniques. Quality beats quantity every time.

Mistake #6: Skipping Positional Training

Live rolling is exciting. You get to test yourself, see what works, and feel like you’re really doing Jiu Jitsu. But positional sparring—starting from specific positions and working out of them—is where you learn the most. Beginners who skip these drills miss out on a structured way to develop their defense and offense.

How to avoid it:
When your coach sets up positional rounds, treat them seriously. For example, start in side control and work on escaping, or start on someone’s back and defend the choke. These controlled scenarios help you improve specific skills faster than free rolling alone.

Mistake #7: Neglecting Defense

Most beginners are fascinated by submissions. They want to learn how to do armbars, chokes, and triangles right away. But if you can’t escape bad positions or defend yourself, you’ll spend most of your rolls stuck on the bottom.

How to avoid it:
Prioritize defense early on. Learn how to escape mount, how to recover guard, and how to protect your neck. A solid defense gives you confidence, because you know you can survive. Once you’re comfortable escaping, your offense will naturally improve.

Mistake #8: Going Too Hard in Every Roll

It’s tempting to treat every round like a competition. You want to prove yourself, show what you’ve learned, and maybe even “win.” But going at 100% intensity every time leads to burnout and injuries.

How to avoid it:
Mix up your training pace. Some rounds should be light and technical, focusing on movement and flow. Save the hard rounds for when you’re ready, or when you’re prepping for competition. Remember, training is about longevity. You want to train for years, not just a few months.

Mistake #9: Not Asking Questions

Some beginners feel shy or intimidated about asking their coach or teammates for help. They don’t want to look clueless. But here’s the thing: everyone was clueless at some point. Questions show that you’re paying attention and eager to learn.

How to avoid it:
If you don’t understand a detail, ask. Most instructors love it when students are curious. And teammates are usually more than happy to share tips that helped them when they were in your shoes.

Mistake #10: Comparing Yourself to Others

It’s easy to look at the blue belts and think, “I’ll never move like that.” Or compare yourself to the white belt who seems to be picking things up faster than you. Comparison can be discouraging and make you lose sight of your own progress.

How to avoid it:
Focus on your journey. Everyone learns at a different pace. The only person you should compare yourself to is who you were last week or last month. Celebrate small wins, like escaping a position you used to get stuck in.

Mistake #11: Forgetting About Hygiene

This one’s big. Jiu Jitsu is close-contact. Sweat, mats, and skin contact create the perfect environment for bacteria. Beginners sometimes underestimate how important hygiene is for themselves and their training partners.

How to avoid it:

• Wash your gi and belt after every class.
• Shower right after training.
• Trim your nails to avoid scratching teammates.
• Don’t train if you have skin infections.

Being clean shows respect for your teammates and keeps everyone safe.

Mistake #12: Training Inconsistently

Progress in Jiu Jitsu comes from consistency. Beginners sometimes show up once a week, or they train hard for a month and then disappear. When you’re inconsistent, you have to keep relearning the same basics over and over.

How to avoid it:
Pick a schedule you can realistically stick to. Even two or three classes a week will lead to noticeable progress. The key is to keep showing up, even on days you feel tired or unmotivated.

Mistake #13: Not Taking Care of Your Body

Jiu Jitsu is demanding. Beginners sometimes push through aches and pains without addressing them, or they skip strength and mobility work outside of class. Over time, this leads to injuries that could have been prevented.

How to avoid it:
Stretch, do mobility drills, and take recovery seriously. Strength training helps too, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Focus on exercises that protect your joints and improve your core stability. And if you feel sharp pain, take a break—don’t ignore it.

Mistake #14: Expecting Fast Results

Let’s face it: Jiu Jitsu is a long game. You won’t become good in a few months. Belts take years to earn, and skills develop slowly with consistent effort. Beginners who expect quick progress often get discouraged and quit too soon.

How to avoid it:
Adjust your mindset. Instead of chasing belts or trying to “win” every roll, fall in love with the process. Celebrate small milestones, like hitting a sweep in live sparring for the first time. Jiu Jitsu is about continuous growth, not instant results.

Mistake #15: Not Having Fun

This might sound obvious, but it’s easy to forget. Beginners sometimes get so focused on “doing everything right” that they forget Jiu Jitsu should be fun. If you’re not enjoying it, you’re less likely to stick with it.

How to avoid it:
Remember why you started. Laugh at your mistakes, enjoy the challenge, and appreciate the community around you. Jiu Jitsu isn’t just about fighting—it’s about personal growth, friendships, and having a good time on the mat.

Bonus Tip: Find the Right Gym

The environment you train in matters just as much as how often you show up. A good gym has supportive coaches, welcoming teammates, and a culture that encourages learning. If you’re in an area looking to start, for example, piratebjj offers Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gym programs that welcome complete beginners and make the learning curve a whole lot smoother.

And if you’ve got kids, opportunities like the Pirate BJJ Fall Break Camp can give them a fun, structured way to learn Jiu Jitsu while building confidence and staying active during school breaks. Finding a gym that supports both adults and kids creates a family-friendly environment that helps everyone grow together.

Wrapping It All Up

Everyone makes mistakes when starting Jiu Jitsu. That’s part of the journey. The difference is whether you learn from those mistakes and adjust your training. By avoiding the pitfalls we’ve talked about—like muscling everything, refusing to tap, skipping defense, or expecting instant results—you’ll set yourself up for steady progress.

Remember, Jiu Jitsu is a marathon, not a sprint. Show up consistently, stay humble, and keep your sense of humor. If you do that, you’ll not only improve on the mat, but you’ll also find yourself becoming stronger, calmer, and more confident off the mat too.