White belts who begin Jiu Jitsu (JJ) want to become black belts as soon as possible. This tendency often leads to errors. For example, beginners always think that every move they make to attack or defend is perfect. Such a mindset is extremely devastating in the long run. There are a few other Jiu Jitsu white belt mistakes that need to be addressed quickly for a smooth learning process.
Making mistakes is a common occurrence for beginners in any sport. Nevertheless, JJ is one of those sports where you have to have someone else help you realize what mistakes you are making. So, in this article, we will discuss four such mistakes. We will also provide some additional advice to make things easier. Keep reading to keep your Jiu Jitsu journey on track.
4 Common Jiu Jitsu White Belt Mistakes
Starting Jiu Jitsu is an exciting journey, but it’s common for beginners to make errors. If you make these mistakes, they can slow you down and even hurt you. Training can be more fun and effective if you know how to avoid these mistakes. So, let us look at the four mistakes that white belts often make in Jiu Jitsu.
1. Not Checking on Injuries
Jiu Jitsu is a tough sport that demands a strong body. It’s natural to face small injuries at first. However, the real trouble starts when these minor issues are ignored and turn into major problems.
As a white belt, you might not yet have the endurance and muscle strength to withstand falls and chokes. Instead of pushing yourself hard when you’re injured, keep an eye on your injuries. Never neglect pain, thinking it will simply pass with time.
Taking good care of small injuries prevents them from worsening. It guarantees you can continue practicing Jiu Jitsu. No one wants to take a break from JJ to recover from injuries, right? So, always treat your injuries promptly.
After every training session and fight, pay attention to any swelling or pain in your body. Make it a habit to schedule monthly appointments with a physiotherapist. A quick check can help you avoid many big problems. Also, consider seeing a chiropractor every three months to boost your performance.
Remember, taking care of your body now will keep you on the mat and improve your JJ for a long time!
2. Not Focusing on Your Center of Gravity
Whether grappling with an opponent or practicing self-defense, keeping your center of gravity in the middle is essential. Beginners often make the mistake of leaning too far forward or backward during training. Remember, you are strongest when your body is within the center of balance. If you move out of this center, you are more likely to fall unless you quickly adjust your base.
Let’s consider the guard position as an example. If you lean too far forward, your opponent can easily throw you. On the other hand, leaning too far backward makes it easy for your opponent to sweep you. This doesn’t mean that you’ll totally stop leaning in any direction. There are specific situations in JJ where leaning forward or backward is strategic. However, a strong grappling base is always necessary.
To improve your balance, practice exercises like standing on one leg without support, doing side leg raises, or walking heel to toe. These exercises, and many more, can help you maintain that vital center of gravity. Keep practicing, and you’ll find your balance and strength improving in no time!
3. Practicing Attacks Rather Than Defense
Exploring how to submit opponents and mastering new sweeps can be exhilarating and rewarding. However, as a white belt in JJ, mastering proper defensive skills is a primary requirement. You might have heard the JJ adage, ‘You’re either the hammer or the nail.’ Starting out with limited experience, you often find yourself as the nail among many seasoned JJ practitioners. Hence, rather than solely pursuing submissions, understanding defensive maneuvers is paramount.
To succeed and secure victories, hone your defensive techniques. Focus on mastering escapes from mounts and countering arm bars. Practice a variety of techniques, including sweeps, escapes from side control, and defenses from guard positions.
During sparring sessions, maintain composure and avoid letting emotions dictate your actions. Instead of attacking aggressively, prioritize learning effective defensive strategies.
4. Pushing to Escape Mount or Guard
As a beginner, it’s typical to try pushing your opponent off with your arms. However, extending your arms provides an opportunity for the opponent to execute an armbar. Even if they were unable to submit you to a mount or guard, they could easily do so with an armbar. The farther your arms extend from your body, the weaker they become.
This can be demonstrated by holding something heavy: closer to your body, you have more strength, whereas extended away, your grip weakens. Exposing your arms away from your body leaves you vulnerable to various attacks.
So, what’s the solution? Practicing different techniques for escaping mounts. Some of those techniques are given below:
- Bridge and Roll Escape: Grab one of your opponent’s legs and an arm in a trap. Then, lift your hips and roll toward the side that is trapped.
- Elbow Escape (Shrimping): Create space by pushing your opponent’s knee and sliding your hips out. Then, bring your knee through to establish a guard.
- Heel Drag Escape: Put your hands on your opponent’s heel and push it toward your buttocks. Then, slip your leg out to lay your guard again.
- Foot Drag Escape: Bring the other person’s foot to the middle of your body. Then trap and push to let your leg slide free.
Advice for Beginner White Belts
Now that we’ve discussed the common mistakes let’s focus on some practical advice to help you succeed. These tips will help you build a strong foundation and improve your Jiu Jitsu journey.
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Consistency
Once you start training, it is easy to lose interest after feeling pain and discomfort. If you want to move up from a white belt to a black belt, you need to train hard and consistently.
You can learn something new and improve your skills every time you go to class. You will not see results right away, but if you train regularly, your skills will get better over time. Remember, everybody has a beginning. So, don’t get disappointed when you see pros using killer moves that you never would have thought of.
Another important part of training is recovery. You must plan your weekly workouts and days off based on how comfortable you are with them. This will help you recharge.
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Mastering Escapes
Learning how to get out of a submission is important for beginners. It is easier to attack when you are sure of your escape.
Yes, practicing submission moves is definitely more fun than practicing escapes. However, as a white belt, if you try to submit your training partner, it is easy for them to use that against you.
That’s why you should be ready for those situations by mastering escapes. Try to practice the moves that use the least amount of energy. If you try to get out of submissions by making quick movements, it will be harder on your body.
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Taking Care of Ego and Emotions
Jiu Jitsu is not something you do to show off your strength. Do not bring your ego to class. If you do, you will never get good at JJ.
You need to realize that you are just starting out and that other people are better and have more experience than you. Always keep in mind that you are here to learn. You can not be an expert if you do not have the right knowledge and experience. Nobody is naturally good at something. The JJ legends you look up to were all beginners at one point.
Likewise, do not let your feelings control you. Your temper will rise, especially if you are in the middle of a submission. Because of these feelings, you might make a mistake, which your competitor would then use against you.
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Trusting the Instructor
If your teacher tells you to do the same drill over and over, you might get bored. Regardless, you should always believe that what your teacher instructs you to do is for your own good. The trainer may have been doing this for longer than you have been alive.
Still, it is important to find a good gym with a friendly and helpful atmosphere for beginners. There, do your best to train with instructors who have a black belt. Ask the teacher and senior belt fellows questions. Learn from their methods, and do not try to be too clever by acting on your own intuition.
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Skills vs. Strength
In JJ, strength is, without a doubt, very important. You are more likely to get hurt if your muscles do not last long. You will not be able to become an expert in JJ, though, if you only focus on improving your strengths.
Hence, when you practice Jiu Jitsu, you focus on getting better at skills rather than getting stronger. After learning the right technique, it is easier to use your strength to help.
Conclusion
Jiu Jitsu is fun to learn, but many students often make mistakes. These errors can slow down progress and cause harm. Some of the bigger problems include ignoring minor injuries and not maintaining proper balance. Focusing more on attacks than defense is also a problem. Besides, pushing to escape mounts incorrectly is another mistake.
Understanding the limitations and resisting the temptation to do something silly go a long way toward fixing the aforementioned issues. Besides, consistent training, mastering escape techniques, and managing ego and emotions are crucial. Trusting instructors and prioritizing skills over strength are important too. On top of that, regularly checking injuries and practicing instinctive balance exercises can prevent setbacks and ensure improvement.
When students start their journey of Jiu Jitsu with us at 10th Planet Poway, we make sure to address the usual mistakes. The way beginners usually react, we know it better than any other Jiu Jitsu academy in all of Southern California. No matter what kind of grappling you need, our instructors can help you. Contact us today to get the best Jiu Jitsu training.
