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Writer's pictureKing Calisthenics

What Not To Do In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Brazillian Jui Jitsu is a very popular form of martial art that is practiced by millions of people all over the world. It is a very high-energy martial art, focusing on grapples and getting your opponent to the ground as efficiently as you possibly can.

 

There are lots of mistakes you can make when you’re practicing Brazillian Jui Jitsu, but what exactly are they? How do you avoid making them and how can you recognize them before they become a problem? 


In this article, we will be going over everything you need to know about what not to do in Brazillian Jui Jitsu.


Bad Posture


In order to be successful when training in Brazilian Jui Jitsu, you have to work on making your posture good. Having a bad posture will certainly set you up for failure. 


It is important to keep your back straight when you’re training. It helps keep your balance good and helps your overall strength in a sparring match.


If you’re unbalanced and you have bad posture, it is easier for your opponent to push you over or get you to submit easier and faster. 


Another important thing to remember is to keep your toes bent and stuck as this will ground you and help your balance. You don’t want to be pushed down by an opponent because you forgot to put your toes in the right position. 


When you have bad posture, it just overall ruins your performance while training. Work on your posture so you can have the best performance.


Watch What You Eat


It is important that you monitor your diet and eat properly when you’re training in Brazilian Jui Jitsu. Make sure that you eat well before and after each training session.


You also need to make sure that you don’t train on an empty stomach, or when you are too full. 


When you eat before a training session, make sure it’s something healthy and light so you have the energy you need for a good training session but you aren’t too full that you feel sick or can’t train properly. 


If you’re curious about whether or not you can take supplements, it’s only advised if you’re medically required to.


You should also make sure you drink a lot of water before, during, and after your training session to stay hydrated. 


If you have the money, you can hire a dietician or someone who knows the right kind of food you should be eating when training in martial arts. You can also look on forums to see what other people who are training in Brazillian Jui Jitsu eat. 


Don’t Compete When You’re Training


You must remember that when you’re at a class or training session, it isn’t a competition area. You aren’t in competition with your fellow students and this is not the appropriate place to fight competitively. 


Trying to “win” when you’re training doesn’t benefit you and it can also put you in a bad social spot with your fellow students and trainers.


You are all there to learn and hone your skills. If you want to fight competitively, save it for actual competitions. 


Training is a place to work on your weaknesses, improve your skills and learn through losing sparring matches. Don’t be a sore loser if you do lose one of these sparring sessions, instead look at how it went and work out how you can improve. 


Ignoring Self-Defense


An important part of Brazilian Jui Jitsu is self-defense and the techniques that come with it. 

Do not ignore these self-defense techniques. You could be a master at all the other moves and techniques associated with Brazilian Jui Jitsu, but you aren’t going to get far into the belts without knowing the most basic self-defense techniques. 

The best way you can drill the self-defense techniques into you is to practice them at the beginning of every training session. This works not just as a way to practice them, but also as a warm up ready for the rest of your session. 

Having a good grasp of even the most basic self-defense techniques will help the overall flow of your skills. 


Elbows Away From The Body

 

Brazilian Jui Jitsu is a martial art that has hardly any moves that require your elbows to be away from your body, so you want to train yourself to keep your elbows as close to your body as much as possible. 


When your elbows are away from your body, it causes imbalances and messes up your whole technique. It makes it easier for opponents to defeat you in combat as well and you have to work twice as hard to defend yourself. 


Keeping your elbows in towards your body does not offer any gaps that your opponent can use to their advantage, making you a harder target to take down. 


Disrespecting The Hierarchy


When training, it is very important on a social level to respect the hierarchy of the dojo. 


If you were to invite a black belt to a sparring match, it can be seen as highly disrespectful, for example. If you have less experience, never invite someone with higher experience to a sparring match, rather, wait for them to invite you. 


And in general, just be respectful to those of a higher belt. You don’t have to treat them like they can walk on water, but showing them respect will put you in a better social position within the dojo. It just shows you have good etiquette. 


Conclusion


It’s always easy to make mistakes, especially when you’re new to something. With training, patience, and asking the right questions, you can make sure that if you do make a mistake, you can learn from it and improve on it. 


As long as you are humble in your mistakes, more often than not, you’ll receive support from those around you to make sure you don’t consistently make them. 


This list should help you find your feet and give you a basic understanding of what not to do in Brazilian Jui Jistu!

 

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