Mistakes every bjj white belt makes

After weeks, months, maybe even years, you finally did it. You joined your local BJJ gym, bought a gi, maybe a couple rash guards, and a white belt. That’s how we all start off.

You are curious and very eager about all the cool techniques there are in BJJ. However, day after day, you begin to see that a couple things are off. You don’t seem like a “BJJ Practitioner” yet. Is it the lack of jacked up fingers? Ringworm scars? Cauliflower ear?

Well, that probably has something to do with it. However, it’s more likely that it has to do with your lack of mannerisms and understanding of the culture of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

When we first start, many of us do things that we don’t know is rude. Maybe we’ll forget to bow on and off the mat, stand in the front of the line, or ask the head professor to roll (spar), etc.

There’s so many of these “rules” that we must learn but aren’t taught, if only there was some blog article or something that would list them out for us, right? Right. Here, you can learn all the tiny little mistakes that more seasoned BJJ practitioners would see as “rude” and you can avoid the feeling of shame when an upper belt decides to punishes you for it.

CORRECTING THE PROFESSOR WHILE THEY ARE TEACHING

During the technique portion of the class, the professor will show moves that are aimed to improve the class’s skills and techniques, and the goal of showing it is for the students to be able to apply it in rolling.

Often times, the professor will show a technique that has a slight twist or modification when compared to other BJJ gyms or online demonstrations of this move. It’s important to understand that even though the technique may be different, it is not necessarily better or worse than another.

After all, your professor is professor for a reason and has spent many years likely tuning this technique to their liking.

When learning a new move that seems a little bit off when compared to how you’ve learned it in the past, DON’T be this guy: “Hey professor, I think for the straight ankle lock you’re not supposed to rear naked choke but instead grab your own collar!”

Now, although maybe this student believed they were helping by correcting their professor, they are doing more harm than good.

1) The technique, more than likely, ISN’T wrong. In Jiu-Jitsu, there’s many things that go into techniques and each gym has their own way of doing the same technique. What you’re learning from a BJJ gym is THEIR style of BJJ, not the one you see at any other gym and not the one you see online.

2) This makes the professor look unfit and under qualified for the roll as professor. This is bad for the gym as a whole as other students may see him the same way and question his abilities in BJJ, resulting in the gym losing students.

At the end of the day, your professor is more than likely showing moves that they know works and is legit, and any additional side comments picking apart at their technique isn’t doing anyone a favor, and is making YOU look bad as well.

ASKING UPPER BELTS TO ROLL

In the majority of BJJ gyms, it is a standard rule that lower belts should be asking other lower belts (preferably the same belt or lower) to roll. This way, students get fair competition and exchange similar level techniques so they could learn and improve from each other.

Every so often, you’ll see this: A fresh white belt has trouble finding a rolling partner, and he goes and asks the brown or black belt to roll.

You’ll likely see a couple of shocked expressions around the room companied by some exchanged smirks and glances.

A lower belt getting to train with an upper belt is a gift. The amount of technique and skill there is when comparing a white belt to a black belt is countless. It is also seen as a challenge, along the lines of, “I can visibly see that you’re a black belt and I’m a white belt but I believe that we’re on the same level so I should be able to roll with you.”

So to prevent this, lower belts should stick to asking lower belts to roll with one another and wait for the brown and black belts to ask them to roll.

CRANKING SUBMISSIONS

Just imagine: You’re rolling with someone you’ve never trained with before. You guys have been testing each other out, eventually you manage to get on top and into side control. He recklessly leaves his left hand right by his ear, and in the blink of an eye you sink in that Americana just like you’ve been drilling, and crank it as fast as you can to make SURE that submission is yours.

And BOOM. You’ve got the submission, but you heard a loud pop and now your training partners shoulder is out of it’s socket. Now, you can’t train with him for a minimum of 9 months, and now no one wants to train with you.

It’s especially important to remember that when going for submissions we should follow this method. Start off at 30% power, then slowly work it up to 40%, then 50%, then so on and so forth. This way, you’ll be able to get the submission while still allowing your partner to tap before injury occurs.

Now let’s say your partner is being stubborn and not tapping to a submission that you can see is clearly there, here is where you have to be the better person and let go. Although you didn’t get the satisfaction of tapping them out, you can know that in your mind you got that submission.

ASKING THE PROFESSOR FOR A PROMOTION

Here’s the big one. This is something that every white belt, for whatever reason, DREAMS of. The big Blue Belt. It’s the belt that they see is closest to their reach yet will make every ordinary person think that they’re Mikey Musemeci.

The truth is, there’s no way to rush this process. Earning your professor’s respect takes time, and no matter how quickly you improve, your professor will promote you when they feel you are ready to represent their gym as a blue belt.

The absolute WORST thing anyone could ask their professor, is “When am I getting promoted?” This puts them in an awkward situation where they have to give all of their complex reasons as to why you’re not being promoted. Or even worse, it makes them not want to give you your promotion even more.

A better way to go about promotions would be to ask vague questions. Questions like, “What should I do to get to the next level?”

Here, your professor can easily give you his expectations of what the “next level” belt would be. Whether it be that they expect you to be able to chain moves together, or understanding defense to basic chokes and armbars, etc.