When you come home from BJJ and you got tapped passed or swept for the hundredth time the thing that bothers you the most is why you couldn’t deal with whatever happened, even though you recognized it on time. Most people tend to focus on the things the opponent did.

However, you should look at what you did instead. The best way to figure out things you should never do in BJJ is to analyze your mistakes, not what the opponent did right. If you tapped to a leg lock it is most likely your fault, whether you messed up early or late.

The best way to start pinpointing these mistakes is to look at where your attack or defense failed. In that regard, we’ll dissect a couple of situations that are common in grappling, and represent cardinal mistakes that end up costing you not just a position, but potentially even a match.

The Worst Way to Lose A Grappling Match

If you ever competed in BJJ, then you probably lost. It is the nature of the sport, there is no way forward in Jiu-Jitsu unless you take a few losses – everyone has them, even Gordon Ryan.

There are different ways to lose, though, and the one way that ends up haunting you the most for years to come, if not forever, is when you lose due to a dumb mistake. It doesn’t matter if you are aware of it or not in the moment – it will be equally as disturbing as everything you think back to that moment in the match.

In situations where you’re on the defense, you’ll usually find logical explanations for why you messed up, and probably won’t suffer as much mentally. However, when you have the upper hand, and you mess everything up by doing things that you should never do in BJJ in such a situation, you can expect to pay the price.

The good news is that these mistakes will teach you a lot, and you’re likely never to repeat them. One crucial thing, though, is for someone to point out the things you should never do in BJJ or grappling. The trouble is, there are so many that it is difficult to pick a starting point.

Two Things You Should NEVER Do In BJJ

Kyle Cerminara, who is Long Island MMA’s head wrestling coach, decided to share the two things he sees No-Gi folks mess up over and over again, whether it is BJJ, wrestling, submission grappling, or MMA.

The two things you should never do in BJJ or grappling, according to him, are when you’re on the offense and need to either transition to an end-game position or initiate a strong control:

1. Taking the Back From the Front Headlock

How many times have you managed to get a front headlock from standing, drag the opponent down, and start placing pressure on them, only to fail miserably when you transition to their back and end up with your back on the mats? I know, it has happened to all of us.

The first of the two things you should never do in BJJ has to do with this transition from the front headlock to the back, or rather, top turtle control. Most people aim to place an arm around the turtled-up opponent’s hips, which is what we’re taught in BJJ.

This means that you’re allowing your opponent to roll poo the mats with their shoulders, transferring momentum to their hips, and either rolling you over or launching immediate guard attacks.

What you should focus on instead is to place your arm around the butt, or lower, aiming for the hamstring, calf, or even ankle. This will ensure that you stay in control even if the bottom person goes to guard, as you’ll have one of their legs under your control and can dominate the exchange.

2. Getting a Collar Tie

The second of our two things that you should never do in BJJ has to do with engaging as a standing opponent by using a collar tie. For the most part, this error is the same for both Gi and No-Gi, so whenever I refer to collar ties, simply consider it to be the same as collar grips.

Most people reach for the collar tie with their leading hand, which is also an error, but one we’ll leave for a different occasion. The moment you place your elbow high, which you have to do when you try to grab behind the neck, your opponent can use it to get under and behind your arm, opening up a bunch of different takedown entries.

Instead, what you should do whenever you’re in standing exchanges is to try and control both wrists. Grab them both, lean in, and then use one of your arms to get a collar, while keeping a tight grip on one of the opponent’s wrists (or Gi sleeve grip).

Remember that for a collar tie, you should never go directly for the neck  – wrist grips come first, and only when you control the arms, can you think about getting the collar tie and perhaps going for a snap down to a front headlock. You already know what not to do from there.

Learning From Others’ Mistakes

The best way to learn something in BJJ is to mess it up in a competition. However, there is a less painful way to learn, as long as you stay open to analyzing matches. Forget about YouTube techniques and instructional videos – look at fights.

Find fighters or grapplers who like to focus on what you’re doing in BJJ, and analyze the movements where they fail in grappling. You may even do the same with teammates that you record or watch during open mat.

Seeing the BJJ mistakes that others make while grappling is one of the best ways to make sure you figure out the things you should never do in BJJ without having to keep thinking about them until the day you die.

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