As a brazilian jiu jitsu novice I need all the tips I can get my hands on, in fact I probably read more than I roll. So I subscribe to renowned jiu jitsu instructor Stephan Kesting’s Beginning BJJ eCourse.

He sends out brazilian jiu jitsu lessons via email every three to four days, and they are always useful.

Last night he highlighted a common BJJ rookie mistake that quote, ”drives me crazy”.

That mistake he says, “Is elevating the hips off the ground and staying in that bridged position while pinned to the mat.”

Stephan defines the mistake as, ”If my shoulders and feet are on the mat, but my hips are lifted off the mat (for more than one or two seconds) then I’m holding that bridge.”

He goes on to give 3 reasons why staying in a bridge is wrong:

  • It wastes energy and tires you out (without getting you any closer to escaping).
  • It kills space. One reason to bridge is to create separation between your opponent’s hips and your own. By staying bridged (and keeping your hips close to your opponent) you kill the space you just worked so hard to create
  • It prevents a second bridge. You might need to bridge more than once to escape a position. If your hips are already elevated then how can you bridge again?

Among the many mistakes I make every day I’ve yet to do this one, but I’m sure I would have at some point because I didn’t know it was incorrect either!

What common BJJ mistakes do you find yourself making?

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About the author: Jonathan Stamey is the Editor and Director of Operations for Atlantic MMA, Inc. He can be reached at jstamey@atlanticmma.com.