The Breathing Mistake That's Gassing You Out in 90 Seconds

Hey there,

Let me ask you something: Have you ever started a roll feeling fresh, only to find yourself completely gassed out—heart pounding, lungs screaming, tapping from pure exhaustion—in less than two minutes?

If you're nodding your head right now, you're not alone.

Here's what's actually happening: You're not breathing.

I know what you're thinking: "What do you mean I'm not breathing? I'm clearly breathing—I'm alive!"

But here's the brutal truth that nobody tells white belts: You're hyperventilating by taking a breath in without exhaling.​

That's not a cardio problem. That's not a strength problem. That's a breathing problem—and it's the #1 reason white belts gas out faster than a sprinter running a marathon.

Let me show you exactly what's happening, why it happens, and the counterintuitive fix that'll transform your rolling endurance in one week.

End of the year? Or time to start something new. 

With beehiiv, this quiet stretch of time can become your biggest advantage. Their platform gives you all the tools you need to make real progress, real fast. 

In just days (or even minutes) you can:

If you’re looking to have a breakthrough year, beehiiv is the place to start. And to help motivate you even more, we’re giving you 30% off for three months with code BIG30.

Start building for 30% off today

Picture this: The round starts. Someone grabs your collar. They start passing your guard. Suddenly, you're under side control. And in that exact moment, your body flips a switch.

Your fight-or-flight response activates.​

Your brain doesn't know the difference between rolling on the mats and an actual street fight. To your nervous system, someone trying to choke you is danger—even if it's your training partner doing it safely in class.​

So what does your body do?

This is the sympathetic nervous system taking over—your body's automatic survival mode.​

And here's where the problem starts: when you're stressed, tense, and in survival mode, you forget to exhale.​​

You keep taking breath in without breathing out. The result? You hyperventilate, which leads you to lose all your gas very quickly—leaving you completely unable to defend yourself.​ Sound familiar?

Here's what I see happen to almost every white belt:

You grab a collar grip like your life depends on it. Your forearms are flexed. Your shoulders are up by your ears. Your jaw is clenched.

And you're holding your breath the entire time.​

Someone gets mounted. You feel the weight. Claustrophobia kicks in. You start pushing, shoving, and freaking out.

And you're hyperventilating—gasping for air but never actually exhaling.​​

You're in a scramble. Moving fast. Trying to pass guard. Exploding with every ounce of strength.

And you're breathing rapidly through your mouth—shallow, inefficient breaths that don't actually oxygenate your muscles.​

In all three scenarios, the same thing happens:

Your muscles are being used, but they're not getting oxygen. You gas out in 90 seconds.​

One BJJ coach describes it perfectly: "I see how tense he is... I just started screaming 'breathe, breathe!' And then instantly you could just see things started to slow down."​

Here's where it gets interesting.

Your instinct when you're under pressure—when someone's on top of you, when you're getting smashed—is to tense up and hold your breath.

That's exactly backward.

The fix is counterintuitive: When you're in a bad position, that's when you need to exhale forcefully.​

Don’t hold your breath. Don’t take quick shallow gasps.

Exhale.

Why does this work?

Here's what one experienced practitioner says:

Okay, so you understand why breathing matters.

Now here's how to fix it:

Why longer exhales?

Because exhaling for longer than you inhale activates your calm-down system.​

It's physiological. You literally cannot be in panic mode when you're doing slow, controlled exhales.

During Drilling:

One coach puts it perfectly: "Every time you move offensively or defensively or transitionally, make sure you breathe. Every time you move, you breathe."​

During Positional Sparring:

During Live Rolling:

Here's an advanced tip that'll change your game:

Try breathing through your nose as much as possible.​

Why?

Start with this: "Inhale and exhale through your nose for as long as you can during a roll."​

When you need more air, breathe through your mouth. But make nasal breathing your default.

Let me give you a mental model that'll stick with you forever: "If you can't breathe, you can't fight."​

No matter how good your technique is. No matter how strong you are. No matter how much you drilled.

If you can't breathe, you can't execute.

Your brain needs oxygen to make decisions. Your muscles need oxygen to move. Your nervous system needs controlled breathing to stay calm under pressure.

This is why you see experienced grapplers moving fluidly, breathing evenly, and barely breaking a sweat—while white belts are collapsing against the wall after one round.​

It's not magic. It's not genetics.

It's breathing.

Here's what happens when you master breath control:​

✓ Improved stamina—You conserve energy and perform at your peak
✓ Enhanced concentration—Mental clarity lets you stay present and make strategic moves
✓ Stress reduction—Breathing regulates your heart rate, keeping anxiety at bay
✓ Increased resilience—Better oxygen flow = less fatigue, quicker recovery

Here's your action plan for the next seven days:

Goal: Notice when you're holding your breath

How:

Goal: Breathe before every technique

How:

Goal: Exhale forcefully when under pressure

How:

Goal: Breathe through your nose for as long as possible

How:

Ask your training partners to watch you roll and yell "BREATHE!" if they see you holding your breath.

This is what coaches do for competitors. It works.​

One competitor says: "My coach's number one cue for me in competition to this day is to breathe. He would just yell 'breathe!' and it was my cue to take a breath. It's amazing what happens when you do that."​

Look, I know this sounds simple.

"Just breathe? That's the secret?"

Yes.

But simple doesn't mean easy.

Your fight-or-flight response is millions of years old. It's hardwired into your nervous system. You can't turn it off.​

But you can train your body to respond differently.

Every time you take a controlled breath under pressure, you're teaching your nervous system: "This is safe. I can stay calm. I can think clearly. I can keep fighting."​

Over time, your body learns. The panic fades. The tension reduces. The exhaustion disappears.

And suddenly, you're the one breathing evenly while your opponent is gasping for air.

That's when jiu-jitsu gets fun.

Pick one breathing drill and commit to it for seven days:

That's it. Just one thing.

Because here's what I've learned after years on the mats: The grapplers who master breathing don't gas out. They outlast everyone.

And when your cardio improves—not because you ran more miles, but because you learned to breathe—everything else clicks into place.

See you on the mats,

Ben
The Grappler's Toolkit

P.S.—If this resonated with you, I've got something that'll help you build bulletproof fundamentals (including breathing drills, movement patterns, and recovery protocols).

I put together The Ultimate BJJ Training Checklist for Beginners—a complete roadmap that walks you through exactly what to focus on during your first year, how to track progress that actually matters, and the specific drills that separate white belts who quit from those who make it to black belt.

Grab your free copy here →

Hundreds of white belts are already using it to stay on track. Don't let poor breathing be the reason you quit—master it in week one.

See you on the mats,