Fluidity

Oftentimes, you'll hear people say not to use strength in jiu jitsu. That's not really what they mean though, because it's not really strength that's the problem. It is the incorrect use of strength, and the rigidity that comes with that incorrect use of strength that are the underlying issue. Many times when someone starts grappling their instinct is to tense all of their muscles and try to maintain that for an entire round. Maybe if you have good cardiovascular endurance you can do that for 5 minutes, but why? I can't think of a physical activity where it is recommended that you try to be as tense as you can for as long as you can. Grappling should not be different. There are times when you can use strength in BJJ, but the key is minimizing your use of strength by maximizing efficiency. I can roll for 20 minutes straight or 12 to 15 five minute rounds, because I'm relaxed, I'm not sing force arbitrarily. It also keeps me from getting injured, rigid things are much easier and more likely to break than things that are fluid or flexible. It's a weird thing to find the balance between rolling like you're made of railroad ties, and rolling like you're made of gak, but in the beginning err on the side of fluidity and your jiu jitsu will improve and you probably won't feel as wrecked.