Tension

Tension is an interesting thing in BJJ, because it is both your friend and your enemy. Being too tense can be tiring and will be used against you by an experienced practitioner. Being to loose gets you thrown around like a rag doll. So how do you determine correct tension? I don't find being too loose to be most people's issue in training so we will talk about being too tight this round and the next post will be about lacking tension.
If You-
are holding your breath
have burning forearms
are breathing heavily without going anywhere
consistently get tipped from advantageous positions
etc.
You are probably too tight. To remedy these issues look at how you're breathing, how you're gripping, and what you're so attached to. I recommend looking at yourself rolling in video, finding a higher rank to analyze areas of improvement, and focus on implementing those small adjustments for greater success.