Hey guys and gals. Im 31, and I just had my 2nd day of BJJ yesterday. Im already in love with this sport, but I was hoping to gather some insight from those who know more than I do (essentially everybody). So, I have an amazing professor and a great class for the most part. Yesterday we had nogi day, and while the concepts of the moves the professor taught made sense, I can understand that im simply not ready to put them into practice yet. I just want to survive the open rolls and hopefully pick up on some muscle memory or gather advice after the roll. I’ve been exercising for 20 years and I’ll admit im really fit, however im really apprehensive to use my strength because I don’t want to come off as an aggressive meat head. The first day (gi day) I faced two blue belts and a purple belt during open roll. I didn’t get any taps obviously but I also didn’t get tapped. Yesterday I faced two purple belts, my wife who joined with me (white belt) and our professor. I managed to not get tapped from the two purple belts or my wife, but our professor tapped me twice lol. I noticed that even though I’m trying to control my breathing, im using my arms a lot because im not quite sure what to do with my legs. I feel like the only reason I didn’t get tapped by everyone else is because I was able to use my strength to hold them down, and im sure they were going easier on me as well. I asked for some advice after each roll and thanked them for their time and education, but I’d like to ask you all too. What can I do to not get as gassed out? I survived most of the encounters but I was SPENT afterwards. And what can I do with my legs to better help me survive in the meantime? I don’t want to pursue submissions just yet, I feel like I still need to get a lot of the basics and fundamentals down first. Thank you for your time and insight!