i think that some bruising is common....i had (apparently) a rough jelqing session yesterday and have bruising on my shaft as well.....my suggestion would be to lighten your grip and when you're done with a session, take a hot bath with some bath salts in it.....helps the bruising...... since i have started jelqing on a regular basis, i have noticed a dramatic difference in my erection quality.... i now get diamond hard, throbing, almost painful hard ons.... also have noticed an increase in the size of my soft cock.....haven't really noticed any real differences in the size of my hard on, but from what i have read it takes a while good luck