BJJ training
How to keep a BJJ training journal
A useful BJJ training journal is short: date, partners or class theme, one or two problems that repeated, and the priority you will take into the next session — not a novel after every class.
Why most journals fail
Long write-ups feel productive and then stop. The goal is not documentation for its own sake. The goal is a trail of patterns you can act on: the same escape failing, the same grip lost, the same pass stalling.
A five-line template
- Date / session type — class, open mat, competition.
- Focus going in — what you intended to work on (even if it did not happen).
- What repeated — positions or mistakes that showed up more than once.
- Technical or decision? — mechanics vs choices (see sparring footage analysis).
- Next priority — one defensive and/or one offensive theme for the next class.
When to write
Write within an hour of training while details are still sharp. Two minutes in the car or locker room beats a perfect entry you never make. Weekly, skim the last few notes to see themes — that skim is where journals earn their keep.
Pair journaling with film study
Memory is biased toward the last exchange and the loudest emotion. Footage corrects that. Use a light film-study habit once a week, then update the journal with what the video confirmed or contradicted. Coaching notes — manual or AI-assisted — should collapse into the same “next priority” line.
What not to track
- Every technique name you saw in class.
- Scores against training partners.
- Self-criticism without a next action.
Key takeaways
- Keep entries short and action-oriented.
- Look for repeated problems across weeks.
- Let film study correct memory bias.
- End every entry with a priority you can train.
Prefer structured roll analysis?
BJJ Vision AI analyses uploaded sparring footage into positions, transitions and coaching priorities — as a training aid, not a coach replacement.