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Yo guys, started taking notes on my game a couple weeks ago and I really love it. So far I've been jotting down all the stuff I want to work on for the week, where I'm getting stuck, and old moves that I've chopped out that I want to bring back to keep sharp. Anything else I should be adding? It's been a huge help in recognizing paths and transitions that I usually don't notice in the moment because I'm usually too stubborn attacking what I'm most confident in.
In my training journal I typically write down what warm ups we did that day, any details we went over with them, what techniques were trained that day. Assuming I rolled, I keep track of who I rolled with, their belt level, how I felt rolling either with specific people or in general, what I felt was working for me, what wasn't, and what I want to improve upon going forward. I'll occasionally also include what I consumed prior to practice so that I can see if there is a trend in what I eat/drink that improves or worsens my performance.
I'm a firm believer in the idea that anything you keep tabs on can only get better, and I think keeping track of your training with a journal will help you improve faster.
john danaher says that a disorganized mind leads to a disorganized performance. With hundreds of techniques and no signs of slowing down, the art of BJJ is extremely complicated. A journal is one of several ways to help you organize your mind.
I would think you would want both a journal and a by-technique notebook. In the journal you write personal notes, class by class, about what you learned, how you felt, what went right and wrong. And then in the technique book you detail each technique that you have learned and drilled. Leave space so you can come back to each technique as you improve on it your knowledge expands. Also count the reps and keep track of that in there as well.
BJJ is an art that can allow the little guy to beat the big guy. But it's also an art that can allow the smart guy to beat the dumb guy. Treat your study of BJJ like you would treat a PhD program in physics.
I pick one thing I did really well or felt like I was in the 'Sweet Spot' and what that feeling was like, and I pick one thing I did tirrible and how I would improve it or do it differently and what that should feel like. I like to keep my Journal very basic and about what I was feeling, thinking or my strategy.
I'm a terrible artist, but I always try to include a small visual memento of something I don't want to lose. Bear in mind, I'm running 3 or 4 journals at the same time, so my judo one has angles and footprints tracking where I lose my grips and balance.
My jiu-jitsu one is similar, treating my sweeps in a similar fashion to the throws, what angles are more helpful, what angles start to work against me, etc. Passing I treat like striking, slow pressure to specific spots instead of direct explosive pressure to a target, for example, but a small visual note with several lines of text seems to help me recall much better in a few weeks when I go back
Edit, if I notice someone killing me with a specific pass or pass combo I already know, I like to note this and try to drill that more. The better I understand the passing sequence, the more aware I'll be to countering it when its being used on me. Same with sweeps
I like that bit about including what you ate and drank. For the most part I know my body well enough to know how soon to stop eating before training and I'm pretty conscious about what I eat to recover, but never thought to track what makes me feel better or worse. Thanks for the tipQuote:
Originally Posted by DocDan84