THE ULTIMATE BJJ TRAINING LOG (Part 2)

NOT ALL TIME IS THE SAME TIME

What you put in your training log and how you go about it might vary considerably over time. I wouldn't expect a white belt's log to look like a purple belt's log.

If you are just starting (<6 months of training) don't make taking notes hard on yourself. Just stick to the very basic ideas - terminology, position and gross movements, and just getting comfortable. Most people who start a training log early on quit because it becomes a chore or they get frustrated because they can't remember the details of a move or even what to call it. Early on in your training just jot down a few of the things you CAN remember when you get home, when you see the move again (and you will) update your notes.

After about 6 months in is a good time to start developing goals and documenting how you are expanding your game, such as working toward two or three moves from each basic position (closed guard, side control, mount, and half-guard) and beginning your understanding of more complicated open guards (Spider, De La Riva, X-guard, etc).  Your log is a great tool to track progress in those areas. You can certainly start setting goals earlier, but you may find that what you thought was high on your goal list moves down a few places as you understand more about Jiu Jitsu (and this will probably continue to happen every few months to a year).

As you progress the scope or your goals, plans, strategies,  and the details of your techniques expands. In your goals you start to add plans and strategies, on your techniques you start pulling out principles, going deeper into the details, and chaining techniques together (flow with the go). You've probably had an "A Game" for awhile, now is the time to think about why it works for you and where you have holes. When you roll work on analyzing your favorite techniques/positions and options (you will find that your "favorites" also change over time). Write down where your training partners stop your progress in the technique or shut your game down. Analyze this info and come up with a few possible solutions to try next time on the mat. Keep the solutions that have the most success and repeat the process.

At some point in your "old age" you will probably get bored with trying to write stuff down and your log will slowly start to fade. Don't get down on yourself if you miss taking notes for a few days, weeks, or even months. Instead of kicking yourself and giving up, break out your old notes for review and see if they "inspire" you to start again. Remember, you're in this for the long haul. I'm pretty hit or miss, but I try to be consistent over time. One thing I do kick myself for is if I don't do it for seminars or working with someone that is visiting (or when I'm visiting) because I may not consistently see these techniques again presented in that way.