Used to track my training in a notebook

I kept a training notebook for a year.

Nothing fancy. Just a regular notebook I'd bring to the gym in my bag.

After class, I'd sit in my car for a few minutes and write down what we drilled, who I rolled with, what worked, what didn't.

It felt good. Like I was being intentional about my training.

And for a while, it actually helped.

I could flip back a few pages and see what we worked on last week. Remember that sweep I hit. Notice that I kept getting caught in the same armbar.

But then the notebook started filling up.

I'd want to remember that specific guard pass from three months ago, and I'd have to flip through dozens of pages trying to find it.

Sometimes I'd find it. Sometimes I wouldn't.

I tried adding dates to make it easier. Then I tried color coding different types of notes. Then I tried keeping an index in the front.

None of it really worked well and I was adding a lot of processes to make it work.

The bigger problem was patterns.

I'd write "got triangled from closed guard" in my notebook. Then two weeks later, same thing. Then a month later, again.

But I never saw the pattern because I wasn't reading back through weeks of entries.

The notebook was great for capturing the moment. Terrible for seeing the bigger picture.

I'm not saying notebooks are bad. They're not.

There's something real about writing things down by hand. It forces you to think about what actually mattered in that training session.

But after filling up a notebook, I realized I needed something different.

I needed to be able to search. To filter. To see patterns across months of training, not just the last few pages.

I tried a few note apps on my phone. Evernote, Notion, even just Apple Notes.

Better than paper for searching, but still felt clunky. I'd have to create my own structure every time. Remember to tag things. Keep it organized.

It was easier to just... not do it.

What I really needed was something built for this specific thing.

Track submissions, sweeps, positions. See how many times I got caught in the same thing. Notice what's actually improving versus what I just think is improving.

I don't miss trying to find that one technique in 100 pages of handwritten notes.

I ended up building my own tracking system for myself that does what I needed. I shared it with the world and people loved it. If you're in the same spot I was, this is what I use now.

Just sharing what worked for me.