BJJ Notebook

Book excerpt: If you don't know the answers to these questions... You need the BJJ Notebook!- What did you learn last week?- Can you remember that awesome class from last month?- How many times did you win or lose during the past 12 months?- What submissions caused you to lose more often than others? - Can you list all techniques that you learned in the last seminar?- How many points did you score in your last tournament?- What does your instructor recommend that you focus on?- What do you need to improve TODAY?"This is the first non-instructional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu book ever published and it is the most important to have because it's the only one about YOU".Helio Gracie, one of the founding fathers of Jiu-Jitsu, said that "BJJ is for everyone." People will try and quit BJJ for a variety of reasons beyond a BJJ school's control. However, no one should quit BJJ because they didn't have every opportunity to succeed. There is no "one-size-fits-all" BJJ. Every student will receive and internalize the lessons of BJJ in a unique way and create their own personalized version of BJJ. This is one of the beautiful aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Each student has the opportunity to access the infinite variety and richness of BJJ and create their own work of art that becomes part of their person. There are precious few things in life that can claim to provide such a wholesome and rewarding benefit.A BJJ notebook serves the practical purpose of a training log helping to remember all of the different moves that were taught over previous weeks, months and years. In BJJ, one can go years without seeing the same move taught twice. If a move is taught by an instructor and then quickly forgotten, how is that different from never having learned it in the first place?This BJJ notebook is the first BJJ JOURNAL, which was designed to make the most out of the beginning steps in what is hopefully a long and fruitful BJJ journey. Encouraging the use of the BJJ notebook is one of the ways a BJJ school can make the BJJ journey more accessible to those willing to put in the effort. It can serve as a basis to promote discussion and interaction among students about issues they are facing and allow students to learn from each other. The martial arts journey will still take enormous work and dedication. However, the BJJ notebook should at least provide a mechanism to help focus the student's effort to get the most of the BJJ experience.