The 6 things you can do to memorize your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a huge number of techniques that can be learned.
To memorize them is an art in itself.
Let alone implementing them during sparring.
Applying a technique with the right timing determines the outcome of the match.

This list will keep your retention and competence HIGH!

Tip 1 :Take notes:
To the students of BJJ Amersfoort, I always say:
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a lifelong study.
You learn something new almost every day and work toward an exam.
You never stop learning.
Your retention of techniques is important for your development.
The more you eventually know, the less you will use.
But then it is important that you simply take notes and visualize the techniques.
It sounds so simple, but virtually NO ONE does it.

Here some tips on how best to take notes:

Take notes after class instead of during class.
Take notes during class once and you'll notice soon enough that I speak faster than you can write or type!

In the beginning, even when taking notes after class, you'll realize that you may have missed some details and you'll often find yourself asking: where should the right hand go, where was I supposed to shift my weight to again, how can I avoid this obvious submission?

The next time you come to class, you'll be constantly looking for these details, and that's how you develop a technical eye for details!

Use digital tools
Personally, I like writing by hand.
Although that's a way that works for me, I'm always afraid of losing it once.
It's also annoying when you are looking for notes from years or months ago and can't find them again.

You have handy apps on your phone these days that you can use.
You can search for words, edit the notes to add more details later, and even back them up.

Arrange chronologically with dates and labels.
The whole egg chain of notes is to make sure you can use them in the future.
So make it easy for yourself to find them, so be sure to mark dates and use labels.
Write down all techniques, even if some don't seem useful to you today.
Sometimes you learn complicated techniques that don't apply to your level yet but may apply in the future.
Your style may change over the years.
Jiu-Jitsu also evolves over the years.
Often you learn the most under resistance (sparring).
You'll come up short, but you won't remember all the details!
This is when notes come in handy.
It's sometimes a tedious chore.
You're tired after a workout and want to plop on the couch and watch Netflix.
DO IT NOW!

Tip #2: Filming:

For more complex techniques it might be better to record them.
It would be nice if you could film your instructor during each session, But this is disruptive to the class.
I therefore ask Amersfoort BJJ'ers to do this after class on the open mat. . Do it right after class while the details are still fresh in your mind!

Tip 3:
Drill your techniques with a training partner with a similar mindset.
Why do I say this?
No one likes to drill, after all.
It always starts with 5 minutes of drills, then quickly turns into "let's roll."

Drilling or position training under resistance is one of the best tools you have.
DO IT.
Everything you've learned and remembered will come out (or not).

What drill actually does is it makes you comfortable performing certain movements, and pulling the trigger at the right time.
When you're in a similar situation later.
For example, on the street or a competition, you then apply the movement without thinking.

If you can do it slow, you can do it fast.

Always start slowly with the mechanics of the technique first, as time goes on you will go faster and faster. (Develop movement patterns)

Find a partner who really wants to train like this, make each other's time useful on the mat.
The big picture is more important than you sparring hard and panting down the mat.
For you it's a good session in the short term but in the long term you achieve nothing.

Also be sure to be critical of each other while practicing.
There is nothing worse than practicing a technique incorrectly.
It is easier to learn something well than to break old habits.
If you don't get it, ask me!

4: Do visualization training:
BJJ is a mental and physical game.
Not everyone has access to a partner to drill after class.
Then visualization is a fantastic hack.
Visualization is when you go through the moves/techniques step by step in your brain.
There are plenty of scientific experiments/studies to back this up.
The most famous are in basketball about free throws.
The study went like this:

Group 1: Physical free throws.
Group 2: Visualization only.
Group 3: Nothing.

The group that only visualized made as much progress as the group that had practiced physically.

Realize what an impact this can have on your Jiu-Jitsu.
You can double your training time!

5: Practice the technique on lower bands
Mastering a BJJ technique that sometimes takes a while.
One way to remember techniques is positive reinforcement;
in other words, your subconscious needs to know it's working.

Have you ever wondered how a particular submission became your favorite?
It was reinforced by successful submissions over time.
Whereby your memory makes it a muscle power.
To the point that your confidence in the submission became great enough that your body would take you to positions that led to it.
One of the best pieces of advice I received in jiu jitsu was from Harold Harder.
Rotate rounds with people who are not as good as you, that's how you sharpen your technique!
The advice went in one ear and out through the other.
I had to and would find the hardest sparring partners and because of that I would get better!
Until one time I lost well in a match and I came to the conclusion that I couldn't pull the trigger and was thinking too long.
This was because I was only defending against people who were a lot better than me.
So you have to test, test and test again.
Then you also have the people who follow this advice very obediently and want to apply the techniques immediately after every lesson.
Nice try, but of course everyone is super keen on it now!
So pay attention to the technique, drill it with a partner, visualize it before you go to the next lesson and then practice it in the next sessions while sparring with lower belts.

6: Find or ask for ways to incorporate technique into your game.

As I wrote earlier, not every technique will fit your style (yet).
This is often why many jiujitsukas ignore or forget techniques.
One way to remember it is to link it to your current game.
You're not really a guard player.
Then ask your teacher questions about how you can still use guard to get to your best position.
For example back mount.

This way you keep it fun for yourself and make it easier to remember.

When you attend a Brazilian JiuJitsu class, try to do everything you can to get the most out of it.
Every session 100% effort pays off!