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All of us have a dream, and we are always trying to get something. When we achieve something, we start looking towards yet another big goal. The struggle to get and achieve something never ends, even for people who meet their dreams, as they are always looking for even bigger things to achieve. Some of us get to see our dreams and goals turning into reality, but all of us cannot. What is the reason? Well, the reasons can be many. But the one thing that the people are definitely lacking is keeping track of their progress towards something they are trying to achieve. You may certainly have noticed that the people who fail often don't have the habit of keeping note of their mistakes or the things that they are doing right.
They don't keep track of what they are doing wrong and what they have been doing right. This is the one thing that keeps them behind the people who are achieving their goals. The same thing happens in the martial arts. You have to keep journals. Journaling for martial arts, in which you keep notes of everything you need to do better, your mistakes, and things you are doing well have to write. This article will dive into the details of journaling for martial arts and whether you should do it or not, and if yes, how you can do it effectively to be successful in your martial arts journey.
1. What is Journaling For Martial Arts?
Journaling for martial arts means that you are tracking your complete progress in a martial art. Martial arts journaling involves the following things;
Keeping notes of the lessons learned daily.
Writing about the new position or technique you have learned in a day.
Writing about the mistakes you have made about executing a particular technique or move or while moving to a particular position.
Noting the things you are good at in a particular martial art and which are making you win.
Writing about the goals and targets you want to achieve within a specific time frame.
Writing about the progress you have made in reaching your desired goals and targets.
2. How to Start a Martial Arts Training Journal?
Starting a martial arts training journal requires only two steps;
2.1 Choose the Martial Arts Training Journal Format
The first thing you need to do to start your martial arts training journal is to choose the format in which you will write everything about your martial arts journey. Choose the format in which you are most comfortable with. You can choose a digital notebook if you are good at keyboard typing or a physical notebook if you are comfortable with writing with your pen.
2.2 Set a Routine and Goals
The next step is to choose your routine and goals for your martial arts journey. Set a goal and adjust the time frame within which you think you should be able to achieve that goal. The goal can be anything. It can be learning a technique, move, or position. Or it can be get your next belt. Furthermore, write down the mistakes that you are making and take action to resolve such mistakes.
2.3 Other Important Things to Write in a Journal For Martial Arts
You should write your favorite quote that you like the most and that also motivates you at the start of your martial arts training journal.
Within the journal, as you continue writing other things about your martial arts, you should add quotes, real-life examples, and your life experiences in which you successfully tackled a difficult problem so that you can get your morale high just by seeing your goal, to do a thing for a day and a quote or example.
3. Benefits of Martial Arts Training Journal
Following are some benefits of writing and keeping a martial arts training journal:
3.1 Enhanced Focus
By writing a martial arts training journal, you know what are you lacking in your training and martial arts. You know where you have to train more and which things you need to be careful of. This increases your focus. When your focus is increased, your martial arts game improves.
3.2 You Become Disciplined
You wake up every day. You know your goal. You know what you need to be focused on. You focus on those things only. You train in martial arts with a clear focus and self-determination. This helps you become disciplined in your martial arts career. Discipline helps you improve your martial arts game.
3.3 Motivation
Keeping a martial arts training journal always helps to stay motivated. You can see your progress anytime. You know how far you are from your ultimate goal. You are achieving the milestones one by one. When you know that your training is helpful for you and you are continuously improving your martial arts game by reaching all your goals and targets one by one, then you become motivated, and your morale goes high.
4. How Can You Use a Journal For Martial Arts Correctly?

Follow the guidelines given below for using a martial arts training journal correctly;
4.1 Make Martial Arts Training Notes
Make your complete martial arts training notes so that you can revise each and everything that you have learned so far. Your martial arts training notes should include the following;
4.1.1 Write Everything About the Techniques You Learn Daily
Write down all the techniques that you are learning. You have to write about each technique. Write about its introduction, basic concepts, its execution, pros and cons of the technique, and situations during the professional martial arts match in which execution of the particular technique is necessary, different methods of applying the technique, different positions to apply that technique from, ways to defend against that particular technique if your opponent applies same technique on you, and different escaping technique. This is the list of all those things which you have to add to your notes. You can add any other thing related to the technique if you think that is necessary for you.
4.1.2 Analyze Your Sparring and Training Daily
You must analyze your marital arts sparring and training daily deeply. You have to see in which areas of your marital art you are weak and need improvements. Write all those weak points in your martial arts training journal. Write all the mistakes that you have made while doing the martial arts sparring. Also, note which things you are doing well so that you can focus on the things you need to improve rather than repeating the same thing again and again. In this way, you will have all the data about your martial arts journey that will reflect your progress, helping you become better in your chosen martial arts.
4.1.3 Strengths and Weakness
Once you have started your martial arts journey, you should completely note down all your strengths and weaknesses. So that at the end of the day, you certainly know in which techniques or moves you are very strong and which moves and techniques feel difficult for you. You will have an exact roadmap that will reflect the things you need to focus on and the things that you no longer need to focus on as you have already improved on them.
4.1.4 Other Things As Demonstrated by Your Lecturer
Shift all your focus on your lecturer or training while taking lectures. Write down anything which you think is important for you and may help you in the future.
4.2 Write Your Goals and Set the Time Frame
You should write your goals in your martial arts training journal. Set your goals and also write the time frame, i.e., the number of days or months within which you want to achieve that particular goal.
When you have your goals written clearly in your journals, you can easily track your progress toward the goal just by looking in the journal.
You can also adjust your speed of learning new techniques based on how close or far you are from your goal.
4.3 Add Some Quotes/Visuals/Inspiration
Besides all that, you also need some motivation so that you can continue your martial arts training journey and try to reach your goal. For this, you have a lot of ways to get motivation. The following are three such ways;
You can add motivational quotes written just beneath your goal.
Add some visuals to better understand your goal and get motivated by seeing that picture.
You can also add pictures of some martial artists through which you can get motivation. Add only those martial artists who have successfully achieved that particular goal that you have been aiming for. It will be more motivational for you if you add your favorite martial artists who have been famous worldwide.
4.4 Stay Consistent
The most important step in starting the martial arts journal is to develop consistency. Continue writing all the things mentioned in the above steps from the start of your martial arts journey.
5. Journaling For Martial Arts: Most Powerful Tool For BJJ Success
One of the many things you have to do to be successful in martial arts, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is to hold yourself accountable. And the only way to make yourself accountable and answerable for all your work and struggle toward achieving your goals is to write it down. You have your mobile every time with you. You can write your goals, your progress, your mistakes, and all that on your mobile phone if you are comfortable with that. But if you prefer to write with a pen on a notebook, make sure to keep a small notebook with you to track your progress.
You can choose any journal you want. There are a lot of journals available online. You can also buy a simple notebook and use it like a journal, and customize it the way you want. Journaling for martial arts is the most powerful tool for success in your martial arts journey. You can revisit your past mistakes, rectify them, make improvements, track your step-by-step journey, and many other things to make you successful in your martial arts journey.
6. Last Words
Journaling for martial arts may feel tiring for you at the start, but it will help you a lot in your martial arts journey. You will have a roadmap for looking at your journey. You will stay on your path of reaching your goal. That path will make you successful in your martial arts career. But you have to do two things; first is focus. You have to keep focus on your trainer, martial arts training. Keep a record of each and everything important to you. If you will miss even a single point, you are going to suffer a lot. The second thing is consistency and discipline. Stay consistent and disciplined, and you will reach all your goals in your martial arts journey.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
7.1 What Does Journaling For Martial Arts Mean?
Journaling for martial arts means that you are tracking your complete progress in a martial art. It involves keeping notes of the lessons learned daily, writing about the new position or technique you have learned in a day, writing about the mistakes you have made about executing a particular technique or move or while moving to a particular position, writing about the goals and targets you want to achieve within a specific time frame, and writing about the progress you have made in reaching your desired goals and targets.
7.2 How Can You Set Up Your Martial Arts Training Journal?
The first thing you need to do to start your martial arts training journal is to choose the format in which you will write everything about your martial arts journey. Choose the format in which you are most comfortable with.
The next step is to choose your routine and goals for your martial arts journey. Set a goal and adjust the time frame within which you think you should be able to achieve that goal. The goal can be anything. Furthermore, write down the mistakes that you are making and take action to resolve such mistakes.
7.3 What is the Correct Way to Use a Martial Arts Training Journal?
Make your complete martial arts training notes so that you can revise each and everything that you have learned so far. Write down all the techniques that you are learning. You have to write about each technique. You must analyze your marital arts sparring and training daily deeply. You have to see in which areas of your marital art you are weak and need improvements.
Once you have started your martial arts journey, you should completely note down all your strengths and weaknesses. Shift all your focus on your lecturer or training while taking lectures. Write down anything which you think is important for you and may help you in the future.
Set your goals and also write the time frame. The most important step in starting the martial arts journal is to develop consistency. Continue writing all the things mentioned in the above steps from the start of your martial arts journey.
7.4 Why Should You Use a Training Journal for Your Martial Arts Journey?
One of the many things you have to do to be successful in martial arts, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is to hold yourself accountable. And the only way to make yourself accountable and answerable for all your work and struggle toward achieving your goals is to write it down. You have your mobile every time with you. You can write your goals, your progress, your mistakes, and all that on your mobile phone if you are comfortable with that. You can choose any journal you want. There are a lot of journals available online. Journaling for martial arts is the most powerful tool for success in your martial arts journey.
7.5 What Are the Benefits of Martial Arts Training Journal?
By writing a martial arts training journal, you know what you are lacking in your training and martial arts. You know where you have to train more and which things you need to be careful of. This increases your focus. When your focus is increased, your martial arts game improves.
You wake up every day. You know your goal. You know what you need to be focused on. You focus on those things only. This helps you become disciplined in your martial arts career. Discipline helps you improve your martial arts game.
Keeping a martial arts training journal always helps to stay motivated. You can see your progress anytime. You know how far you are from your ultimate goal. You become motivated, and your morale goes high.
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