Best Alternatives to a Paper BJJ Notebook: Digital Ways to Actually Revise What You Learn
TL;DR. A paper BJJ notebook fails most grapplers for one reason: they never re-open it. Digital alternatives — general note apps like Notion or Apple Notes, video-first tools like YouTube playlists, and dedicated BJJ apps like BJJ Memo — win when they actually push you to revise. Pick the tool that fits how you already train: search, structure, video timestamps, and a review flow before class.
If you've ever bought a beautiful leather-bound notebook, filled ten pages after your first seminar, and then watched it collect dust on the shelf — you're not alone. Most grapplers do this. It isn't a discipline problem. It's a format problem. A paper notebook is a capture tool, not a review tool, and BJJ is a sport where forgetting is the default.
This article walks through the honest alternatives, what each is genuinely good at, and where each one breaks down. No attacks, no hype. Just the trade-offs so you can pick a system you'll actually use before your next roll.
Key takeaways
- The best notebook is the one you re-open before training; format matters less than the review habit.
- Paper notebooks are great for reflection but poor for search, video, and spaced revision.
- General note apps (Notion, Evernote, Apple Notes) work if you build your own template and discipline.
- YouTube playlists and timestamps are the closest free alternative for people who learn from video.
- Dedicated BJJ apps like BJJ Memo focus on the missing link: turning what you watch into cards you actually revise.
- Choose by workflow, not by hype: capture speed, searchability, video support, and review flow are the four things that matter.
- No tool replaces mat time and a qualified coach — a good note system just makes each session stick longer.
Founder disclosure
I build BJJ Memo, a mobile app for turning BJJ videos into technique cards you revise before training. That means I'm biased — but I also spent years cycling through Moleskines, Notion boards, Apple Notes, and Google Docs before building anything of my own. The goal of this piece is to help you pick the right tool for how you actually study jiu-jitsu, even if that tool isn't mine.
What a paper BJJ notebook is good at
Let's be fair to paper first. A physical notebook is quiet, distraction-free, and forces you to compress a technique into your own words — which is one of the best ways to encode a memory. If you sit down after class with a coffee and write out what you learned, the act of writing does real work. You slow down, you re-live the movement, you notice details you missed in the moment. Many longtime black belts still swear by a paper journal for exactly this reason.
Paper is also personal. It doesn't ping you, it doesn't sell you anything, and it doesn't feel like screen time. For post-training reflection — how you felt, what your training partner did that you couldn't stop, what your coach said between rounds — nothing beats a pen.
What a paper BJJ notebook doesn't cover well
Where paper falls apart is retrieval and video. BJJ is a visual sport built on angles, weight distribution, and timing. A written note can capture the idea of a move, but not the shape. You cannot embed a Craig Jones clip in a Moleskine. You cannot search a paper notebook for "knee shield" at 6:47 a.m. before an open mat. And you almost never re-read the pages you filled a year ago — which is the entire point of taking notes in the first place.
It also scales badly. After two or three years of training you have hundreds of techniques, half-remembered detail concepts, and video links scattered across YouTube. A paper notebook becomes an archive you can't query.
Remember. The problem isn't paper vs digital. The problem is capture without review. Any system that lets you save notes but doesn't nudge you to revisit them will fail you eventually.
The digital alternatives, honestly compared
Below is a quick side-by-side of the most common alternatives grapplers actually use. Details on each follow underneath.
| Alternative | Best for | Video support | Built-in review | Setup effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General note apps (Notion, Evernote, Apple Notes) | Structured writers who like building their own system | Manual embed of links | None by default | High |
| YouTube playlists + timestamps | Pure video learners who study instructionals | Native | None | Low |
| Google Docs / Sheets | People who already live in Google's ecosystem | Link only | None | Low |
| Voice memos + transcription | Post-class reflection on the drive home | None (audio only) | None | Low |
| Dedicated BJJ app (e.g. BJJ Memo) | Grapplers who learn from YouTube and want to revise cards | Native, timestamped | Built in | Low |
1. Notion (or Evernote, Obsidian, Apple Notes)
Best for: Grapplers who genuinely enjoy building their own database and will maintain it for years.
Strengths: Total flexibility. You can create databases by position, by submission, by opponent type. You can tag by belt level, embed video links, and cross-link between related techniques. Notion in particular is powerful for someone who wants a "personal Wikipedia" of their game.
Where it slips is that flexibility cuts both ways: nothing in Notion tells you when to revisit a card. You have to design the review flow yourself, and most people don't. Six months later, you have a beautiful database and no habit of opening it.
2. YouTube playlists with timestamped comments
Best for: Self-learners who mostly study from free instructional content on YouTube.
Strengths: Zero setup. You already have a YouTube account, you already save videos. Adding a private playlist per position ("half guard", "back escapes", "leg entries") and leaving timestamped comments on the moments that matter is the fastest possible capture system for video learners.
The weakness is structure. A playlist is a queue, not a technique library. You can't search inside a video, you can't summarize the steps, and "review before training" turns into scrubbing through a 40-minute Lachlan Giles breakdown looking for the one detail you remembered.
3. Google Docs or a shared Google Sheet
Best for: People who already work in Google's ecosystem and want something dead simple to share with a training partner or student.
Strengths: Universally accessible, easy to search, easy to share. A single doc titled "My BJJ Game" with H2 sections per position works surprisingly well for a couple of years.
The limit is presentation and review. Docs are linear; BJJ is a graph of positions. And, again, nothing prompts you to open it before class.
4. Voice memos + auto-transcription
Best for: Grapplers who process out loud in the car after training.
Strengths: Frictionless capture. You just talk. Modern phones transcribe automatically, which gives you a searchable log of what you worked on. Great for capturing feel: "my collar tie kept slipping when he framed on my bicep."
The weakness is that audio isn't visual, and BJJ is a visual sport. Voice notes complement a note system; they rarely stand alone.
5. A dedicated BJJ app (BJJ Memo)
Best for: Grapplers who mostly learn from YouTube instructionals and want the note step to happen for them, plus a review flow that actually fires before training.
Strengths: BJJ Memo takes any BJJ YouTube URL, pulls the transcript and metadata, and generates a structured Technique Card — steps, key details, and tappable timestamps for the important visual moments. Cards live in a searchable personal library and surface again in a review flow, so the technique you saved last month shows up on your phone the morning of open mat. It's built for the exact loop that paper skips: capture, structure, revise.
What it's not: a coaching platform, a video streaming service, or a replacement for time in the gym. It's a retention tool.
Remember. Every option above will beat paper if you use it. The right question is not "what's the best app?" — it's "which of these will I still be opening in six months?"
Why BJJ Memo could be your alternative if...
BJJ Memo is probably the right fit for you if two or more of these are true:
- You study from YouTube instructionals or free breakdowns and struggle to remember the details a week later.
- You've tried a paper notebook or Notion and stopped after a few weeks.
- You want the structuring step (steps, key details, timestamps) to happen automatically instead of being another chore.
- You want something small on your phone that nudges you to revise before class, not another database to maintain.
- You care about the visual detail of a technique, not just a written description.
It's probably not the right fit if you learn primarily from private lessons in person and never watch instructionals, or if you already have a Notion system you genuinely love and open every week.
Final pick by user profile
- New white belt, overwhelmed: Start with a YouTube playlist per position and add BJJ Memo when you want the details, not the whole video, to stick. See our guide to your first six months of BJJ.
- Blue belt, hobbyist (2–3×/week): BJJ Memo for video-based revision, plus a short voice memo after training for feel and reflection.
- Serious self-studier watching Gordon Ryan / Lachlan Giles / Craig Jones: BJJ Memo to convert instructionals into cards, Notion or Obsidian if you also want a long-form "game plan" doc.
- Competitor building a game: BJJ Memo for the technique library and a paper journal for post-match reflection and camp planning.
- Coach: A shared Google Doc for class recap plus a personal BJJ Memo library for your own study — different jobs, different tools.
For more on the underlying habit, read our pieces on how to remember BJJ techniques and how to study BJJ instructionals effectively.
A final note on coaches and safety
No notes app makes you better at jiu-jitsu. Reps with a training partner, feedback from a qualified coach, and time on the mat make you better at jiu-jitsu. A good note system just means the details from your last class, seminar, or instructional don't quietly leak out of your head between sessions.
For real feedback and safety on any technique you save, train it at a legit academy with a qualified black belt — BJJ Memo helps you remember and revise, it doesn't replace mat time.
Frequently asked questions
Is a paper BJJ notebook still worth it in 2026?
Yes, for reflection and post-training journaling. Paper is excellent for capturing how you felt, what your training partner did, and what your coach emphasized. It's poor for video, search, and long-term review — which is where a digital tool complements it well.
What's the simplest free alternative to a paper BJJ notebook?
A private YouTube playlist per position, plus timestamped comments on the moments you want to remember. It costs nothing and takes less than a minute per video. It won't structure the technique for you, but it beats a notebook you never re-open.
Can I just use Notion or Apple Notes for BJJ?
You can, and many grapplers do. It works if you build a template you like and, more importantly, if you build the habit of opening the app before training. If maintaining your own system feels like a chore, a dedicated tool with a built-in review flow will suit you better.
What makes BJJ Memo different from a general note app?
BJJ Memo is built for one job: turning grappling videos into structured, revisable technique cards. It handles the structuring step for you and surfaces cards in a review flow before training. A general note app is a blank page — powerful, but you supply the structure and the discipline.
Do I need to pick just one?
No. Most serious grapplers end up combining tools — a dedicated app for the video-to-card loop, a paper journal for reflection, and a playlist for content they haven't studied yet. Use whatever gets you to revise before class.
Will any of this make me a better grappler on its own?
No. Mat time, honest rolls, and coaching make you better. A note system means the details you already learned don't slip away between sessions, so each hour on the mat compounds instead of resetting.
If you're tired of a notebook you never open, try building your BJJ library on your phone instead. Paste a YouTube URL into BJJ Memo, let it generate the technique card, and let the review flow bring it back to you the morning of training. iOS and Android, free to start.
Last updated 2026-09-17.