Best Ways to Learn BJJ Between Classes: Notebooks, Videos, and Technique Apps Compared

TL;DR. Between-class learning is where most BJJ progress is quietly won or lost. Paper notebooks are cheap and personal but hard to search. YouTube and instructional videos are rich but easy to binge without retention. Dedicated technique apps like BJJ Memo turn video into structured, revisable cards. The best system usually combines all three: watch on video, capture in structured notes, revise before class.

Key takeaways

• You forget most of what you learn in class within days unless you revisit it deliberately.
• Notebooks build memory through handwriting but scale poorly once you have hundreds of moves.
• YouTube is the best library of BJJ instruction ever assembled — and the easiest place to lose an hour without learning anything.
• Technique apps sit between the two: they help you keep the structure of a video without losing the searchability of a notebook.
• The right method depends on how you learn, how often you train, and whether you already have a review habit.
• Whatever tool you pick, the review step matters more than the capture step.
• No app replaces mat time or a qualified coach — they help you remember what you were shown.

Founder disclosure

I build BJJ Memo, so treat this comparison as informed but biased. I have tried to describe notebooks and video-only study honestly, including where they beat any app, and I have kept an entire section on where BJJ Memo is weaker than the alternatives. If you spot something inaccurate, tell me — the goal is a comparison a serious grappler can actually use, not marketing.

Who each method is for

Different tools suit different training realities. Before comparing features, be honest about which reader you are.

The notebook grappler

You like writing by hand, you train a few times a week, and you already keep a training journal in the car or gym bag. You want a place to dump one or two takeaways from each class and re-read them on the drive home.

The video-only student

You spend evenings on YouTube, follow black-belt instructors, and have a "watch later" list you never come back to. You learn best by watching and re-watching, not by writing.

The technique-app user

You want a system. You want your library of moves searchable by position ("half guard bottom"), reviewable before class, and tied to the exact video moment where you first saw the detail. You would rather tap than flip pages.

Most grapplers are a blend, and the best system usually is too.

Comparison table

Dimension	Paper notebook	YouTube / instructional videos	BJJ technique app (e.g., BJJ Memo)
Cost	Very low (notebook + pen)	Free to paid subscriptions	Free tier to paid app
Capture speed	Slow (hand-writing)	Zero (just watch)	Medium (paste URL, generated card)
Structure of notes	Whatever you write	Video timeline only	Structured steps + timestamps
Searchability	Poor at scale	Poor across many videos	Good (by position, keyword, tag)
Retention support	Only if you re-read	Only if you re-watch	Built-in revision flow
Works offline	Yes	Downloaded videos only	Depends on app
Link back to source	Manual	Native	Timestamps preserved
Best strength	Handwriting encodes memory	Depth and variety of content	Turns video into a revisable card

Strengths of each option

Paper notebook

• Handwriting is a well-known encoder of memory. Writing "cross-face + underhook, hips heavy" by hand tends to put the detail into your head in a way tapping rarely does.
• Zero friction, zero notifications, zero battery. Works in a gym locker room.
• Personal and durable. A five-year-old training journal is a real record of your game.

YouTube and instructional videos

• One of the biggest libraries of BJJ knowledge ever assembled. Free explanations from world-class competitors are on the platform right now.
• Repeat-viewing is powerful. Watching the same detail several times often reveals what you missed once.
• Great for discovery: you find techniques you did not know existed.

Technique apps

• They give shape to what would otherwise be a chaotic pile of bookmarks.
• Good apps preserve the video timestamp, so you can jump back to the exact moment a detail is shown.
• A review flow forces the one step most people skip: coming back to a note before the next class.

Where BJJ Memo is honestly stronger

Reasons, not adjectives.

1. You paste a YouTube URL and get a structured card back. Instead of re-typing the steps of a triangle setup, the app produces a card with steps, key details, and tappable timestamps of the visual moments. That is faster than notebook capture and more structured than YouTube alone.
2. The card is filed automatically into a searchable library. You can pull up "side control escapes" before a class where you know your instructor is drilling side control, without scrolling YouTube history.
3. A dedicated revision flow. Notebooks assume you will re-read them; most people do not. YouTube assumes you will re-watch; most people do not. BJJ Memo surfaces cards for revision so the review step actually happens.
4. Timestamped detail beats a written summary. When your notes say "underhook first," you sometimes forget what the coach actually meant. Tapping straight back to the second of the video where the detail is shown removes the ambiguity.
5. It is built for a BJJ audience specifically. The card structure — position, steps, key details, common mistakes — matches how techniques are actually taught, not a generic note-taking template.

Where BJJ Memo is honestly weaker

Also reasons, not adjectives. This section is mandatory because no tool fits everyone.

1. It does not replace the physical act of writing. If handwriting is a big part of how you retain, a notebook plus BJJ Memo will beat BJJ Memo alone.
2. It depends on video. If your best learning happens in a private lesson with no camera, the app cannot ingest that automatically. You still need to type or dictate a card yourself.
3. A phone is a distraction machine. Opening the app on your phone before class exposes you to notifications a paper notebook never will. That is a real cost.
4. It requires trust in generated structure. The card is generated from the transcript and video; occasionally you will want to edit a step or add a detail the transcript missed. That is a workflow, not a magic wand.
5. It is newer than a pen. A journal you have written in for years is a personal artifact. An app library takes time to build up before it feels like yours.
6. Offline reliability varies. Depending on your device and connection, some features expect a network. A notebook always works.

Remember. The tool that matters most is the one whose review step you actually complete. A perfectly organized library nobody opens is worse than a scrappy notebook you re-read on the drive to class.

Final recommendation by user profile

The white belt with a few months of training

Start with a cheap notebook. Write one takeaway per class in plain language. Once you have too many entries to skim in five minutes, add a technique app so the revision step gets easier. Read our white-belt guides alongside your first notebook.

The blue belt building a game

Use a technique app as your primary library and reserve the notebook for post-roll reflections — what got tapped, what worked, what to ask the coach next class. Set a fixed revision slot the day before training.

The instructional-video obsessive

Stop bookmarking videos with no follow-up. Every time a video teaches you something you would actually drill, generate a card or write a two-line note. If you cannot summarize a video, you did not learn it.

The competitor

Combine all three. Handwritten fight-camp notes for emotional context, a technique app for a searchable position tree, and video for source-of-truth study. Revise weekly, not the night before.

The coach

Encourage students to keep any kind of notes at all. The specific tool matters less than the habit. If your academy uses a shared platform for class recordings, a technique app helps students turn those recordings into revisable cards without extra work from you.

Remember. No system beats the coach standing in front of you correcting your posture. Tools help you remember what they already showed you.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I revise BJJ techniques between classes?

Little and often beats one long session. A five-minute skim the day before class, focused on the position you know you will drill, is more useful than an hour-long review once a month. Consistency, not volume, is what encodes the detail.

Is watching YouTube enough to learn BJJ?

No. Video is excellent for exposure and detail, but you need a training partner and live resistance to actually own a technique. Video plus mat time plus review is the loop that works. Video alone tends to produce grapplers who know a lot and can execute little.

Should I take notes during class or after?

After. During class, focus on your coach and your training partner. Immediately after — in the changing room or the parking lot — capture one or two details before you forget them. That is when the freshest information leaves your head.

Do I need a paid app to keep BJJ notes?

No. A free notebook works. Paid apps buy you structure, searchability, and a review habit built in. Whether that is worth the price depends on how much you value the review step and how big your library is going to get.

What is the best way to organize BJJ notes?

By position, not by move name. "Half guard bottom" is more useful than "deep half sweep" because you will be looking for options from a position, not for a specific submission. Whatever tool you use, tag or file by position first.

Can I use BJJ Memo without giving up my notebook?

Yes, and many grapplers do. Handwrite one line of reflection after class, then use the app to save and revise the instructionals you study during the week. The two tools solve different problems and stack well.

Where to go from here

If you already have a notebook habit, keep it. If you do not, start one this week — a cheap A5 notebook and a pen in your gym bag. If your problem is video (bookmarks piling up with nothing sticking), try turning your next YouTube instructional into a structured card in BJJ Memo so you can revise it the day before class. Then read the BJJ Memo blog for guides on how to remember techniques and study instructionals more effectively.

For real feedback, safety and progression, train the techniques at a legit academy with a qualified coach. BJJ Memo helps you remember and revise — it does not replace mat time.

Last updated 2026-09-21.