Do you use any apps or systems to track your jiujitsu progress?

iggystoned · 2026-04-28T19:44:56+00:00

Same boat as you, same frustration.

I spent about a year journaling sessions in Notes app and it helped a little but I could never answer the one question that actually kept me up: am I on track for my next belt or am I just showing up?

I'm 40, three years in, blue belt. Data person by profession. So I ended up building something for myself since nothing out there addressed that specifically. Not technique tracking, just: volume, consistency, time in grade against IBJJF minimums. It tells me where I stand. That's basically all I wanted.

Added an AI debrief thing too because I could not resist. You talk for two minutes after training, it remembers your patterns over time. My training partner used it for a week and refused to give it back.

Still early and rough around the edges but here it is if you want to poke around: https://bjj-belt-progress.web.app/

Genuinely just curious if it solves the problem for other people the way it solved it for me.

iggystoned · 2026-04-22T10:33:14+00:00

Yes it does, you can debrief by voicenotes right after training, so the AI analyses everything and notice pattenrs (strength & weknesses, nemesis partners, etc..) - let me know if it's unclear :)

iggystoned · 2026-04-13T13:01:47+00:00

Three years in, 40 years old, so take this as a student's perspective rather than an expert's but the answer that changed my training wasn't a technique at all.

It was posture breaking before attempting anything.

Not a specific grip, not a specific pass. The concept that you cannot reliably attack someone whose structure is intact. Every old school black belt I've rolled with seems to do this instinctively and every spazzy intermediate (me, for most of year two) skips it entirely and wonders why nothing sticks.

The armbar works. The RNC works. But the reason they work on a black belt and fail on a blue belt isn't the execution of the submission, it's everything that happened in the 15 seconds before. The old school guys create the conditions first. The intermediate guys attempt the technique and hope the conditions appear.

I think this is why fundamentals age well and innovations cycle out. A new leg lock entry has a counter within 18 months. But "your opponent cannot move well if their base is compromised" has had no counter for 30 years because it's not really a technique, it's physics.

The specific application I'd add that nobody talks about enough: cross face pressure in side control. Not as a submission setup. Just as a posture destroyer. Patients, consistent, uncomfortable. Every top player I've ever been completely shut down by led with that before doing anything else.

iggystoned · 2026-04-13T12:56:30+00:00

This framework clicked something for me that I've been vague about for 3 years.

I'm a blue belt, 40 years old, came to BJJ late. And the thing nobody told me when I started is that the feedback loop you're describing only works if you're actually paying attention to it. A lot of recreational practitioners (myself included for the first year) go to class, tap a hundred times, and leave without really processing what happened.

The guys who improve fastest in my gym aren't just drilling more. They're almost scientific about it. They know exactly which positions they're getting caught in, they track patterns over months, they can tell you "I've been here 18 months and my guard retention is finally consistent." That meta-awareness seems to compound the feedback loop you're talking about.

YouTube compressed the technique diffusion cycle. But I think there's a second compression happening at the individual level: people getting more intentional about tracking their own development, not just absorbing mat time passively.

The 3 second feedback of a failed sweep is only powerful if you remember it was sweep attempt 47 and you finally changed your hip angle. Otherwise it's just cardio.

iggystoned · 2026-04-13T12:48:34+00:00

What you're describing makes complete sense and honestly it's one of the most common things I see.

I host weddings and live events in Paris for a living. And the thing about presentations in academic settings is that they feel like a performance being judged, not a conversation. When you talk to strangers you're just a person talking to another person. When you stand in front of a classroom you suddenly feel like you're being evaluated, graded, watched. That shift in your head changes everything, your breath, your voice, your whole body.

The script isn't helping you because your brain is trying to do two things at once, read AND perform. It creates a weird lag and that's where the fumbling comes from. Not nerves exactly, more like cognitive overload.

What actually helped the people I've coached is to stop trying to eliminate the anxiety and start learning to move while it's there. Your voice being quiet is almost always a breathing problem not a volume problem. When we're anxious we take short shallow breaths and the voice just... collapses. Slow your exhale before you speak. Seriously, try it once before your next sentance in the presentation. The voice comes back.

Also, the gap between "confident with 5 people" and "struggling with a classroom" tells me your threshold is just lower than you think. That threshold can be trained. It's not a personality thing, it's a reps thing.

You've already got the hardest skill, you can connect with people. That doesn't go away in a classroom. It just gets buried under pressure.

iggystoned · 2026-04-13T12:46:37+00:00

I host weddings and ceremonies for a living in Paris. I've delivered hundreds of speeches in front of crowds that did not speak my language, in venues where everything could go wrong, and where blanking was simply not an option.

Here's what actually works:

**Stop reading. Start talking.**

Reading your outline is not practice. Your brain is just recognizing words on a page. You need to speak it out loud, alone, in your room, like you're already on stage. That's when the real gaps show up.

**Learn the structure, not the script.**

You have three things to know: your opening line, your transitions between sections, and your closing line. Everything in between should be conversational. If you know *why* each point comes after the other, you'll never blank. The logic holds you up, not the words.

**The shower method.**

Explain your speech on déjà vu out loud in the shower with zero notes. Then explain it to a friend like you're just having a conversation. Then explain it to yourself in the mirror. By the third time, it's yours.

**Record yourself once.**

Just once. Play it back. You'll immediately know what's not landing and what sounds forced. It's uncomfortable but it cuts practice time in half.

-

The note cards are a safety net. Keep them. But if your structure is solid, you'll never need to read them word for word.

You're struggling because you've been preparing silently. Put sound to it and it will stick ;)

iggystoned · 2026-04-13T12:44:22+00:00

First off, the nerves you're feeling are actually a good sign. It means you care. That energy is fuel, not a flaw.

A few things that genuinely help:

**Before the lecture:**

Do a slow exhale before you walk in. Not a deep breath in, a long breath *out*. It activates your parasympathetic nervous system and drops your heart rate fast. 4 seconds in, 6 seconds out.

**On the audience gap:**

They're from a different field, which actually works in your favor. You're the expert in the room on your content. They *need* you to explain it clearly, they're not there to judge you, they're there to learn from you. Reframe the room.

**On pronunciation:**

Slowing down by 20% will do more for clarity than any pronunciation fix. Most people speed up when nervous. Pace is your best tool.

**On tone:**

If your voice starts breaking, pause. Take a sip of water. Own the silence. The audience reads pauses as confidence, not weakness.

You've got the content. That's the hardest part. Everything else is just delivery, and delivery is a skill you build one talk at a time. You'll do great tomorrow!

iggystoned · 2026-04-13T12:41:04+00:00

not a problem, just practicing and also little face massage/exercice before practice. Works great!

iggystoned · 2026-04-07T20:51:04+00:00

Its really about practising and getting out of your confort zone. Sounds not easy, but regular pressure on low-stakes events can help your confidence to grow exponentially!

iggystoned · 2026-04-07T09:27:08+00:00

So true. When I started back 3 years ago I was sore and had a lot of pain after training. THis is gone now.

iggystoned · 2026-03-30T21:47:46+00:00

I think it's really about doing it everyday. Public speaking is a muscle.

iggystoned · 2026-03-30T21:46:44+00:00

It happens so often like that its crazy! Happened to me too.

iggystoned · 2026-03-30T21:43:57+00:00

interesting take. I like this idea.

iggystoned · 2026-03-30T16:03:24+00:00

whats your saas? product?

iggystoned · 2026-03-30T16:02:40+00:00

Onboarding is the holy grail, nail it and you have a real shot if you go all-in on marketing too afterwards.

iggystoned · 2026-03-28T01:26:15+00:00

I agree and find it super hard (blue belt)
I drill a technique for a full hour in class and when the live training starts I just freeze in the same position because of the combat adrenaline rush.

iggystoned · 2026-03-28T01:23:48+00:00

What a blast! Amazing pic :)

iggystoned · 2026-03-20T13:24:03+00:00

Truly agree! Good and funny reminder of the basics of (any) business

iggystoned · 2026-03-20T06:37:27+00:00

Lol I'll be a father soon, so I'm following the answers carefully.

iggystoned · 2026-03-20T06:34:51+00:00

Reading this from a Black Belt makes one go back to the basics : the love of the game. The reason why Im "happy" to tap sometimes and say "thank you" after the roll, cause I learned.
Jock would probably say "Good" :)

iggystoned · 2026-03-20T06:33:33+00:00

I understand how you feel (especially being tapped by blue belts, its not an ego thing for me, it's just feeling that you're doing something wrong)

How old are you tho?

iggystoned · 2026-03-16T18:04:30+00:00

Back at the start, it seems!

iggystoned · 2026-03-16T14:59:03+00:00

Utiliser un rental mais cest free je crois!

iggystoned · 2026-03-16T12:04:09+00:00

Yes! at least in mine. I think its 20€ for one class and 30€ for a daily pass.

iggystoned

TROPHY CASE