BJJ Game Plan Template: How to Write One Before a Tournament

Short answer: A competition game plan is a short list of what you’ll try in each part of the match: standup, top, bottom, the submissions you’ll hunt and the escapes you’ll rely on. Build it from what already works for you in training, test it in the weeks before, and keep it short enough to read in the bullpen.

What a game plan is (and isn’t)

A game plan is a decision you make in advance so you don’t have to make it under adrenaline. When the referee starts the match, you already know whether you’re pulling guard or shooting, and what you’ll try from wherever you land.

It isn’t a script. Your opponent gets a say. The plan gives you a default for each situation, so when things go sideways you have somewhere to go back to.

It also isn’t a wish list. A plan built on a technique you watched last week but have never hit in a live round will fall apart in the first exchange. Everything in it should be something you’ve done on a resisting partner.

Ask your coach to look it over. They’ve watched you roll, and they know the rule set you’re competing under.

The template

Copy this and fill in one line per section. If a section takes more than two lines, it’s too complicated.

That’s the whole thing. Five sections and a notes line. It fits on a phone screen.

How to fill it in from your training notes

The best source for a game plan is your own log. If you write one line after each session (what worked, what didn’t, what to drill), you already have the raw material. See why logging your rolls changes your game for the habit.

Four to six weeks before the event, read back your notes and sort them:

1. What keeps working. Any position or technique that shows up in "worked" more than twice goes in the plan. These are your main options.
2. What keeps going wrong. Anything that shows up in "didn’t" more than twice is your escape to drill, or a position to avoid getting into.
3. What you’re working on but haven’t landed yet. Leave it out of the plan. Keep drilling it in class, but don’t bet a match on it.

Then fill in the template section by section:

Standup. Matches start standing, so decide here. If your notes show you rarely win takedown exchanges in training, a guard pull might be your plan. If you’re comfortable on the feet, choose one entry you trust. Either way, decide in advance.

Top. Pick the pass you hit most often, and note where it ends (side control, mount, knee on belly). Then pick a second pass for when the first one’s blocked.

Bottom. Pick the guard you’re most comfortable in and the sweep you hit most from it. Write what you’ll switch to when your opponent postures or stands.

Subs to hunt. One or two. The ones you actually finish, not the ones you like. If your log says your collar choke lands and your armbar doesn’t, the plan says collar choke.

Escapes to drill. Look at the position that showed up most in your "didn’t" notes. That’s the escape to drill in the weeks before, and it goes in the plan so you’ve rehearsed what to do when you end up there.

Your technique notes are where the details for each section live.

Two worked examples

These are hypothetical, to show the shape. Yours should come from your own notes.

A guard player

• Standup: collar and sleeve grip, pull to closed guard. Backup: if they break grips, sit to butterfly.
• Top: knee cut to side control. Backup: toreando if they square up.
• Bottom: closed guard, hip bump sweep. If they posture, cross-collar choke attempt.
• Subs: cross-collar choke from guard; armbar if they post.
• Escapes: side control bottom: frame, hip out, recover guard.

A top player

• Standup: single leg from collar tie. Backup: if they pull guard, stand and pass.
• Top: over-under pass to side control, then mount. Backup: leg drag.
• Bottom: half guard with underhook, come up to a single.
• Subs: arm triangle from side control; Americana.
• Escapes: mount bottom: trap and roll.

Notice what each one leaves out: anything the player hasn’t hit in training.

Testing the plan before the event

A plan you haven’t tested is a guess. In the weeks before the event:

• Start rounds from your plan’s positions. Ask a training partner for a few rounds starting in your guard, then on top, then from your worst position.
• Start more rounds standing so the standup section gets real reps.
• Log how each section went. "Hip bump sweep landed 2 of 4" tells you more than "good rounds".
• Change one thing at a time. If a section isn’t working after a couple of weeks, swap it for your backup rather than inventing something new.
• Lock it in the week before. No new techniques in the last week. Drill what’s on the plan.

Talk to your coach about how much to train in the last week or two; that’s their call.

Open mat is a good place to test it; see how to structure an open mat.

Using the plan on the day

• Read it in the morning and again before each match.
• Don’t change it mid-bracket unless your coach tells you to.
• Between matches, read the plan, not your phone’s other apps. It keeps you in the right headspace.
• Check the event page for the rule set, match length and weigh-in times. At IBJJF events you weigh in wearing your gi before your opening fight, with one attempt (ibjjf.com/weigh-ins). Other organizations’ rules differ, so check your event’s weigh-in policy.

For the rest of the day’s logistics, see the IBJJF tournament checklist.

Reviewing the plan afterward

Within a day or two, compare the plan with what happened. For each match, write:

• Win or loss, and how.
• What you got them with, and what got you.
• Which sections of the plan actually happened. Did you get your grips? Did you end up in your guard or theirs?
• What you’d change.

Then update the plan for next time. A plan that’s been revised over three or four events is far more useful than a new one written from scratch each time.

The full process is in the post-comp review.

Common mistakes

• Too many options. Five passes isn’t a plan; it’s a menu you’ll freeze in front of. One main, one backup.
• Planning around your opponent. You usually won’t know who you’ll face. Plan your game, not theirs.
• Leaving out the bad spots. Every plan needs an escape. You’ll end up somewhere you don’t want to be.
• Writing it the night before. It needs weeks of testing to be trustworthy.
• Not writing it down. A plan in your head turns into a blank under adrenaline. A plan you’ve read twenty times doesn’t.

Where Mat Quest fits

Mat Quest has game plans for standup, top, bottom, subs to hunt and escapes to drill, the same five sections, next to your training log, technique notes and tournament countdowns (shown as VS screens, styled like a 90s arcade fighter). After the event, log match-by-match results (what you got them with, what got you) so the next plan starts from evidence. See tournaments and game plans.

A notebook or a notes app works just as well for the plan itself. The habit matters more than the tool.

FAQ

How long should a game plan be?

Short enough to read in the bullpen: about one line per section, five sections. If it doesn’t fit on one screen, cut it down to what you trust most.

Should a white belt have a game plan?

Yes, a simple one. Even "pull guard, go for the sweep I know, escape side control with frames" gives you a default under pressure. Ask your coach to help you pick.

What if my plan fails in the first exchange?

Go to your backup for that section. If you end up somewhere unplanned, use your escape and work back toward a position that’s in your plan.

Do I need a different plan for gi and no-gi?

Usually, yes. Grips change what’s possible, so check that every technique in the plan works in the format you’re competing in.

Sources: IBJJF, "Weigh-ins," https://ibjjf.com/weigh-ins (accessed 2026-10-14) · Mat Quest App Store listing.

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