What to Do After a BJJ Tournament: The Post-Comp Review
Short answer: After a tournament, log each match while it’s fresh (win or loss, how it ended, what you got them with, what got you), then within a few days compare it with your game plan. Pick one problem to drill and one strength to build on, take both to your coach, and put the next event on the calendar.
Why the review matters more than the result
A medal or an early loss tells you one thing. The matches tell you much more: where the plan held, where it broke, and what happened under pressure that never happens in class.
That information fades fast. By the next week you’ll remember the result and one or two moments. The grip you kept losing, the position you ended up in twice, the sweep that landed when you didn’t expect it: those go first. Writing them down is what turns a tournament into training.
On the day: what to note between matches
You won’t want to write much on the day, and you shouldn’t have to. After each match, while you’re cooling down, write one or two lines:
- Result: win or loss.
- How it ended: submission, points, decision.
- One thing: what got you, or what you got them with.
That’s enough. The full review comes later. If someone filmed your matches, note which ones, so you know what to watch.
The review, step by step
Do this within a few days, while it’s still clear. Ten or fifteen minutes is plenty.
1. Write out each match. For every match: result, how it ended, what you got them with, what got you. Add anything that stood out: "lost the grip fight standing," "ended up in half guard bottom twice."
2. Put it next to your game plan. Go section by section: standup, top, bottom, subs to hunt, escapes. For each one, did it happen? Did it work? See the game plan template if you didn’t write one this time.
3. Find what repeated. One bad moment is a moment. The same problem in two matches, or in a match and in your recent training notes, is a pattern.
4. Pick one problem and one strength. One position or exchange that cost you most, and one thing that worked better than expected.
5. Take both to your coach. Be specific: "I got stuck under side control in both losses; what am I missing?" A specific question gets a specific answer.
6. Note the logistics. Anything about the day you’d do differently: arrival time, warm-up timing, what you packed, how weigh-in went. These are easy wins next time; the IBJJF tournament checklist covers the day itself.
7. Put the next event on the calendar. Even if it’s months away, a date gives the next training block a target.
The review template
Copy this for each event.
EVENT: ________________ DATE: ________ DIVISION: ________
PLACEMENT: ________
MATCH 1: W / L ENDED BY: sub / points / decision / DQ
Got them with: ________ Got me: ________
Stood out: ________
MATCH 2: (same)
GAME PLAN CHECK
Standup: happened? worked?
Top: happened? worked?
Bottom: happened? worked?
Subs: happened? worked?
Escapes: needed? worked?
PATTERN (repeated problem): ________
STRENGTH (worked better than expected): ________
QUESTION FOR COACH: ________
LOGISTICS NEXT TIME: ________
NEXT EVENT: ________Reading your matches honestly
The review works when it’s honest, which is harder than it sounds a day after a loss.
- Describe positions, not feelings. "I froze" doesn’t help. "I didn’t have a plan when they stood up in my closed guard" does.
- Separate what you controlled from what you didn’t. A tough bracket isn’t a training problem. Losing the grip fight in every match is.
- Give wins the same attention. A win by points where you were passed twice still shows something to fix.
- Watch the footage once for the story and once for details if you have it. The second watch is where you see grips, posture and timing.
If you have video, see reviewing your competition footage.
Turning the review into a training block
A review is useful when it changes what you do in class.
- The problem goes to positional rounds. Ask training partners to start rounds from the position that cost you. Log how those rounds go.
- The strength gets built out. What do you do when it’s defended? What’s the follow-up? That’s the next layer of your game plan.
- The game plan gets revised, not rewritten. Swap the section that failed for your backup, or tighten it.
- Your session notes get a focus. For the next few weeks, your one-line note after class should mention the problem position when it comes up. Over a month, you’ll see whether it’s showing up less. More on that in why logging your rolls changes your game.
Open mat is a good place for those positional rounds.
Reviewing across several events
After two or three events, read the reviews side by side. This is where the most useful patterns show up:
- A position that cost you at more than one event is your biggest gap.
- A section of your game plan that never happens (you planned to pass, but you’re always on the bottom) means the plan doesn’t match how your matches actually go.
- Logistics problems that repeat (late warm-ups, rushed weigh-ins) are the easiest fixes of all.
Use what you find to set your next training goals.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the review after a win. Wins hide problems too.
- Skipping it after a bad day. Those reviews teach the most.
- Writing a novel. If it takes an hour, you won’t do it next time.
- Changing everything at once. One problem, one strength.
- Not telling your coach. They can’t help with what they don’t know about.
Where Mat Quest fits
In Mat Quest, every tournament gets a VS-screen countdown, styled like a 90s arcade fighter. After the event, log match-by-match results (what you got them with, what got you) and add podium photos to your fight record. Your game plans (standup, top, bottom, subs to hunt, escapes to drill) and your training log sit in the same app, so the review, the plan and the next block of notes are all in one place. See tournaments.
Paper works for this too. The habit matters more than the tool.
FAQ
How soon after a tournament should I review it?
Write a line per match on the day, then do the full review within a few days, while the details are still clear.
What should I log for each match?
Result, how it ended (submission, points or decision), what you got them with, what got you, and anything that stood out.
Should I review a tournament I won?
Yes. Wins can hide positions where you were in trouble, and those are worth fixing before the next event.
What do I do with the review?
Pick one problem to drill and one strength to build on, take both to your coach, revise your game plan, and set the next event date.