We just added a game plan tool to White Belt Club. It lets you build visual flowcharts of your BJJ game, mapping out positions, techniques, and transitions on an interactive canvas. You can save multiple plans, revisit them anytime, and adjust them as your game evolves.
This article covers why I built it, how it works, and a few ways you might use it to improve your training.
Why I built a visual game plan tool
I'm a visual person. After class, I usually end up replaying training in my head. What worked, what failed, what I should have done differently. Over time, these mental replays started turning into movement chains. I'd picture a position, think about the two or three options I have from there, and follow each path to see where it leads.
I'd sometimes sketch these out on paper or in random note apps, but they always felt messy and disconnected. I wanted something purpose-built for BJJ. A tool where I could drop positions and techniques onto a canvas, draw connections between them, and see my game laid out as a clear visual map.
So I built one.
How the game plan tool works
The tool is built around a drag-and-drop canvas. You add nodes (positions and techniques), connect them with edges (transitions), and arrange everything visually to represent your game.
Positions and techniques
There are two types of nodes you can add to the canvas:
- Position nodes represent where you are (closed guard, mount, side control, half guard, etc.)
- Technique nodes represent what you do from that position (a sweep, a submission, a pass, an escape)
Technique nodes are more detailed. You can give them a name, add personal notes, link them to resources from our technique library, or paste any URL (YouTube tutorials, instructional clips, articles). If you link a YouTube video, the node will show a thumbnail preview right on the canvas.
Each technique node also has a color system that matches BJJ categories: green for sweeps, blue for escapes, red for control, violet for submissions, orange for passing, and cyan for guard. This makes it easy to see at a glance what type of technique each node represents.
Connections and transitions
Drag from the connection points on any node to create edges between them. These edges represent transitions: how you move from one position to another, or how one technique chains into the next.
You can label each connection by clicking on it. For example, an edge from closed guard to mount might be labeled "hip bump sweep." Or an edge from a failed armbar attempt to back take might be labeled "opponent rolls."
The palette
A sidebar palette gives you quick access to all positions and techniques from our technique library, organised by category (submissions, sweeps, passing, guard, control, escapes, takedowns). You can search through them and drag items directly onto your canvas.
If you prefer a cleaner workspace, you can toggle the palette off from the View settings.
Auto-save
Everything saves automatically. Make changes, and they're stored within seconds. You can create multiple game plans and switch between them from the game plans list page.
Why visualising your game helps
There's real value in sitting down and mapping out your game, even if you never look at the plan again. Here's why.
It builds memory
The act of creating a game plan forces you to recall techniques, think about how they connect, and organise them into a logical structure. This mental effort strengthens your memory of the techniques far more than passively watching a video or reading about them.
After a class where your instructor shows three guard passes, try adding them to a game plan. Connect them to the positions they start from and the positions they lead to. You'll remember them better at your next training session.
It builds confidence
When you can see your options laid out visually, you feel more prepared. Instead of stepping on the mats thinking "I have no idea what to do from half guard," you can look at your game plan and see that you actually have three options you've been working on.
Even a simple plan helps. Knowing you have a clear path from guard to sweep to mount to submission gives you something to work toward during sparring.
It helps you revisit ideas
BJJ evolves. Your game six months from now will look different from your game today. Having saved game plans lets you come back to earlier ideas. Maybe you shelved a sweep because it wasn't working at white belt, but now at blue belt it fits perfectly into your game.
Game plans become a log of your thinking over time. You can see how your game has grown and what ideas are worth revisiting.
Use cases beyond personal game planning
The tool was built for mapping your own game, but there are other ways it could be useful.
Competition preparation
If you're getting ready to compete, you can build game plans for specific scenarios. What do you do if the match starts standing? What if your opponent pulls guard? What if you end up in bottom side control?
Map out your A-game and your backup plans. Visualise the decision tree so that when you're on the competition mats, your responses feel more automatic. You've already thought through the paths.
Beginner course structures
If you're an instructor or run a beginner course, the game plan tool works well for designing lesson structures. Map out a curriculum visually: which positions you'll cover first, which techniques build on each other, and how everything connects.
Students could also use shared game plans as study guides, seeing the full picture of what they're learning and how each class fits into the bigger structure.
Study tool for instructionals
When you're working through a BJJ instructional, you can map out the system being taught. Add each technique as a node, connect them in the order the instructor presents them, and add notes about key details you want to remember. This turns passive watching into active learning.
Getting started with your first game plan
Here's a simple way to create your first game plan:
1. Start with your favourite position. Add it as a position node in the centre of the canvas. Maybe it's closed guard, or half guard, or mount.
2. Add your go-to techniques. Think about the 2-3 techniques you rely on most from that position. Add them as technique nodes and connect them to your starting position.
3. Map where each technique leads. If your hip bump sweep from closed guard lands you in mount, add a mount position node and connect it. If your armbar attempt from mount might lead to your opponent escaping to guard, map that too.
4. Add notes and resources. For each technique node, add any personal notes (key details, common mistakes, things your instructor emphasised). Link to a video tutorial if you have one that helped you learn it.
5. Keep building over time. Your game plan will grow as your game grows. After each class, consider adding new techniques you learned or connections you discovered during sparring.
You can right-click anywhere on the canvas to quickly add nodes, or use the palette to drag them from the library. Double-click any node to edit it. Click any edge to add or change its label.
A few tips
- Start small. You don't need to map your entire game on day one. Start with one position and expand from there.
- Use colours. The colour coding makes complex plans much easier to read. Green for sweeps, violet for submissions, orange for passes. Use them consistently.
- Add notes. The notes field on each technique node is useful for personal reminders: "works best when opponent postures up" or "grip the collar first."
- Create multiple plans. Use separate plans for different areas of your game. One for your guard game, one for your top game, one for competition prep.
- Link to the technique library. When you connect a node to a technique from our library, it automatically links the resource and shows a video thumbnail if available. This makes your game plan a hub for your learning materials.
What's next
The game plan tool is live and available to all White Belt Club members. It's a first version, and I plan to keep improving it based on how people use it and what features would be most helpful.
If you have ideas for what would make the tool more useful for your training, I'd love to hear them. For now, log in, create your first game plan, and start mapping out your game.
Key takeaways:
- The game plan tool lets you build visual flowcharts of your BJJ game on an interactive canvas.
- You can add positions, techniques, notes, and link to video resources from our technique library or any URL.
- Creating game plans actively strengthens your memory of techniques and transitions.
- Visualising your options builds confidence and gives you clearer direction during sparring.
- The tool is useful for personal game planning, competition prep, course design, and studying instructionals.
- Start with one position and a few techniques, then expand your plan as your game grows.