Creating Your Sparring Summary

Aggregate your sparring data into a monthly rollup with trends.

The Sparring Summary Worksheet

While the Monthly Review covers everything, the Sparring Summary dives deep into your live training data. Use this when you want detailed sparring analysis.

Compiling Your Data

Step 1: Gather Weekly Totals

Pull numbers from your Weekly Reviews or Sparring Logs:

Step 2: Calculate Monthly Totals

Add across all weeks:

Step 3: Calculate Rates

For each category:

Success Rate = (Total Landed ÷ Total Attempted) × 100

Analyzing Trends

Weekly Success Rate Chart

Track how your rates changed week-to-week:

Submission Success %
Week 1: ████████░░░░░░░░ 20%
Week 2: ██████████░░░░░░ 25%
Week 3: ████████████░░░░ 30%
Week 4: ██████████████░░ 35%

You can draw simple bar charts or just list the numbers. The goal is to see the trend.

Trend Assessment

For each category, mark the trend:

What Trends Tell You

Improving (↑): What you're doing is working. Keep it up.

Stable (→): Consistent but not growing. May need new stimulus or focus.

Declining (↓): Something changed. Training partners adapted? Less focus? Investigate.

Breakdown Analysis

By Technique Type

If you've been tracking specific techniques, break down your submissions:

This shows which submissions are most effective.

By Partner Type

If you noted partner belt levels:

This contextualizes your performance.

By Position

Based on your logs, estimate which positions led to success:

Submissions - Where do they come from?

• Closed guard: ___
• Mount: ___
• Back: ___
• Side control: ___
• Other: ___

Sweeps - Which work best?

• Scissor sweep: ___
• Hip bump: ___
• Butterfly: ___
• Other: ___

Round-Level Analysis

How Rounds End

Track where your sparring rounds finish:

What This Reveals

High "they submitted you": Defense needs work High "neutral (time)": Neither advancing well - be more offensive High "you in dominant position": Getting there but not finishing High "you submitted them": Finishing is working

Partner-Specific Data

If you roll with the same people regularly, track performance against specific partners:

Partner Insights

• Tough matchups: Who consistently beats you? What do they do?
• Even matchups: Who gives you good competitive rounds?
• Favorable matchups: Who can you work your game against?

All three types of partners serve a purpose.

Key Metrics Dashboard

Create a one-page dashboard of your most important sparring numbers:

This Month's Numbers

Comparison to Last Month

Finding Actionable Insights

Data alone isn't useful. Turn numbers into actions:

Low Submission Rate

Possible causes:

• Poor setups (not creating openings)
• Telegraphing (they see it coming)
• Technique issues (not finishing properly)
• Bad timing (going when you shouldn't)

Actions:

• Focus on one submission for a month
• Work on setups, not just the submission itself
• Ask coach to watch and provide feedback

High "Got Submitted" Rate

Possible causes:

• Not recognizing danger early
• Defense technique issues
• Putting yourself in bad positions

Actions:

• Identify which submission catches you most
• Drill that specific defense
• Notice when you're at risk earlier

Low Sweep Rate

Possible causes:

• Not off-balancing before sweeping
• Predictable timing
• Weak grips getting broken

Actions:

• Focus on grip fighting
• Chain sweep attempts (if one fails, go to another)
• Work sweeps from different guards

Your Sparring Summary Assignment

1. Compile this month's sparring data
2. Calculate your success rates
3. Identify trends (improving, stable, declining)
4. Break down by technique type if possible
5. Choose one insight to act on next month

Next lesson: Pattern recognition - going beyond the numbers to find meaningful insights.