Gi vs No-Gi: How to Log Both
Short answer: Tag every session gi or no-gi. Note which techniques depend on grips you won’t have in the other format. Before a comp, read your split for the past few weeks and shift toward the format you’ll compete in. Build your game plan from techniques that work in that format.
Why the split matters
Gi and no-gi share a base, but they reward different things. Collar and sleeve grips, lapel guards and gi chokes disappear in no-gi. Pace, wrestling and leg entanglements often matter more. A game built in one format doesn’t always transfer to the other.
That matters most before a tournament. If you’re entering a gi event after a stretch of mostly no-gi, your grips, your guard and your passing are all a step behind. Without a log, you won’t notice until the match.
Tag every session
The simplest fix is one tag: gi or no-gi. Every session, every time.
That one tag gives you:
- Your real split over any stretch of time.
- Context for your notes. "Got passed easily" means something different in no-gi.
- A filter when you’re looking back for patterns in one format.
If a session mixed both, pick the format you spent most of it in, or log it as two entries.
What changes between formats
When you write your one-line note, think about format-specific details.
In the gi, notice:
- Which grips you won, and which you lost
- Lapel and collar attacks, for and against you
- How long you held a guard with grips
In no-gi, notice:
- Underhooks, head position and hand fighting
- Scrambles: who came out on top
- Leg entanglements, if your gym trains them
The note format stays the same: worked, didn’t, drill. The details shift with the format. More on the one-line note in why logging your rolls changes your game.
Logging technique notes for each format
Some techniques work in both formats. Some depend on the gi. Mark which is which.
- Gi-dependent: collar chokes, lapel guards, grip-based sweeps. Tag them "gi."
- Both: escapes, passes and arm attacks that don’t rely on grips. Tag them "both."
- No-gi adapted: a technique you’ve changed to work without grips. Note what changed.
When you look at your technique notes before a no-gi event, filter out the gi-dependent ones. What’s left is your no-gi game. See how to take technique notes.
Reading your split before a comp
A few weeks before an event:
- Check your split. How much of your recent training was in the format you’ll compete in?
- Read the notes from that format. What’s working? What isn’t?
- Shift your schedule toward the event’s format if you can, and talk to your coach about it.
- Build the game plan from that format’s notes. Every technique in the plan should work in the format you’re entering. See the game plan template.
Check the event’s rules for the format too. At IBJJF events, for example, you weigh in wearing your gi before your opening fight, or "with the No Gi uniform" at no-gi events. Other organizations’ rules differ, so check your event’s weigh-in policy. More in the IBJJF tournament checklist.
After the event, note the format in your post-comp review.
When your gym runs both
- Know the schedule. Which classes are gi, which are no-gi, which are open.
- Tag as you log. The format is easy to forget a week later.
- Watch for drift. A change in work hours can quietly push you into one format. The log shows it.
- Note crossover lessons. "No-gi underhook work fixed my gi half guard" is the kind of thing worth writing down.
For fitting both into your week, see how often to train.
Common mistakes
- Not tagging. Without the tag, your split is a guess.
- Assuming techniques transfer. Test them in the other format before you rely on them.
- Building a no-gi plan from gi notes. Grips you won’t have don’t belong in the plan.
- Ignoring the split until fight week. By then it’s late to shift.
Where Mat Quest fits
Every session in Mat Quest’s training log is gi or no-gi, logged in one tap. Add rounds, duration and notes when you want the detail. Technique notes and game plans sit in the same app as the log, and tournament countdowns show as VS screens, styled like a 90s arcade fighter.
Paper works too. Write "G" or "NG" next to every entry.
FAQ
Should I log gi and no-gi separately?
Tag each session as one or the other. Same log, one tag. That’s enough to see your split and filter your notes.
Does gi training help no-gi?
Much of the base carries over, but grip-dependent techniques don’t. Mark which techniques work in both and test the rest.
How do I prepare for a gi tournament after training mostly no-gi?
Check your split, shift toward gi sessions with your coach’s input, and build your game plan from techniques you’ve hit in the gi.
What if a session mixes gi and no-gi?
Log it as the format you spent most of it in, or as two entries.