Training
How to Track Your Jiu Jitsu Training in 2026
Most people start a BJJ journal in their first year and stop by month three. The reason is almost never laziness. It is friction. Tracking only works if it is fast, specific, and built around how jiu jitsu actually feels. Here is how to do it right in 2026.
Why tracking matters
Jiu jitsu is a slow sport. Your progress between blue and purple belt is measured in years, not weeks. Without a log, the only thing you remember is the last bad roll. With a log, you can see the whole arc: the techniques you have drilled, the partners you have rolled with, the months you trained hard, and the months you slipped. That long view is the difference between feeling stuck and seeing progress.
What to track after every session
You do not need 30 fields. You need the right ones. Here is the short list that actually matters:
- Date and duration. Two seconds. Skip nothing.
- Class type. Fundamentals, gi, no gi, open mat, competition class, private.
- Techniques covered. One or two key positions or submissions from the lesson.
- Rolls. Partner name, belt, and a one-line note. Did you tap, get tapped, or stall in a position?
- Takeaway. One sentence. The thing you want your future self to remember.
That is it. Five fields, two minutes after class, every time.
How often to log
Same day, every day you train. The further you get from the session, the more your memory smooths out the rough edges. The detail you cared about in the moment is the detail that will help you a year from now.
Paper vs app
Paper works. A cheap notebook in your gym bag is better than nothing. The problem with paper is that you cannot search it, you cannot count it, and you lose it. By month six you have a stack of half-finished notebooks and no way to find that one note you took on a deep half guard sweep.
An app fixes all of that. You get search, totals, streaks, partner history, and a real picture of your training over months and years. It also takes 30 seconds instead of two minutes, because the fields are already there waiting for you.
How MatFlow does it
MatFlow logs every session as soon as you check into class. Your gym, class type, and date fill in automatically. You add partners with a tap, write one line about what worked, and you are done. The app shows you your streak, your training heatmap, and your time on the mat per week, month, and year. Your belt and stripes live in the same place. It is the journal you would have built if you had the time.