If you walk into the jiu-jitsu gym looking like a middle age man you will be screaming that it is your first time doing this. Not an issue if it is your first time, but we want you walking in your gym with some confidence like you knew what you were about to sign up for! Everyone should have these 10 essential Jiu-Jitsu Bag items when they decide to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu!
1. GI / Rash Guards
Both Gi’s and rash guards are extremely important to the sport of jiu-jitsu. Finding good ones is not that hard since we already did the work for you! Here we broke down some great companies to consider:
EVERY grappler is going to need this gear. As grapplers we are a part of a special breed of humans who enjoy beating each other up on the mats, why not do it in style like some of the best athletes in the world?!
2. MMA Shorts
These specifically need to be MMA shorts!!! Do not get a pair of shorts with any kind of zippers or velcro on the exterior design. When training, those become hazardous to our teammates!
The first couple of items on this list are no-brainers, you’re going to need the proper attire to get started. If you’re going to do jiu-jitsu, you might as well walk around in the stuff that makes you feel confident. Like Deion Sanders said, “Look good, feel food, play good!”
3. Supplements
Supplements like protein and creatine are a huge part of our diets as athletes. They keep our machine(body) running at peak performance. We have to make sure our bodies are fueled with the proper things or we will not be able to perform at our best on the mats! Personally when we train we only want to fuel our bodies with the highest quality things to avoid any harmful preservatives that may be found in the things we eat.
If you are like us and resonate with only putting high-quality items in your body we recommend using 1st Phorm. It is of the highest quality and frankly just the best product on the market! We run through boxes of protein powders over our time training BJJ. Check out this list of top supplements that you could also throw in as essential items here:
For Pain Management, Joint Pain, Or Muscle Soreness
- CBDmd – CBD, CBD Cream or Delta 9 Gummies
- Phytochet – CBD oils
- Fish Oil Capsules
Other Supplements
Mat Fuel
This is a pre-workout specifically designed for people who train Brazilian jiu-jitsu and provides us with the necessary energy to easily get through workouts! The best part is that we do not experience any kind of jitters when taking the supplement and it supplies us with an immense amount of focus throughout the class!
Protein Powder For After Training
Jocko Fuel
One of the more popular figures in the jiu-jitsu community is a person named Jocko Willnik. The former military commander loves to train jiu-jitsu and has built products around his love for nutrition and the sport!
Jocko Fuel offers a number of products ranging from everyday supplements to high-quality proteins with no junk on the ingredients list!
Naked Nutrition
Protein is something we go through pretty often. I love getting protein as gifts because it eliminates the need to go off and make my own trip!
Having the right protein for after workouts is key for your recovery after a tough training day!
Creatine
Creatine is a supplement that allows the body to recover faster and allows us to get the most out of our bodies when training! A nutritionist that we recently spoke to told us to continue using this supplement so we know that getting creatine would work as an excellent gift idea!
4. Gym Bags
Since we are talking about the essential items that should go in your jiujitsu bag it would only make sense to mention the bag itself!! Having a good gym bag always makes our lives easier when going to and from practice! We went with the medium-sized Nike duffle bag and have zero complaints! It’s Nike, so the quality is there and it will last a long time!
The convenience of having everything I need in one spot and ready to be grabbed when I am in a rush is a game-changer! Consider getting a bag that will last over time, the quality matters!
5. Pain Management Creams or Oils
We are a big believer in cannabis for healing purposes and try to get as many grapplers as we can to use CBD. We use CBD almost daily at this point so we had to include it on the list of essential items!
We come home most days sore from a tough day’s work on the mats. If you practice jiu-jitsu one thing I know we have in common is the nagging pains or injuries we face. CBD creams, oils, or gummies have been a great way to alleviate the pains and be able to bounce back from those minor inconveniences that arise when a joint or muscle is sore.
We recommend going with Phytocet because of how easy it is to use and how great it has been working for us! This product specifically uses nanotechnology that allows your body to absorb CBD faster! CBD has been a secret weapon for us in our recovery process after tough matches and training throughout the week!
For those that do not know what CBD is, it is the non-psychoactive chemical found naturally in Cannabis. Our bodies have a cannabinoid system already so when you use CBD it has been linked to alleviating a lot of nagging injuries that are common among most athletes.
6. Massage Gun
Now, we do not suggest bringing this next item in and out of the gym as frequently because they can be a little bigger. When choosing a massage gun be careful going with the cheap ones, we made that mistake and ended up having to get another one within a couple of weeks!! We tried our best to pick out a couple of good options, most can be found on Amazon!
There are so many options to choose from when it comes to picking a massage gun. The one you chose depends on your budget. If you want to go big, the Thera Gun is for you but if you want to not break the bank on one item go with the DDVWU.
It’s pretty obvious at this point that muscle soreness is something that happens in the sport so this item has made the list of essential items!
7. Laundry Detergent
It is honestly so surprising how much freaking laundry we do since starting jiu-jitsu. I’m not even kidding when I say we do it almost every day or at least 4-5 times a week…
We have to wash our gi’s, pants, and rash guards after every practice to prevent infections. It can get pretty gross, to be honest. Getting someone who does jiu-jitsu laundry soap for their birthday is not a staple gift, but it would surely get a good chuckle out of them! Also, another item to not mindlessly carry around in your bag… unless you want to?
8. Headgear
Headgear is pretty important for a grappler to add to the list of essential jiu-jitsu bag items. Headgear helps prevent cauliflower ear, a common ear deformity that occurs when the cartilage of the ear is damaged. As wrestlers, judo athletes, MMA fighters, or jiu-jitsu practitioners, we risk this happening. They can be uncomfortable to wear at first but honestly, they are worth the purchase. Cauliflower ear is something that we are dealing with right now and it’s annoying to feel the pain when I lay my head down on a pillow.
So if you want to avoid having a mangled ear we suggest you go ahead and grab them this. Check out some options for good headgear here.
9. Knee Sleeves
Getting knee sleeves helps with mat burns and protects us from injury. When practicing jiu-jitsu it is common to get caught in a position where our knees can get exposed to injury. Having one (or two) of these in our gym bag is a part of our essential jiu-jitsu bag items.
Our knee has been completely cut up from mat burn and blisters. These cuts are annoying to roll around with and it has gotten to the point where it has affected our training. If you’re a grappler and do not have a pair of these, we highly recommend you get them a pair!
10. Mouth Guards
It is not common to see people bang heads and start missing teeth but we lean on the side of caution here. The likelihood that an accident happens while training jiu-jitsu is higher than most would expect.
Getting yourself a good mouthguard will prevent you from ending up being toothless after those grueling training sessions, which is always a plus!! You can find some high-quality ones on Amazon for a fair price.
Hope you enjoyed this list of 10 essential jiu-jitsu bag items! You can now walk into your next jiu-jitsu class knowing you were prepared for the life-changing experience!
Happy Rolling!
