If you don’t have the coins but want to get the proper gear to train BJJ, here are some price hacks to help you find affordable gear!
Jiu-jitsu is a great sport to get into. You’re doing something great for your body, your mind, and your self-defense. Although you might not have a whole bunch of equipment like in other sports, the gear you must buy to make sure you’re suited properly to train is important. Those costs do add up especially if you plan to train more than one time a week. I understand that many of us can’t afford five $150 gis and to get the latest gear from whatever popular jiu-jitsu brand is out today but there are ways to get affordable gear without breaking the bank. Some of these ways are a bit outside of the box but will get you what you need in order to train.
Why Your Regular Fitness Wear Probably Won’t Work for BJJ
If you’re new to BJJ, you might be thinking “why can’t I just wear my normal gym clothes?” There are a couple of reasons for that. The first reason is that some normal gym wear might not be great for jiu-jitsu. For example, baggy cotton sweatpants and t-shirts aren’t really the best material to train in because they absorb sweat very easily. Once they become drenched in sweat, you risk waterboarding your training partners with your clothes. In addition, having baggy clothes while training has a high risk of getting caught around fingers and toes and getting pulled. Next, because you are in such close contact with your training partners, you don’t want anything to accidentally get pulled down. Lastly, if you have anything with zippers, buttons, or rhinestones, they can hurt your partner even without you intending to hurt them.
I say all this to also mention that there are fitness clothes you probably have in your closet that work for jiu-jitsu. These things might be compression wear, lycra, rashguards, etc.
Workout Gear You Should Avoid at Jiu-Jitsu
Baggy clothes
Cotton clothes
Anything with zippers, buttons, or rhinestones
Anything with a hood.
BJJ Gear You’ll Need to Train
There are a few items you’ll need to train jiu-jitsu. These items include a jiu-jitsu gi, the uniform you wear for gi classes, a compression shirt or rashguards, and shorts or spats (leggings) for both inside you gi and to train no-gi. Some other bjj training items that will be helpful to you will be a mouthguard, headgear, a cup, and other protective equipment. Lastly, some BJJ accessories that would be helpful are gear bags that can help you hold all your stuff, shower stuff, flip flops, and anything else that helps with your hygiene and after-class care.
Where to find Affordable Jiu-Jitsu Gis
Gis are the only piece of jiu-jitsu gear you can’t hack from other places. You can’t go and find another martial arts uniform like a karate or a Tae Kwon Do uniform. When you sign up to a jiu-jitsu gym, many gyms will give you a starter gi which is included in your sign-up fee. Jiu-jitsu gis can run you from $40 to $250+ normally. But there are a couple of places where you can get gis at great prices.
BJJHQ.com has daily deals where you can get jiu-jitsu gear. They have everything like rashguards, jiu-jitsu apparel, accessories, and especially gis! You can get an affordable gi for under $100 if you follow them and know what deals will be coming out for that day.
2. Rollmore.com
Rollmore.com has a variety of gis that are great quality and from multiple brands. They do have some that run a bit expensive but there are many gis that you can get for under $100.
3. Your Training Partners/Gyms
You might luck out and have training partners that have gis that they don’t wear anymore, and they just don’t want to throw them out. For example, as I write this, I have five gis that don’t fit me anymore that I am dying to giveaway. I wouldn’t just ask straight up if someone is giving away a gi, but sometimes someone will offer, and you can jump on the opportunity.
4. Amazon.com
Amazon is probably the most affordable place you’ll be able to find a gi. You’ll have a variety of sellers both known and unknown with a variety of gis. This goes without saying but sometimes you have to be careful of the quality of the gi that you purchase. You can get a gi for under $80 but you have to look at the reviews and make sure the quality is decent. You might find a gi for $40 but as soon as you wash it might shrink and then you only get one wear out of it. Make sure you do your research on the gis available on Amazon and of course wash and care for your gis properly.
Where to find Affordable BJJ Rashguards, Spats, and Shorts
As I mentioned earlier at the beginning of this post, you might have some rashguards, compression shirts, leggings, and shorts in your closet already. Your Under Armor or your swim rashguards can work for jiu-jitsu. But if you don’t have those in your closet here are some places you can find some affordable options.
TJ Maxx/Marshalls
TJ Maxx and Marshalls are GOATed when it comes to finding fashion items or getting you something to wear for a night out quickly and affordably. But did you know you can also find items you can wear for jiu-jitsu? You can find Under Armor and other compression tops for training at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Plus, if you can’t find shorts for BJJ at an affordable price, swim trunks do well for this too. Especially during the summer season, you can find a variety of swim trunks that can work as BJJ shorts. I would just be mindful of the net that is usually inside a pair of swim trunks. You can always cut those out.
2. Sierra
Sierra is a bit new for me (by new I mean that I’ve seen it for a few years but never walked in and finally walked in one day) but Sierra is a sport and outdoors store that holds a lot of things at affordable prices. I believe it is a sister company of TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. You should be able to find rashguards, leggings/spats, and shorts for an affordable price.
3. Five Below
Five Below has some great finds for jiu-jitsu but it depends on your area and the season. There are regular shorts and leggings there all season. Rashguards will be there during the summer season. I was able to find rashguards there for five bucks. There are also other essentials that you can find to pack in your BJJ bag and more. But, if you’re in sinch for money and time, five below is a great option to get some basics.
4. Target/Walmart
There is nothing more reliable than a Target or Walmart when you need to find BJJ gear quickly and more affordably. As I mentioned previously, you have to be careful about the sports apparel that you buy having zippers and other things that can hurt your training partners. But there are a few items that don’t have zippers or buttons that you can use for jiu-jitsu or other sports activities.
Where to find Affordable BJJ Accessories
Besides the BJJ training clothes that you wear, there are other items you might need to train jiu-jitsu with such as mouthguards, headgear, undergarments, and more. If you need to find some affordable jiu-jitsu accessories, the following places might have them.
1. Sierra
Sierra is great for outdoor and sports gear, so there is no doubt they will have mouthguards and undergarments for training jiu-jitsu. A headgear is a bit more specialized but depending on your area, they might have something in your local Sierra.
2. Dicks Sporting Goods
Dick’s has everything you need related to sports. You will be able to find most items for jiu-jitsu here. If your local store doesn’t have it, then you can get it delivered to you. My only qualm with Dick’s is that sometimes some of the items can be a bit overpriced but you can find most things affordably.
3. Walmart and Target
Of course, as a last resort if you need things quickly and don’t want to use Amazon, Target and Walmart has most sports accessories you need but like with Sierra, it depends on your area and headgear might be a bit harder to find.
Finding BJJ Gear Doesn’t Need to Be Expensive
Sometimes when we pick up a new sport or hobby, price can be a big barrier to entry. There are some costs that you can’t avoid like memberships and competition fees, but the gear you purchase doesn’t have to be expensive at all. I hope these tips on finding somewhat affordable gear that you can wear to train BJJ will help you get going in your jiu-jitsu training until you can purchase something else.
Question: Where do you like to shop for affordable BJJ gear. Tell me in the comments and of course let’s talk about it on my Instagram @blackgirlwhitegi_bjj
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