What goes in a jiu-jitsu gym bag: gear options and why

A jiu-jitsu gym bag holds a mouthguard, sandals, a spare rash guard, soap for the shower after class, nail clippers and a roll of finger tape; headgear goes in if you want to keep your ears as they are. None of it is expensive, and almost all of it exists for the same two reasons: your partners' skin and your own. Below, each item with a few options that answer the need in different ways, and what separates them. The cards link to the maker's own page and to Amazon.

What to wear covers the first class: shorts, a plain tee, water. This is the kit that follows once training has become a habit.

Three things that need no brand

Sandals. For the walk between the mat and the changing room. Ringworm, one of the mat infections, is picked up from locker-room floors as well as from skin (skin infections has the detail), and sandals keep bare feet off the floor. Any pair that slides on and off is enough.

A spare rash guard. For the second half of a long open mat, or for the partner who forgot theirs.

A little cash. For a mat fee paid at the desk, the case dropping in while travelling plans for.

Mouthguard

The first-class post says a cheap boil-and-bite mouthguard is fine, and it is. The American Dental Association sorts mouthguards into three kinds: stock (ready to wear, least fitted), boil-and-bite (softened in hot water, then shaped by biting) and custom-made from an impression of your teeth, which fits best and costs most. The options differ mainly in how thin they are and how well they fit, and the fit decides whether you keep one in or leave it in the bag.

• SISU Aero. Thin, light, and remouldable if the first fitting goes wrong; the maker says it can be worn with braces. A thin guard is easier to breathe and talk through.
• Shock Doctor Gel Max Power. The standard boil-and-bite: thicker, cheap, and fitted in a few minutes. It comes with a tether you can remove.
• OPRO Silver. A self-fit guard in the middle of OPRO's range, with fins that mould around the teeth and gums for a closer fit than a basic boil-and-bite.
• Impact. Custom-made to your teeth and ordered from the maker. The step up for someone who has trained long enough to know they will wear a mouthguard every time.

Headgear

Wrestlers wear ear guards and most jiu-jitsu players do not, which is much of why the thickened ear is common in jiu-jitsu. In a survey of over five hundred collegiate wrestlers, those who trained without headgear developed ear hematomas at about twice the rate of those who wore it (cauliflower ear has the study and the rest). Ask your academy how it feels about headgear in class before you buy.

• Cliff Keen Signature. The soft one: foam, modelled on Cliff Keen's original foam headgear, and the model the maker says most NCAA wrestling champions wear.
• Cliff Keen F5 Tornado. A shell over each ear on an adjustable strap system; the more rigid choice.
• Gold BJJ Headgear. Made by a jiu-jitsu company for jiu-jitsu: soft and low in profile.

Soap for the shower after class

The CDC's advice to athletes is to shower with soap and water right after practice and not to share towels; skin infections says the same. The shower, and how soon it comes, matters more than the soap. The soap to carry is the one you will actually use.

• Defense Soap. A bar made for wrestlers and jiu-jitsu players, with tea tree and eucalyptus oils. It is soap, not medicine: it does not treat ringworm or staph.
• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. A plain, fragrance-free wash, for skin that does not take well to essential oils and a daily shower.

Detergent

A cotton gi needs normal detergent and cold water (how to wash your gi has the routine). Sports detergents earn their place on the synthetic side of the bag: rash guards, spats and shorts, whose fibres hold on to body oil and the smell that comes with it. All three below are made for that.

• HEX Performance. Detergent packs formulated for synthetic activewear.
• WIN Sports Detergent. A liquid aimed at the oils that bond to synthetic fabric; it comes in a fragrance-free version.
• Rockin' Green Active Wear. A plant-based enzyme powder, with an unscented version for sensitive skin.

Nails

Long nails cut partners, and the etiquette post asks for nails on both ends cut short. Clip the day before training, then smooth the edge so nothing catches.

• Seki Edge SS-112. A Japanese steel clipper, the larger model in the range, so it takes toenails as well. A file is built into the lever.
• Bona Fide glass nail file. A glass file smooths the cut edge finely, and it can be rinsed and reused.

Finger tape

For a jammed finger or a torn fingertip, not every finger every day. Narrow tape wraps a single joint or binds two fingers together (buddy taping).

• Monkey Tape, 0.3 inch. Narrow, for single fingers and toes; the maker says it does not cut off circulation.
• Hampton Adams finger tape. Also 0.3 inch, eight rolls to the pack, tears by hand.
• Gold BJJ finger tape. Half an inch wide, pre-cut, three rolls; also the tape used to put stripes on a belt.

What stays home

Braces you do not medically need, supplements, and a second gi bought before the first one has been worn in. None of the gear above replaces the habits it supports: a shower after class, a gi washed every time, nails kept short. The bag makes those habits easy; it does not make them for you.