Halloween is the best time of the year: costumes, candy, and costumed grappling classes. After Halloween ends, we roll right into another amazing season: the holiday gift-giving season.
My podcast, Dirty White Belt Radio, has done a gift guide for grapplers over the past 6 years. Here are the 2017, 2016 and 2015 iterations: 2014 and 2013 are a little outdated, but let’s include them anyway for the completists out there.
This year, we’re moving the Grapplers Gift Guide to this blog. Everyone has a grappler that they love, and we hope — whether you’re in Bellingham, Washington or not — this gives you some ideas that will make them happy.
$40+ GIFTS
Private lessons: Let’s start with the three premium items: private lessons, new gis, and video subscriptions. Both David Porter and I (Jeff) teach privates, and enjoy doing so. This is a fun way to focus on the student’s specific needs for an hour. As a brown belt, I charge $80 per hour, and Dave’s rate is $100 per hour — but regardless of the cost, everybody loves private lessons. Help your grappler tailor their training to what they need most (or what their instructor does best). Plus, it’s flexible in terms of when it can be used, without any hassle of shipping or delivery.
You can either get privates from your local instructors, or, if you know of a high-profile teacher coming through for a seminar, see about booking a lesson with one of them. We have 10 seminars in the works for next year, so there should be something for everyone.
A New Gi: This is another gift everyone digs. The more gis you have, the more you can train without falling victim to the laundry monster. If you’re a Bellingham BJJ student (or shopping for one), I’m just about to make another custom gi order — so whether your grappler wants a white, grey or black model, in whatever size, we can make that happen for $100. E-mail me for details! One cool thing about our custom gi order is that we can tailor it to your body style (lanky, stocky, etc.).
For non-Bellingham BJJ students (or for folks who want a different model), you can get the most recent Jeff Shaw gi for $100 if you use the code “Bellingham” at check-out. Toro also has a sick black gi on sale now, too. For lanky body types, we recommend Lanky Fight Gear, and Fenom makes great gis for women.
Instructional Sites / Video Subscriptions: Some folks love video subscription sites. I’m one of them: I’ve learned tons from online video. But, as I tell my students both at Western Washington University and at Bellingham BJJ, the great thing about living today is that there is more information out there than ever before. The terrible thing about living today? That there is more information out there than every before. Let me curate a bit for you so that you can be sure your favorite grappler gets great video from terrific instructors.
Cody Maltais of Elevate MMA taught a tremendous and well-received seminar here this month. Cody has an instructional on his Guillotine System out right now. At $40, it’s a steal and a tremendous value for anyone who attended the seminar and needs a refresher, or anyone who missed the seminar and is getting choked by everyone who went.
Two sites I always recommend: Marcelo Garcia’s site has an incredible library of techniques and live rolling. One of the first on the market and still one of the best. Same with the Mendes Bros. Truly world-class instruction on both sites. For a one-shot that’s a bit more expensive, I just bought the Lachlan Giles leglock series — it looks comprehensive, and a full review is incoming. That’s more of a financial and time investment, though!
Those are for folks who want to learn some new skills. If your recipient is a fan of watching live grappling, consider a subscription to FloGrappling, which streams many of the BJJ competition events live.
Custom mouthguard: Gladiator Guards makes custom mouthguards. It’s a big up-front investment compared to the $10 boil and bite, but so worth it, from a comfort, fit and safety perspective. Plus, they keep your tooth mold so if you lose it or run it through a dryer (yes, I did this) it’s easy to replace. Plus, it’s fun to do the kit.
Tournament registration fees: Maybe your friend wants to compete but needs an extra push, or extra cash, or help with logistics. Out east, US Grappling is the best tournament organization ever. Here in the west, I’m sure your grappler would appreciate being registered for The Revolution or one of the other local tourneys.
Massage: Does anyone not want a massage? I doubt it. Here in Bellingham, Cody Schuler has cards for discounts at our front desk, and he gives massages every other Wednesday in our academy. But wherever you are, I’m sure you can find a sports-focused massage practitioner, and make your grappler’s BJJ body feel better.
BJJ Seminar Entry Fee: At Bellingham BJJ, we believe in bringing in incredible instructors at a low cost. For most seminars, we charge $40 for members and $60 for non-members: this is a terrific price, and we don’t make a profit on these. The idea is to bring in world-class teachers so that we all get better, and by keeping that price point where it is, we can get our seminar teachers paid while also making sure as many students as possible get access.
2020 will be a great year for BJJ seminars at Bellingham BJJ. We’ve already announced the Jake Whitfield seminar, we will probably be bringing Cody Maltais and Josh Murdock back assuming we can find dates — and stay tuned for a few more seminar announcements that will blow your minds. Really.
$20-40 GIFTS
Rash guards and fight shorts: You don’t have to be John Danaher to appreciate the virtues of the rash guard. If your grappler focuses on no-gi, or just likes to wear these under the gi, these are solid choices that clock in at the $30 range. We’re just about to make another custom rashguard order, so all sizes should be in stock. Toro BJJ also has some super-cool custom rashies (as well as some cost-conscious, affordable generic models).
Bellingham BJJ T-shirts or hoodies: It’s fall. Winter is coming. Everyone wants to stay warm, and our hoodies are gloriously soft. They’re also just $40, and great for sharing with loved ones.
Endless sports bras and pony tail holders: If you’re a lady, you probably need sports bras. If you’re a lady or a longhaired dude, you probably need the ability to hold those luxurious locks in place. Betsy recommended a few brands for each, including Champion’s line of sports bras, and Goody’s Ouchless pony tail holders. You can hear her specific tips for how to find out what your partner likes if you listen to the show!
Gym bag: I love a great bag, and costs and functions very widely here. The Toro BJJ mesh bag is on sale now, and I can personally attest to its awesomeness. At $30 or so, it’s an absolutely incredible deal. For a higher end item, I’ve reviewed the Datsusara Core Bag Pro on the blog, and it’s an excellent bag, but comes in $100 more expensive than the Toro. In the middle of that price range is a backpack style bag that I love from Gold BJJ. It’s a great travel bag that is especially good for people who train. Everyone needs to drag stuff places!
Framed Photography from Great Moments Rolling or Competing: You might have seen the memory wall at the academy: I love printing fun photos using Snapfish, and whenever they have a sale on their canvas prints, I jump all over it. Don’t buy it at the regular price: wait until they do a 70% off deal, which happens with some regularity.
Flip Flops: We have loaners for the academy, but if you want to guarantee that your grappler isn’t the dude who tries to walk in the bathroom in bare feet, there are some great pairs out there for cheap. The classic Brazilian Havaianas are one example, and some companies make belt rank sandals so you can rep your rank. I love the Rainbow hemp sandals, and I also rock Combat Flip Flops, a veteran-owned company that produces sandals out of recycled material and uses the money to fund girls’ education in Afghanistan.
LOW OR NO-COST GIFTS
T-shirts: Everybody can use a great shirt, and if your grappler already has a snazzy Bellingham BJJ model, Toro has a bunch of great jiu-jitsu shirts. Remember to check the clearance section for some incredible deals.
Time to Train, or Drilling time: You pay for everything with money or time. Time is the one thing you can’t really get more of, except in the metaphysical sense. What about a gift certificate for a certain amount of hours to drill moves on you? I’d sure appreciate that. If you’re not a grappler yourself, maybe create time and space for your jiu-jitsu practitioner to pursue their passion? Really, that’s what it’s all about.